Page 52

52

JAMIE

A fter pulling Sawyer into a tight embrace, we stand locked together. She’s surprisingly calm as we talk and voices no resistance when I say we’re not going to call the police.

Sawyer walks over to the computer and clicks the mouse to unlock the screen. The screenshot picture filling the monitor is one of me and Ash with Trick’s sons at my aunt’s birthday party. My muscles clench as I curse. Allendale must’ve grabbed it from social media. Which means he’s known exactly who I am for a while.

Her voice is hollow as she says, “You should probably copy this computer, too.”

When I close the screenshot from my aunt’s party, I notice the picture icon next to the screenshot is named Angel Boy.

I brace myself as I click to open it. A cropped version of the birthday picture comes into view where only Trick’s son Finn is in the frame. The blond hair, blue eyes and features all make him look like a young version of Jude.

Allendale’s been stalking my family for a new target. I wish he wasn’t already dead. I would kill him slowly.

Angel boy. Christ, it makes me feel like puking.

Leaning close, Sawyer whispers. “Who is that little boy?”

“My cousin. Ash’s youngest nephew.”

Sauce steps back, and a hardness enters her eyes as she glances at Allendale’s body. “I’m glad he’s dead.” Looking at the blood on her hands, she shakes her head. “I don’t want to deal with another investigation. I know I’ll have to, but… it’s unfair.”

Putting an arm around her shoulders, I pull her against me and kiss the top of her head. “Wash up in his bathroom. Easier to explain traces of his blood in there. Could’ve cut himself shaving sometime. I’ll clean up the scene here and decide what to do next.”

When she goes into his bedroom, I copy Allendale’s work drive and start to destroy evidence in the fireplace. The trophies I spotted in the basement, I’ll leave for the cops to find.

His body is a problem. Our DNA will be on it. But disposing of a body is tricky business in the age of doorbell cameras. I want Sawyer away from the house as quickly as possible, but to clean the scene carefully, I need time.

I could escort Sawyer home to Foxgrove, establish an alibi and then sneak back here. Or… I could take advantage of being in C Crue and call in an expert. It would mean coming clean about the vendetta, which is dangerous, but it’s the best option for having the murder scene handled properly.

* * *

Sawyer and I keep up appearances as we travel to the train station in a ride share. From our casual conversation about school and the holidays, no one would have a clue that a few hours earlier she witnessed me murder her father.

As soon as we’re seated on the train, I text for reinforcements, asking Ash to pick us up from the Boston train station and letting Trick know, via coded message, I need to speak to him privately as soon as possible.

Trick calls and asks where I am. I tell him. Once he has my arrival time, he ends the call. In person, it’ll be.

At the Boston train station, Ash waits for us wearing blue and green flannel pajama pants under her puffy coat. The pajamas, along with her fuzzy blue hat and wildly mussed hair cause me to cock a brow.

“Cracker look, Ash. Who are you meant to be? Wendy Darling just dropped off by Peter Pan after a trip to Neverland?”

Ash smirks and flips me off with good cheer before giving Sawyer a hug.

I pull Ash in for a hug, too, but I’ve got an ulterior motive. In her ear, I whisper, “Thanks for coming. Listen, I need another favor. If anything should happen to me, you’ll look after Sawyer for me, yeah? I want your word you won’t leave her alone. She belongs to us now.”

Ash’s grip tightens around my back. It’s a credit to her that she doesn’t ask a single question. “I swear.”

“Grand. Off you go.”

When I release her, Ash picks up Sawyer’s tote. “Seesaw, do you feel like waffles because I—oh, hey!”

I follow her gaze and spot Trick’s approach. His hair’s brown, but otherwise we’re cut from the same cloth. Same build and facial features. Even a similar gait.

He wears a vintage padded leather jacket with fleece lining over a knit shirt and jeans. His brown hiking boots tell a story, if only to me, about where we’re headed when we leave the train station. Usually Trick wears trainers with jeans in a typical American fashion. Not today. So, once the girls are gone, he’ll be taking me to the woods. Here’s hoping we both emerge alive at the end of the meeting.

Oblivious to the serious mood, Ash launches herself at Trick, and he catches her in a hug. After, he looks her over with a wry smirk. “What the hell are you wearing, baby?”

She smirks back. “College clothes.”

“Yeah, right.”

Ash winks, still grinning. “Here, Scotty, meet my roommate.” She pulls Sauce’s sleeve to bring them together. “This is Sawyer.”

Sawyer extends a hand, and Trick shakes it.

For her, he’s got an easy smile. “Good to meet you.”

“You, too. Ash quotes you all the time, and I’ve started to as well. You’re a legend.”

That causes him to chuckle.

“Have you had breakfast, Scotty?” Ash asks. “There’s that great waffle place?—”

“Can’t this morning.” Trick takes out his wallet. “But you girls, go. Have fun.” He holds out a few hundred-dollar bills.

Ash puts her hands up in a “stop” gesture. “No. I have money.”

Ignoring this, Trick slides the cash into Ash’s coat pocket. “After breakfast, buy some real pants.”

Ash’s laughter bubbles out of her as she gives him a kiss on the cheek. “See ya.” Then, she waves at me and hooks an arm through Sawyer’s to tug her along.

Sawyer rolls her small case as she strolls away with Ash, but she looks back over her shoulder for a moment with concern. Maybe she senses the danger. I smile to put her at ease.

Once the girls disappear in the crowd, I drop the smile. Picking up the duffles, I follow Trick. There’s no conversation, not even small talk. Apparently, he’s not pleased about getting an unexpected emergency call from me and having to make the drive to Boston first thing in the morning.

Outside, I get into a black C Crue SUV with its bullet-proof windows. This is what serves as a company car for the successful crime syndicate these days.

Hip hop blares from the sound system when he drives out of the metropolitan area to a plot of land the organization owns.

In the woods, Trick parks on a dirt road that’s dusted with snow.

We venture about three hundred yards into the trees. Unlike when the bosses call a meeting, there’s no outdoor furniture, no fire pit, nothing.

Standing with his hands in his pockets, Trick says, “All right. I’m listening.”

“I killed a man in Connecticut. I need to use the Crue’s cleaner to deal with the body or I need to go back and do it myself.”

Trick’s expression turns as dark as I’ve ever seen it. “On whose authority, did you kill?”

“No one’s.” Silence stretches on. Finally, I add, “He was the pedophile who caused Jude’s death. And he tried to kill me and Sawyer. Also, he had pictures of your boys on his computer. Finn’s his favorite type. Blond-haired, blue-eyed, and looks just like Jude.”

“How the fuck would he have pictures of my kids?”

“I don’t know. Ash’s socials are private, and I don’t have any. But the pictures were from your mom’s birthday party, so someone must have shared them publicly.” I shrug. “I’m not sure when he got onto me. For all I know, he’s kept tabs for years. I’ll find out when I go through his files.” I touch the duffle with my foot. “Cloned all his devices.”

“Is he why you came to America?” Trick’s analytical abilities are second to none.

Drawing in a slow breath, I nod.

“And you didn’t bother to fucking tell me until now? When there’s no moonlighting in our Crue. Which you know.”

Again, I nod. “Whatever you decide to do, I’ll accept.”

“You’re pretty fucking confident I’ll cover for you. If I let C handle this the way we would any other Crue member who went off book to the tune of murder… Let’s say we’d be dealing with more than one body this week.”

I level my stare on him. “As I said, whatever you decide.”

“The girl knows, right? Are you prepared for us to kill her, too?”

That causes my heart to clench in protest. “There’s no need to hurt Sawyer. If I’m gone, I’m no longer a liability.”

“If you’re alive, she’s a big fucking risk to you forever. The minute you break things off, or even if she just gets pissed enough, she could burn you.”

“I know.”

Trick scowls. “You work for us, so that’s our problem, too.”

“Leaving him alive would’ve been risky, too, Trick. While he was trying to kill Sawyer, she had to stab him. His going for medical care would’ve led to a record that police could’ve dug up later. Better to kill him as quickly and cleanly as possible.”

“You wanna talk risk? It was a lot fucking riskier to go there alone with a civilian witness. We trained you better than that.” He shakes his head. “Why the fuck didn’t you confide in me? The planning for something like this should’ve been meticulous.”

“Listen, I couldn’t risk your telling me to leave him be. I made my promise to Jude over his fucking coffin.” Licking my parched lips, I shrug. “If someone raped Ash and caused her to kill herself, would you let him live?”

“Don’t waste time with stupid questions. My objection isn’t to the murder. It’s to the mess. If you’d told me the situation, your girl wouldn’t have needed to get blood on her hands. Or in her head. Because she wouldn’t have been anywhere near the scene.”

I exhale. “I didn’t go there to kill him. My original plan was different. I was going to destroy his life and make him suffer. Take everything, expose him, see him in jail and brutalized by grown men the way he liked to do.” Clenching my jaws, I scowl. Allendale’s death was too easy. “But when he tried to kill us, I couldn’t risk leaving him alive. What if he’d run? He might’ve hurt someone else—even tried to grab Finn—while I was fucking about with cat-and-mouse games to find him. I couldn’t have that on my head with Jude watching.”

“With Jude watching?” Trick scoffs.

I exhale in frustration, holding up a hand to dismiss his skepticism. “I’m not mental.” My teeth grind together. “Or maybe I am. Dunno.”

Trick’s expression becomes neutral again. “Give me the address of the scene.”

I rattle it off. “Back door’s open. Security system offline. He helped with that, actually. Turned it off so he could drown me and make it look like an accident. Almost worked.”

“You knew what he was, and he got the drop on you?” Trick shakes his head, disgusted again.

“Aye, my guard was too low. But I’m not the type he usually targets. Fourteen years too old and ten stone too big. In a fair fight, he was no match for me.”

“Any animal is dangerous when cornered. Especially a human one.” Trick makes the call to send a man to New Haven to clean up. When he finishes, I nod my appreciation.

“Listen, I’m sorry, Trick. I meant to handle it alone and cleanly. With no ties to the Crue or anyone else.”

Trick shrugs. “Man plans. God laughs. Which is why it’s good to have a Crue that’s got your back.” Sliding his phone away, he studies me. “Tell me about the man. Everything you know.”

For the next few minutes, I spill the intel I’ve gathered. When I tell him Allendale was Sawyer’s father, his brows pinch together in a grim line. Still, he listens silently until I finish.

Trick appraises me with an expression that could freeze alcohol. “What’s the story with you and the girl? Ash thinks it’s serious.”

“Serious enough that I’d die for her.”

He makes a nonspecific sound that he’s unimpressed by my declaration. Maybe it’s because all the Crue leadership would die to protect what’s theirs. Or maybe it’s that he doubts me. Hard to tell with Trick.

“She was steady this morning,” he says. “No outward signs of what happened.” Trick glances around. “All right, marry her.”

That grabs my attention, and my head jerks in surprise. I’ve already taken a notion about Sawyer. I want her to become a permanent fixture in my life, but she’d think I was mental if I proposed right after killing her dad. “She’s just out of secondary school, Trick. At uni, sure, but still a schoolgirl.”

Trick’s eyes narrow. “The girl’s eighteen, right?”

“Of course, yeah.”

“Old enough then.” Trick’s hands emerge from the pockets of his coat, as though he’s warmed up from the heat of his annoyance. “Law enforcement can’t compel her to testify against you if she’s your wife. You say you’re willing to do anything to protect her. I’m telling you what to do.”

The implied threat to Sawyer causes my fists to clench.

Trick wants her under my control where I can keep a close eye on her. And it’s not the worst suggestion I’ve ever heard. I do want her, of course. But trying to lock her down quickly and suddenly might cause her to pull back.

“ Listen , if I ask now, I doubt she’ll even have me. We haven’t been together long, and what she knows of me can’t inspire much confidence about a happy future life.”

Leveling me with a gaze, he says, “Convince her.”

“Right.” Drawing in a breath, I lean forward. “About the father, I have an idea that could make it look like he’s gone on the run, rather than that something’s happened to him.”

“Tell me.”

I run down my plans to schedule emails from his work account, including an incriminating one that will look like he sent it accidentally. “If the police think he’s become afraid of being arrested, it’ll muddy the waters.”

“Yeah. We’ll circle back to that in a couple of hours. Once I know the body’s gone.” He rubs the back of his neck. “If you had ideas about leaving the Crue now that your vendetta’s complete, forget it. You’ll be clearing your debt to us for a long time.”

That brings me up short. I’d only promised the Crue one year’s work after the training. “How long exactly?”

“I don’t know. After I speak to C, he’ll tell you.” With that, Trick turns and heads back toward the truck.

Exhaling, I try to wrap my head around Trick’s statements. It’s tough to accept I won’t be moving home to Ireland next year, but considering I’ve broken their rules and they’re helping me cover up a murder… I’m lucky Trick values blood so much.

Nodding to myself, I reframe my expectations for the next few years. Right, so I’ll only be visiting the island, not living there. I can deal with that. After all, a huge weight’s been lifted from my shoulders. I’ve finally gotten vengeance for Jude, and in the bargain, I’ve found an excuse—albeit a dark one—to keep the girl I’m in love with.

On the whole, I’m getting a new life. I’d be a fool not to make the best of it.