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Ryan

I need this fucking fixed.

Sir?

FIX IT! For fucks sake, do I have to spell it out for you?

Okay, okay, message received, loud and clear. Don’t worry sir, I’ll take care of it.

I don’t want any more fuck ups, you hear me? This was not how things were supposed to go down. To think I trusted you with everything, Jesus Christ.

Sir, Mr. Fitz-

Don’t you say another fucking word.

Sorry.

[Loud exhale] Look, just get the job done. Archie will be in touch with the details. Call me when it’s over.

Will do, sir. You can count on me.

Good, don’t make me regret this.

I wo-

[Dial tone]

“Wow, he actually thinks if this guy doesn’t say his name that we won’t know it’s him?”

I say, shaking my head in amazement.

“Like we don’t monitor everything this asshole does?”

Joe chuckles.

“I know, right? Either he’s dumber than we thought or that redhead of yours has well and truly pissed him off.”

I can’t help but laugh.

“Ah yeah, I’m going with the latter on this one.”

“We should tell the captain,”

Joe says.

“Work out what we do next.”

I let out a long breath before taking a sip of coffee.

“Yeah, I know. Come on, let’s go.”

I grab the recording and we both walk out of my office and head to the captain’s, where he ushers us in.

“Updates?” he asks.

I nod.

“Yes, something pretty good too.”

Rather than explaining what we’ve got, I put the recorder on his desk and hit play.

As Fitzgerald’s gravelly voice cuts through the silence of the office, it’s not hard to hear just how agitated he is.

I’m not sure what Erin said to him when she saw him yesterday, but whatever it is, it’s worked.

And as much as I hate the idea of her having anything more to do with this guy, even if he is her father, I can’t help but be grateful that what she’s done might actually finally get us somewhere.

When the recording is finished, the captain looks at both of us.

“Do we know who he was speaking to?”

Joe nods and slides over the folder.

“Hamish Donnelly,”

he says.

“Frequent flyer in the system as a kid and not much has changed since he allegedly grew up.”

“Part of Fitzgerald’s crew?”

the captain asks, opening up the folder and looking through this guy’s record.

“Seems like it,”

I add.

“Although relatively minor stuff from what we can tell. Definitely not the gun thing, so probably more of a courier type.”

“Think he’s in with Macklin too?”

I shrug.

“One would assume so, yeah,”

I say.

“From what Erin told me, Macklin was essentially groomed to take over, so I’d guess that would include both the business and the crew. There’s no evidence to suggest he’s cleaned house and given Fitzgerald is clearly still involved, it wouldn’t be a smart move on Macklin’s part if he did.”

“Right,”

the captain says, eyeing the folder again.

“So, we going to talk about the elephant in the room then?”

Joe and I glance at each other.

The captain shuts the folder, drumming his fingers on the cover as he looks from me to Joe and back to me again.

“Who the hit is for?” he says.

I let out a long exhale, scrubbing a hand down my face as I sit forward in my chair.

“Well me, obviously,”

I say.

“It’s really no surprise given the earlier threats and the fact he didn’t succeed with the cut break line, is it?”

“No,”

the captain says.

“But it is a problem.”

“How so?”

“Ryan,”

he says, sliding the folder back toward me.

“A mob boss has just put a hit out on you, it literally doesn’t get any more serious than that.”

“So, I’m off the case,”

I say, pushing back my chair and standing.

“I didn’t say that,” he says.

“So what then?”

I say, turning to face him, hands on my hips.

“Would you sit down please?”

he says, gesturing toward my chair.

“I’m not taking you off the case, okay?”

I nod, knowing I tend to overreact a little when it comes to this case. It’s hard not to now it also involves my girlfriend. I shove a hand through my hair as I sit back down.

“What then?”

“Well,”

he says, steepling his hands together.

“I think it’s about time we stopped playing their game and started playing ours.”

“Meaning?” Joe asks.

“Meaning,”

the captain continues.

“I think instead of sitting around and waiting for something to happen, we need to take this fight to them.”

The captain pauses, swallowing hard as he turns to look at me and I immediately know that whatever he is about to suggest, I’m not going to like it.

“What if we bring Erin in on this?”

“Absolutely not,” I say.

The captain holds up a hand.

“Just hear me out.”

I shake my head, my jaw clenched as I force myself to remain calm.

“Are you seriously asking me to get my girlfriend involved with this?”

I ask.

“A mob take down?”

“I know you don’t like the idea, Ryan, but you have to agree this has to end, don’t you?”

I nod, knowing he’s right, even if I don’t like his methods.

“And preferably without any more attempts on your life.”

“Or Erin’s,” I add.

“Or Erin’s,”

he confirms.

“So,”

I start, sitting forward and resting my hands on his desk.

“How do you propose we do this?”

As the captain starts to outline his ideas, my unease only grows. It crosses my mind that if I told him about the baby, he might change his mind about recruiting Erin to help us out with all of this.

Ironically enough though, it’s actually the thought of her being pregnant that somehow convinces me to do this. While I might not like the idea, even worse is the idea that it all continues, escalates even as Macklin grows more and more frustrated.

“Okay, so we’re good?”

he finally says.

I nod.

“Yep, I’ll talk to her tonight.”

“Good.”

Joe and I spend the rest of the afternoon getting things organized for how we’re finally going to catch Macklin. The plan is for the whole thing to happen within the next day or so, which feels far too soon to me.

“You want to grab a drink?”

he asks, just as we’re wrapping everything up.

“Nah,”

I say, shaking my head.

“I’m heading back to Rockport, sorry.”

“Chris up there?”

“Yeah,”

I say, laughing.

“If Erin hasn’t somehow killed him with her all bitching anyway.”

“Well good luck with everything,”

he says.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yep, night.”

I head over to my apartment to grab some more clothes before heading back up to Rockport. On the way, I call Beck to fill him in on everything, even though Finn has already covered most of it. I feel a bit bad that I didn’t tell him and Kelsey about the car accident, but everything feels as though it’s been happening so fast, there just hasn’t been time.

I don’t mention the baby though, knowing Erin and I haven’t discussed whether we’re telling people yet.

The house in mostly in darkness by the time I finally arrive and Chris is in the living room, quietly watching TV.

“Hey,”

I say, as I walk in.

“Everything go okay?”

He stands, switches off the TV and walks toward me.

“Yeah, all good,”

he says.

“Your sister arrived and apart from her going to get some food, neither of them left the house.”

Shit, I forgot Sarah was coming down.

“They didn’t give you too much grief, did they?”

Chris laughs a little.

“Well, no, not exactly.”

“Don’t worry,”

I say, laughing as I give him a slap on the shoulder.

“I know they can both be pains in the ass so I do appreciate you putting up with it all day.”

“I’m not touching that one,”

he says, heading for the front door.

“The inn, it’s the big one down by the beach, right?”

he asks, enquiring about Kelsey’s place where he’ll be staying tonight.

“Yep,”

I confirm.

“You okay for six tomorrow morning? Sorry it’s so early.”

“All good,”

he says. “Night.”

After Chris leaves, I head back to Erin’s bedroom. She’s left a side light on but is fast asleep in bed. After taking a quick shower, I slide in beside her, wondering when the hell I am going to have the conversation about her helping us take down her ex-boyfriend and her father’s right-hand man.

Fuck.

“How was work?”

she mumbles sleepily as she rolls over and rests her head on my shoulder.

I take a deep breath, knowing this is as good a time as any to start the conversation that half of me wants to have and the other half of me wants to ignore.

“Productive,”

I say, wrapping my arm around her.

“Seems like your little trip to see your dad had some effect.”

“How so?”

“We’ve got a lead,”

I tell her.

Erin lifts her head. “You do?”

I nod.

“You ever hear of a Hamish Donnelly?”

I ask her.

Erin shakes her head. “Nope.”

“Well, your dad called him from prison to set up a job.”

“A job?”

she asks.

“Or a hit?”

“A hit,”

I confirm.

“Jesus Christ, Ryan,”

she says, sitting up, wide awake now.

“He’s put a hit out on you?”

I shrug.

“Yeah, but we can use it to our advantage.”

“How?”

she half shouts.

“Because now we have someone who’s between Anthony and your dad,”

I tell her.

“And if we reach out to him about speaking to Anthony, then we’ll be able to get him and end all of this,”

I continue.

“Before anything bad goes down,”

I add, trying to reassure her even though I have no idea if that’s how this will all play out.

“But there’s no way this Hamish guy will talk to you or set anything up with Anthony,”

she says.

“You’re the police, they know that.”

“I know,”

I say, knowing this is the part of the plan I hate.

“But you’re not.”

“Wait, what?”

she asks, surprised.

I sit up now, taking her hands in mine.

“I don’t like this at all, Erin, but I can’t let it continue either,”

I tell her.

“And if you can somehow help us get to Anthony and end this shit, then I have to consider it. You’ll be protected the whole time, I promise. There won’t be a second where you’ll be alone or unguarded.”

Erin’s staring at me, an unreadable look on her face as she takes in my words.

“So,”

she eventually says, jutting her chin out a little.

“Does this mean I get my gun back?”

And already I can see her mind ticking over with how she thinks this little scenario is going to play out.

“No, Erin, you don’t get your gun back. This isn’t a movie, you know?”

She lets out a loud huff.

“I do know how to shoot, Ryan,”

she says, annoyed.

“I can defend myself.”

I pull her against me now so she’s resting against my chest.

“That might be true, babe, but you’re still not having a gun.”

“Not fair,”

she murmurs and I can’t help but smile. I thought she’d be terrified of what we’re asking her to do, but in reality, she almost seems excited.

“So what exactly do you want me to do then?” she asks.

“Well,”

I start.

“We want you to call this Hamish guy. Tell him you got his number from your dad and you’d like to set up a meeting with Anthony to sort things out.”

“You really think he’s going to believe that?”

“Hamish?”

I ask.

“Yeah, he’s too much of a kiss ass to your father to not believe it,”

I tell her.

“What about Anthony?”

she asks.

“He and I didn’t exactly end things on good terms and judging by how pissed he was the other day when he showed up here, how can you be so sure he’ll want to speak to me?”

I take a deep breath, knowing this is the one part of the plan we can’t guarantee.

“We can’t,”

I admit.

“But if I had to put money on it, I’d say he won’t be able to help himself.”

Erin tilts her head so she’s looking up at me now.

“Because of you and me?”

I lean down and press a kiss to her lips.

“That, but mostly because of you and him.”

“Me?” she asks.

I nod, brushing her hair back.

“He won’t be able to resist, Erin, trust me, it’s a guy thing,”

I say, knowing that no man can resist the pull of their first love. God, just the thought of this guy having been with her infuriates me. And now, asking her to act like she wants to see him again, what he will think of that. How the fuck am I going to control myself when all of this eventually gets put in motion?

“And then what?”

Erin asks, squeezing my arm and bringing me back to the present; reminding me that it’s me who’s with her now, not him.

“Then we’ll have you meet Anthony at a pre-arranged location and when he shows up…”

“You take him out,”

she says and I swear she almost sounds excited by the idea, as though this is all a movie or TV show or something.

I roll my eyes, even though she can’t see me.

“Has anyone ever told you, you watch too many movies, Red?”

I ask, nuzzling her neck.

“Whatever,”

she says, shrugging.

I press a kiss to the top of her head.

“In any case,”

I continue.

“We don’t take him out, we arrest him and if I have anything to do with it, he goes to prison for the rest of his life.”

Erin says nothing now and I can’t help but wonder if there’s a part of her that’s a little hesitant to play such a big role in sending her ex-boyfriend to prison.

“Okay, I’m in,”

she suddenly says.

“Let’s do this.”

“Oh my god, Red,”

I say, chuckling at her excitement.

“What am I going to do with you?”

“Oh, I don’t know,”

she says, twisting now to give me a kiss.

“I can think of a few things.”

Afterwards, just as we’re both drifting off to sleep, Erin pulls herself against me and mumbles.

“By the way, I’m pretty sure your sister had sex with Chris.”

“What?”

“They fucked.”

I laugh.

“No, they didn’t,”

I tell her.

“Not a chance in hell that happened.”

“Um, have you met your sister?” she asks.

“Ah, yeah, but I’ve also known Chris for a long time and I know how professional he is.”

“Whatever,”

she says, her cast arm resting on my chest as her fingers slowly move over my skin.

“But your sister can be pretty hard to resist.”

“Yeah,”

I say, trailing my fingers up and down her spine.

“That’s because she’s a stubborn ass, just like you.”

“Hey,”

she says, slapping my chest.