Page 4 of Seven Graves
The Boss man shoved his hands into the pockets of his suit jacket and turned towards where the escort was still standing by the door.
“Where the fuck is Malek?” His grunt promptly left to go find whoever that was.
I felt for him, nonetheless. Sounds like he’s about to get it.
“‘Yer good. I do appreciate the attention to detail. I most certainly wasn’t aware. However…I’ll require you to stay until we ‘figger out where it disappeared to. I’ll have my men load the rubbish ‘fer ‘yer trouble.”
Not what I wanted to hear, and my stomach churned with nerves, but I understood just the same and nodded.
There was a rustling, and a few choice words mumbled before quite possibly the most attractive son of a bitch I’d ever seen scuffed his untied black boots across the threshold and stopped in front of the Boss.
I couldn’t even be helped to follow my own fucking rules.
He had expertly barbered deep auburn hair, greased strands of it falling over his right eye, a simple black button-up that was left open at the collar, showing plenty of ink, and a pair of dark jeans. My eyes darted straight to the floor.
“You rang?”
Add deep, sexy, Irish accent to the growing list. I’ll take sixteen of them, thank you.
“Don’t play coy with me, boy. This was ‘yer job. ‘Fer a very specific reason . You keepin’ his finger as a trophy?”
“What if I am? Did I not earn it as well as he earned his grand exit?”
“You know better, Malek. If you’d just asked, I woulda told you to take his cock , if that’s what you wanted.
Are you listening to me?” There was an awkward pause, and I could feel the spiders crawling up my spine.
A clear indication I was being thoroughly checked out.
And I had a feeling I knew exactly by whom.
“Who’s this?”
Fuck.
“She’s cleanin’ up ‘yer mess. Otherwise, none of ‘yer concern.” I watched his boots clop fully into my vision until he was close enough to smell his cologne.
Leather, and sandalwood and a hint of cigarette smoke.
I thought I might drool a little and have to clean up some of my own biological material. “Malek.”
I was pretty fed the fuck up with being touched without my consent tonight, but strangely…the feel of his rough, calloused finger lifting my chin…didn’t bother me so much. I refused to actually look at him and I think it pressed on his nerves.
“So, you’re the reason I’m givin’ up somethin’ I’ve waited for. For seven years .”
He waited for a guy’s finger? For almost a decade? That’s not fucking ludicrous at all.
His accent wasn’t nearly as thick as his boss. Somehow it made it hotter. I tried not to inwardly cringe at the amount of time he said he waited. Damn my mother and her need for a ‘name that means something.’ It’s just a number. I’m good. This is fine. I’m fine.
“Enough, Malek. Leave ‘er alone. Give it up and make ‘yerself scarce. I’ll deal with you later.”
His finger remained under my chin, lifting it a little higher and he chuckled under his breath. Not gonna lie…I got chills down my back for a wholly different reason. It’s been a while, okay? We listen and we don’t judge. “You afraid of me, sweetheart?”
Well, that ruined it. That’s something only old, leathery perverts say to pretty young women.
Gross. It prompted me to break my own rules for no other reason than to glare at the bastard.
I wish I hadn’t. Those eyes were as green as Ireland itself.
He had a barbell in one eyebrow, and a lip ring.
A tiny four-leaf clover tattooed under his eye—how mysterious.
And original. But I’d be the biggest fucking liar if I told you he wasn’t absolutely devastating.
“No,” I croaked out. “It’s late and I still have hours of work to do.
I’d appreciate it if you’d stop touching me and let me get on with it.
” He smiled and my knees threatened to give out.
I fought that shit with everything I had.
The pad of his thumb grazed my lower lip, and I snapped my teeth, causing him to jerk back and the Boss and my escort to snicker.
“Bleedin’ Christ. Nathair Bheag… ”
Whatever the fuck that means. But they laughed again.
I steeled myself and watched him reach into his pocket— his pocket —and pull out that severed finger.
He teetered it between his thumb and pointer and pulled a bloody gold wedding band off of it before reaching for my gloved hand and turning it palm up.
I don’t get grossed out by body parts. But…
something about the way that finger hit my glove made me wanna throw up.
We stared at each other for another handful of seconds, but to me…
could have been a lifetime. He’s pissed at me.
I feel like I just landed myself in the middle of something that I could have avoided if I’d just kept my fucking mouth closed .
“Well? Get on with it, then.” He had the side smile of the Devil himself, and turned on his heel, striding out the door without another word. Something feels extremely heavy on me. Like he’s still looking over every inch of me from down the hall. I don’t like it, but I’m feigning confidence now.
I dropped the finger on top of the body and started wrapping it.
I think I stopped giving a shit whether anyone else was in the room or not.
At this juncture, I just wanna leave. It’s a long drive back, too…
and I do have work to do tomorrow. It’s pretty clear I’m not getting any sleep tonight.
I’ll have to feed caffeine through an IV while I’m working on the next house guest. Boss did as he promised, though.
A few men filtered in and out of the room and packed up the hearse for me, and I did my last touch-up before leaving.
He was totally understanding and polite about the rug, and even more so about Malek .
I got apologized to more than once before I was finally on the road back home.
I damn myself for paying close attention just as much as I praise myself for it.
My steering wheel was taking the brunt of the frustration the whole drive back.
Boss had tried to shake my hand before leaving, thanking me for my patience and my immaculate work. As I’d still had my gloves on, I politely declined, and he understood…but not before I glanced at a tattoo he had in the same place as Mr. Nightshade.
A crown with a Celtic cross in the middle.
I was right about what I’d hoped I wasn’t right about…I just cleaned for the fucking Irish mob .