Page 11

Chapter 11

Constantine

Colin stopped at the top of the stairs, defiant arms boldly crossing his chest.

“Are you hurt? Bleeding?” I snapped out.

“No.”

“Then why the hell are you not moving?”

“I heard what he said to you, and I’m not leaving without Lennon.”

I slapped a hand to the banister, my forty-plus-year-old eyes battling the strobe lights to try and locate this girl he cared about.

I knew he’d never leave without her. I also didn’t obey threats by gangsters, so fuck what Jamie had said. “If she wants to come, then fine.”

“But Jamie?—”

“Did you hear me agree with him?”

I got up in his personal space, my adrenaline still going. He had no clue how close he’d been to winding up in the hospital—or worse, a body bag—had I not shown up when I did. That reality hadn’t truly set in for me yet, either.

“What in the John Wick was that back there?” He flung his arms out wide with the question, so I grabbed hold of one of them.

Free will didn’t apply for him like it would for Lennon. He was coming with me whether he liked it or not.

I glanced back to see two of the Sicilians hovering, waiting for us to leave. “Come on. Move.” I took the first step, giving him no choice but to walk. “Where’s Izzy?” I asked Hudson who had our six, staying close behind us.

“I told her to wait for us at the bar.”

“Take her out of here and grab our SUV. Wait for the two of us outside the entrance we came in,” I ordered.

He nodded and took off once we were on the first level.

Colin pulled free of my hold and rushed to get to his girlfriend. She met him halfway, and he pulled her into his arms, burying his face in her blonde hair at the side of her neck.

“Is she staying or coming with us?” I asked him, needing to break up their reunion.

She untangled herself from my son’s arms, and I couldn’t help but notice the Claddagh ring I had apparently bought on her ring finger. “What in the bleeden’ hell is going on?” she asked, boldly sizing me up.

Colin scrubbed his free hand over his face. “It’s complicated.”

Tell me about it.

“Will you leave with us, though?” he asked her, and loud music or not, I could hear the desperation and love in his voice. “Lennon?” The hitch of pain in his voice when he said her name, as if worried she might reject him, gutted me on his behalf.

This was going to be a problem.

“Like hell is she going with you. Jamie just called,” an Irish guy I’d clocked at Jamie’s VIP table earlier said, joining in on the conversation while keeping a phone to his ear.

“Time to go.” I tugged Colin’s arm. If I had to embarrass him and drag him out of there over my shoulder, I would. Either way, he was leaving with me.

The girl glanced nervously between Colin and the Irishman, who was old enough to be her father.

Fuck, I’m apparently old enough to be her father.

“I don’t want you getting in any more trouble.” Her shoulders fell, and with it, common sense took over. Thank God. “Go without me. I’ll call you later.” At least she cared about him enough to know she’d be risking Colin’s safety if she were to leave with us. “Just go. Please,” she begged. “You know I’ll be safe here with these guys.” She reached out and hugged him, forcing me to let go of him.

I looked around, checking for the Sicilians. A few of them were still hanging back at the top of the stairs, waiting for us to leave. They wouldn’t come down as long as I was in the building.

At least Colin had mixed it up with them and not the Bratva or Triad, who didn’t have enough sense to bow down at hearing my name alone.

Of course, I wasn’t all that confident Jamie, and his low-level punk Irish gang, gave a damn who I was, either.

I reached for his arm, needing to break up the lovefest. “Come on.”

“Who is this dude?” she asked when he pulled away from her.

“Just a guy I know,” he answered, which was all he really could give her.

He hugged her one more time, and when they kissed, I lifted my gaze toward the DJ booth to give them two seconds of privacy. “Come on,” I repeated as I secured hold of his forearm again and tugged.

“Love you,” he told her, then shirked free of my touch.

At least he was finally moving in the direction I needed him to go.

The second we were outside, he spun around and hit me with, “You killed people up there.”

“Maybe say that a little louder.” I rolled my eyes. At least no one was in our immediate vicinity, and it was the middle of the night. “And no, I didn’t. The only one never getting up again was shot by his own people.” The others had a chance of survival if they made it to the ER in time. Please, any ER but the hospital where Juliette works.

“You used the man as a shield. That was . . .” He pressed his fingertips into the back of his skull. “What are you even doing here? Did my mom send you?”

I gave him a few seconds to spiral, assuming he needed to as much as I did. One of us had to keep it together. I supposed it had to be me.

“Is she tracking my phone? Why would she trust you to come after me? None of this makes sense.” He finally looked up and faced me, arms stiff at his sides like they were weighted down by concrete.

How was any of this possible? That’s what I wanted to ask him. I wanted to know how my target’s sister was his girlfriend. And what would have happened had Daniel not attempted to mug my intern? It was a horrible thought, but then I’d never have hunted Daniel down Wednesday night. I’d never have been running late to my date with Leah and been in the parking garage at the exact time when Colin was trying to boost a car with his buddies. I’d never have been at the rave to go after Jamie, winding up protecting a son I didn’t know I had.

“Hello? You there?” He waved his hand in front of my face. Apparently, I’d gone ahead and spiraled anyway.

“Your mom didn’t send me, no. You were lucky I happened to be there. You have no idea just how much luck was involved, in fact.”

He ignored my warning, which was for the best. “But why were you here?” His brows shot up. “In a raaaaave?”

So, you drag words out like your aunt. Got it. “Why were you?” If my blood pressure rose any higher, I’d be heading to the hospital myself. Juliette’s, of course. “Are you in a gang?”

I had a dozen questions and a feeling he’d never answer any. He still had no clue who I was other than the guy he stole from. Mr. Monopoly to him. I was going to have a coronary along with shit blood pressure.

“Why was that Italian-sounding dude so afraid of you? Are you part of some scary crime family?”

Nice deflection, kid. I wasn’t a mafioso . My mom’s side of the family was mafia, but that was a story for . . . well, never. He didn’t need to know that.

“Of course I’m not. I’m just someone that . . .” That what? What could I possibly say to him that’d get him to back off his interrogation so I could get back to my own.

Colin rubbed his jaw. Shit . Was he in pain after all? What kind of father was I?

One with zero experience.

“Are you okay? What happened before I came in there? Did that asshole hit you more than the one time?”

“I’m fine.” He removed his hand from his face, shaking it off. “You shouldn’t have involved yourself in my business. They’d have roughed me up, then let me go.”

“Oh, that’s rich.” Now I sounded like my old man. “The mafia doesn’t rough people up. They break every bone in your body, then kill you and everyone in your family. You understand that, right?” He probably didn’t. God help me.

His head bowed in shame the moment I uttered the word family.

So, you don’t care about your own life, but you do your mom’s?

“Those guys were mafia?”

“Yeah, and I assume a deal was about to occur between your boss and them.”

“He’s not my boss,” he said as Izzy and Hudson parked alongside the curb.

“And I’m supposed to believe that? You asked his permission to leave with me. And yeah, I saw that.” I went over and opened one of the back doors. “You were trying to boost a car the other night with two of his crew, and don’t lie to me and say they?—”

“They work for him, but I’m only dating his sister. And I don’t owe you an explanation.” He flung his arm in the air. “Why am I even talking to you?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because you almost died in there, and I saved your life. And because you’re afraid I’ll tell your mother her son is working for a drug dealer. And that I know this because I caught him high at a rave while she was working her ass off to save money to send him to college.”

“What? No. I’d never touch that shit, and sure as fuck never sell it.”

I ignored his language, reminding myself I was no better. I left the door open and went to look at him, checking to see if his pupils were blown, one of the most obvious signs he was rolling. “You’re not on E?”

“Ecstasy? I can barely handle cold medicine without feeling drunk as hell.”

You probably inherited that from my side. Well, from his uncle. Alessandro and drugs of any kind didn’t mix. Satisfied his pupils appeared normal, I backed off. “So, what were you doing in there?”

“Lennon likes to dance to that kind of music. She was going with or without me since her brother would be there. I wasn’t about to let her go on her own.”

Why did I believe him? Probably because I want to.

Izzy lowered her window, pointing her curious gaze back and forth between the two of us.

I know, dammit, I know. “Just get in,” I ordered.

“Why should I trust you? That man up there shit his pants hearing your name.”

Fair point. I glanced at Izzy, lightly shaking my head to let her know that no , he didn’t know he was my son. “Because I know your mom.”

“No shit, Sherlock.”

Heaven help me with the attitude and that mouth of yours.

Izzy sent her window back up, and I returned my attention to him, unsure how to get through this without revealing too much.

“We know each other from another-time, another-place kind of thing. We go way back. We didn’t recognize one another at first, but I promise you can trust me.”

He opened his mouth, and shockingly, no sound came out.

“Now get in. And after your mom gets off work, you two need to pack. You’ll be temporarily moving in with me.”

“Excuse me?” He made a timeout cross with his arms, hitting his wrists together twice. “No way, bro.”

So, I was back to being his bro now, great. “The Sicilians won’t bother you since you’re under my family’s protection, but I don’t know anything about Jamie or his boss.” Looks like you’ll be able to fill me in. “How much did you hear up there? Anything about their deal?”

“I was barely there before you showed up. I didn’t hear shit.”

Good. “Regardless, I can’t leave you two by yourselves in case someone decides you’re a threat.” And, selfishly, maybe I wanted them to move in. “What if something happens to your mother because of what went down tonight?”

He cursed. “Fine. I’ll go with you if you promise we won’t tell Mom what happened.”

I fake-laughed. Or maybe it was real, and this kid just had me losing my mind. “Right, and tell me how we’ll convince her you need to move in with me, then?”

“Ease into the truth, at least. My mom will freak. Never let me out of her sight again. And then she’ll lose her job because she won’t leave me alone.”

“She has every reason to be upset and worried. She’s your mother.” I gestured to the SUV. “Get. In. The. Damn. Car.” I borrowed Hudson’s love of punctuating words. Now felt like the right time.

Of course, Colin swore again—like a sailor, in fact. But he was finally doing what I asked. He slid into the backseat of the Suburban. I sat next to him and slammed the door closed.

Once we were farther removed from the scene of the crime, I looked down to see evidence of blood on my clothes. I didn’t want to face Juliette like this.

“I need to change and grab my car,” I told my sister.

Hudson looked back at me, then over at my son.

I know, I know.

Izzy wordlessly pulled onto the road, shooting me a concerned look in the rearview mirror. I kept quiet and closed my eyes because what could I possibly say?