Page 21 of The Mobster’s Daughter (Massachusetts Mafia #2)

Grady

“G rady?” Somebody kicked his leg . “Grady!”

“What?” h e mumbled.

“Caitli n’s gone.”

It took a minute for the words to register. Caitlin. Gone. He lurched to his feet. Dante stood in front of him with his arm s crossed.

“Caitlin’s gone?” Grady repeated.

Dante nodded. “She took the Bronco. I don’t know when she left, though. How long have you bee n asleep?”

Grady checked his watch. “A couple of hours, maybe?” He went to the kitchen sink, splashed cold water on his face, then he wiped it off with a pa per towel.

“Any idea where she’d go?” Dante asked. “He r father?”

Grady shook his head. “No, she’d never go to the mansion. She said something to me about disappearing, taking off, just the two of us. I told her no, and it pissed her off.” He didn’t mention they’d had sex. “She took off because she thinks she can hide. But she needs money to d isappear.”

“Where will she get it?” he asked. “Is there somebody she could ask f or money?”

“Yeah, her cousin Finn,” Grad y replied.

Finn Duffy was the son of Sean O’Reilly’s older sister.

He had dropped out of college after his mother’s death and joined the family business.

Talented and ambitious, he rocketed through the ranks, making not only himself, but his uncle as well, a millionaire several times over.

If Caitlin needed cash, she would hightail it to Finn’s club in Boston, the Emeral d Diamond.

“He owns a club in Boston,” Grady continued. “That’s where s he’ll be.”

“Do you want me to go with you?” Da nte asked.

Grady shook his head. “No. You know if Sean or any of his men see you, you’re dead. I’ll go alone.”

His friend didn’t argue. He was aware of his limitations with the O’Reilly family, and he wasn’t about to cross any lines. “What are you going to do when you find her?”

“I’m taking her to her father,” Grady replied. “I’m done playing games with her. She’s Sean’s daughter and his problem.”

“Take the Ford.” Dante tossed his keys to Grady, who caught them with one hand.

It took just over an hour for Grady to make the drive into Boston and to the Emerald Diamond. The place was packed, no surprise on a Friday night. He utilized valet parking and told the kid who parked the truck to keep it close.

At the door, Grady gave his name to the bouncer, who immediately let him past the velvet ropes. He walked through the crowd and headed for the bar. After he sat down, he asked a pretty brunette f or a beer.

He knew Caitlin was here; she had to be. As soon as he found her, he was taking her home to her father. Sean could deal with this bullshit; Grady was over it. In fact, once she was safely home at the O’Reilly mansion, Grady thought he might need a very long vacation.

He waved over the pretty brunette tending bar. Her name tag said Veronica.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

“Is Finn Duffy here tonight?” he asked.

Veronica nodded and pointed to a section of tables over his left shoulder. Grady looked over and saw Sean’s nephew and a tall blonde getting to their feet. Caitlin. It looked like she was ready to leave. Grady set his beer down and stood up.

Caitlin brought a drink to her mouth and downed it in a couple of swallows, then she turned his way. When she saw him, her eye s widened.

Out of the corner of his eye, Grady noticed a commotion at the front door. His hand went to the gun under his jacket when Joey LaGuardia pushed past the bouncers at the door and headed straight for Finn an d Caitlin.

“Caitlin!” Gra dy yelled.

She ignored him and bolted for the door behind her. She had no idea what aw aited her.

“Goddamn brat,” he swore under his breath. When he turned back, he searched the crowd for Joey.

La Guardia worked his way through the crowd, avoiding flailing elbows and kicking the ankles of the people on the dance floor. If Grady didn’t move, he would get to Caitlin first. Joey was closer to her than Grady, less than twenty feet away.

Desperate to stop him, Grady yanked his gun from the holster under his jacket, shoved several dancing kids to the side, and fired a shot into the floor. Screams erupted and people fled for the exits.

“Caitlin!” he yelled. She ignored him and kept moving toward the door.

Grady swore under his breath as he ran across the room.

He vaulted over a small table and kicked a chair out of his way.

Just as Joey reached the edge of the platform, Grady launched himself at the other man.

He hit Joey on the knees and forced him to the ground.

Joey’s gun flew from his hand and slid unde r a table.

Grady jumped to his feet and stomped on the Italian’s ribs. The man grunted, rolled away, and scrambled to grab his gun. He snatched it from beneath the table, shifted to his back, and fired.

The bullet grazed Grady’s arm and hit the mirror on the wall behind him, shattering it. Grady cursed, swung around, and darted across the raised platform to where Finn stood at Caitlin’s side with his gun drawn.

“Go, Caitlin!” he shouted. “Through the kitchen and out the back entrance.”

“Get her out of here!” Finn yelled. “I’ll take care of t hat guy.”

Grady nodded and raced after her. He found her in the middle of the kitchen, fists clenched at her sides, tears on her cheeks, her eyes darting from him to the door at the back of the building.

She sucked in a deep breath. “You’re bleeding,” she said.

“I know,” he replied. “I got shot.” He holstered his gun.

Concerned flashed across her fac e. “What?”

Grady shook his head. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“How did they find me?” she asked.

“I do n’t know.”

“How did you find me?”

“I know you, Cait. I know how you think. I also knew Finn might help you.” Gunfire exploded behind them. “We need to go. I need to get you out of h ere. Now.”

He took Caitlin’s hand and led her out of the back of the club. He didn’t know what was happening behind him, but he couldn’t worry about that. Caitlin needed to be moved somew here safe.

Outside the door, they found themselves in a small parking lot. As they stepped outside, he was hit from behind and Caitlin screamed.

Grady stumbled forward. As he straightened and turned, another blow landed on his chin. He grunted and fell o n his ass.

“Put the girl in the car,” som eone said.

“Grady!”

“Shu t her up!”

A boot connected with Grady’s ribs and he dropped, his head connecting with the asphalt. Right before he blacked out, he saw two men shoving Caitlin into the backseat of a dark-co lored SUV.

“Grady? Grady, are you okay?”

He pushed Finn’s hands away and struggled to sit up. “ I’m fine.”

“Where the hell is Caitlin?” F inn asked.

“They grabbed her,” Grady muttered. “Help me.”

Finn grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet. Everything spun, and he stumbled back a few steps. Finn latched onto his arm to keep hi m upright.

“You’re not fine,” the younger man snapped. “You’re going to f all down.”

“I just need a minute.” Grady bent over and put his hands on his knees. He sucked in a deep breath. “Fuck.” He stood upright and tried to ignore the buzzing in his ears and the way the alleyway spun a round him.

“Where’s LaGuardia?” he asked.

“He rabbited. Slipped out with the freaked-out kids.” Finn took his phone out of his pocket. “I’m gonna call Un cle Sean.”

Grady nodded. “Tell him we need men. As many as he c an spare.”

“Got it,” Finn said. “Go back inside. My guys are clearing out the club. The cops are coming, of course, but I can handle them. You can wait upstairs in m y office.”

“Let me know what your uncle says. And tell him I will get her back. I swear.” Grady walked toward the club, took his phone out of his pocket, and cal led Dante.

“Did you find her?” Da nte asked.

“They got her,” he replied. “Joey LaGuardia gra bbed her.”

“So, he’s taking her to the Morettis?”

“Joey LaGuardia doesn’t work for the Morettis anymore,” Grady explained.

“What the hell are you talking about?” D ante said.

Grady told him what Finn had said about Joey, Gino, and Fredo.

“If Joey doesn’t work for Moretti, then who the fuck sent him after Caitlin?” Dante interjected. “LaGuardia doesn’t have two brain cells to rub together. There is no way he would ever think of this himself. He’s working for somebody.”

“You got transportation?” Gr ady asked.

“Yeah,” Dante replied.

“Good. Come to the Emerald Diamond. We need to figure out what we’re goi ng to do.”

Grady wove through the customers still in the club.

Finn’s men moved through the building, instructing people to leave as quickly as possible.

He got to the stairs, but halfway up, a wave of nausea overtook him, and he lowered himself to the steps.

When the police followed Finn through the back door, he continued up t he stairs.

In Finn’s office, he found a small refrigerator filled with bottles of water and protein drinks.

He took a bottle of water and sat on a couch under a bank of windows overlooking the bar.

With a grunt, he removed his jacket and checked the gunshot wound on his arm.

He’d told Caitlin he was only grazed, but it was deeper than a scratch. It looked like it needed stitches.

The door opened and Finn stepped in. “Hey. The cops are gone.” He shut the door and crossed the room to stand in front of Grady. “How’s the arm?”

“You got a first-aid kit?” he asked.

Finn went to his desk, opened the bottom drawer, and took out a blue first-aid kit. He tossed it to Grady.

“How’d it go with the cops?” Gr ady asked.

“They think it was a customer who shot up the place,” Finn explained. “I gave them a vague description that might have resembled Joey LaGuardia. Fortunately, no customers were hurt, so they came in, talked to me, and left. It doesn’t hurt that I’m Sean O’Reilly’ s nephew.”

“What did your uncle say?” He opened the first-aid kit, took out an alcohol swab and a large gauze pad.