by E. C. Land
“Thank you, Da. Would it be okay for the two of us to go to town? I’d like to celebrate both of our new adventures with Bridget before we are separated.” I could kiss my sister with the politeness she uses on Da. Where I want nothing more than to scream at him for doing this to the both of us, I remain silent. There is no talking Da out of his decision in regards to our lives.
“Unfortunately, I cannot allow you to go to town. Things are going on that I will not discuss with either of you as it is not your place to know. I will, however, allow you to order out and I will see to it being picked up. We could even have a movie night if you like,” Da says.
Alison and I both nod our heads in agreement. “A movie night with you would be nice,” Alison says in agreement, speaking for the both of us. I dare not speak to him right now out of fear of saying something I’ll regret.
Without another word, we both quietly make our way back out of the office.
“Umm, you want to talk about what just happened in there and why you have that look on your face?” I ask the instant we’re far enough away for Da not to overhear us.
“I’d rather not,” she murmurs. Knowing her well enough to know she won’t talk until she’s ready. I nod my head and make my way to my own room leaving her alone for now.
Lying on my bed I finally let the tears fall I’d been holding back. The tears I constantly keep hidden behind the dramatics and sass.
I merely want to live my life the way I want.
I’d planned to leave here in another few months. Taking Alison with me. Now I won’t be able to do that. At least with her leaving for the nunnery I can figure out a plan to keep her from having the same life I’m heading for.
Closing my eyes, I begin to plan. Hoping that maybe I can find a way to escape the man I’m to marry.
All I need to do is come up with a plan to get out of here and bide my time until Alison is away at the nunnery. Then I can snag her from there and we can finally be free.
Free from this life. Free from contracts. Free from a man named Dean.
Who names their son Dean anyway?
Chapter 3
Dean
The phone ringing draws me from the paperwork I’ve been dealing with in preparation of being out of state for a few days. Glancing at the screen my insides go tight at the sight of Jackson’s number glaring at me. Jackson is the owner of SoCo Security Investigations and he and his boys are damn good at their job.
Jackson’s a good man to work with when it’s needed and I’ve called upon his company from time to time. Still, he’s more on the opposite side of the law than myself. Or more or less riding the fine line between both worlds. He and his boys have their own way of doing things same as the Devil’s Riot have theirs and I have mine.
“Jackson, what can I do for you?” I answer in greeting. I’m sure whatever he’s about to either ask or say won’t be good. We’d been working together closely on a few things recently, one being Kayne Bryne. Out of respect for who I am and my business, not the strip club but other things, Jackson approached me with the information he’s been gathering for a while now, explaining what he has found stays between his team, Mitch, and myself.
Information I intend to give over to Tomás MacDermott when I arrive in Ireland. I’ve tried my best to get out of this contract, however, the man stated if I were not to marry his daughter the man would allow Kean Bryne to have her.
It’s why I’ve been in the office all day handling paperwork, so I won’t have as much when I return with an unfortunate bride. A bride I’m forced to take on in order to keep her out of the hands of a madman such as Kean Bryne.
“You’re gonna want to get to the Devil’s Riot clubhouse. Jordan has been taken as well as Dragon and Gadget’s daughter, Keegan. Heathe was able to get Keegan away by sheer luck. The dumb fuck left her in the car long enough for him to pull away. He’s headed toward the clubhouse.” My blood turns to ice at what Jackson has just informed me.
“What do you mean they have been taken? And Heathe has Keegan,” I growl more than ready to get my hands on the man who would take my cousins’ daughter.
“I mean Kayne ran Jordan off the road. She had her niece and nephews in the car. They left the boys still in the car. The club has both boys,” Jackson says.
“Are they okay?” I ask through clenched teeth.
“I’m not sure, I’m heading there now as well. Meeting Heathe there,” he responds.
“Wait for me, we’re gonna have to give them the information we have,” I advise, standing I make my way from my office heading toward Mitch’s. Knocking three times lets him know we’re leaving. He opens the door immediately and steps through.
As my right-hand man and head of security, Mitch goes where I go. He’s also my best friend next to Kit-Kat, both of whom I trust with my life.
“Will do. I have the files with me,” he sighs, and I pull the phone from my ear. Neither of us wanted to bring anyone else into the shitstorm we knew would be coming our way.
A shitstorm, I will have no choice but to involve them in as the Bryne family has done more than even I realized. I’d heard the rumors of Kayne and his father yet didn’t pay them any mind until I read the files Jackson handed me.
I’d gone to my father afterward. He’d confirmed the rumors and when I filled him in on his half-brother’s actions. He’d been livid. Though he is no longer the leader of our area, I respect my father as an advisor. At the knowledge of what Cormac did to his own daughter he wanted his blood one way or another.
It’s what I’d been planning for when the fucker went into hiding. I’d been sure the coward would have gone to Kean. I’d finally gotten confirmation on this yesterday.
Getting in the back seat of the car, I dial Badger as Mitch gets in next to me. Kenyon, one of my men, gets in the front. “Head for the Devil’s Riot MC clubhouse,” I order, listening to the phone ring.
“Not a good time, Dean,” Badger mutters.
“Suggest you take time. I’m on the way to the clubhouse and I’m not alone,” I snap, frustrated with this whole ordeal as I’m sure he is. It’s not just my cousin who Kayne took but she’s Badger’s ol’ lady.
“Shit’s going down right now. You either start explaining now or end up bruised and battered when I see you,” Dragon growls through the line.
Go figure they’d put me on speaker. Shaking my head, I do my best to stay cool and composed. I may not be close with my cousins, however, it doesn’t mean I won’t do anything for them, especially Jordan. Unlike Dragon and Gadget she didn’t have anyone to watch her back growing up.
“Don’t even think about it, Dragon, I’ll be there in less than an hour. Gotta do this in person if you catch my drift,” I mutter, refusing to dare talk about any of this over the phone.
“Fine but it better be good, we need to be out there trying to find my daughter and Jordan,” Dragon grumbles as he relents to wait before the line is disconnected. I would be pissed myself if it were my daughter taken and I didn’t know if she were safe or not.
If the men weren’t my family, I’d have already put a bullet between their eyes for the disrespect they’ve shown me. Dragon and Gadget weren’t too happy to find their baby sister working at Sinner’s Cove. They also weren’t happy to find out they were related to me.
“Want to fill me in on what’s going on?” Mitch finally asks as I pull the phone from my ear.
“Jordan’s been taken along with Dragon and Gadget’s daughter, Keegan. One of Jackson’s men was able to get Keegan away from Kayne,” I say, tilting my head in his direction, noticing the tensing in his jaw.
“Fucker’s gonna die,” he mutters. He loves Jordan as much as I do, seeing her as a little sister he needs to protect, and Mitch isn’t a man to take lightly when it comes to family. I’ve seen him slash a man’s throat for simply calling his wife a bitch. This before she’d been killed two years ago during a random robbery of a gas station she’d been in. The killer of it all, Mitch’s wife didn’t
tell him she’d left the house. Otherwise, he’d have had someone on her that day due to things we were dealing with at the time.
“That he will, if not by Badger’s hands then by ours. One way or another, those who have harmed my family will lose their lives,” I growl.
Neither of us speak another word as they’re not needed. My mind racing, flashing images of Jordan in the hospital broken into the image of the woman I’m to marry. If I can kill Kean before the date Bridget and I are to say our vows, I might possibly be able to negotiate with Tomás about this marriage and the wedding we’re supposed to have in a matter of days.
“Call the airline and inform them that we will have more than our usual people on this flight,” I tell him as we pull into the parking lot of the clubhouse.
Time to get plans set in motion. One way or another, Kean will die, and I’ll get out of this absurd marriage.
Don’t give a damn how beautiful she is with her mismatched eyes. I don’t want to marry her or anyone else. I like my freedom but if I want to keep my power and my life, I’ll have no choice in the matter.
Chapter 4
Bridget
You know when you want time to go as slowly as possible it speeds by far too fast. I swear it feels as though yesterday I found out I was to marry a man I’ve never met. Now it’s only a few days before my wedding and I’m still waiting for my moment to escape.
Da has made sure to keep one of his soldiers on both Alison and me anytime we stepped out of the house. It’s not like we can leave the property. He refuses to allow us off the property. We’re at least lucky he lets us outside into the fresh air.
What I need is either a diversion or something to get away. As it stands, my only choice will be leaving in the dead of night by climbing out my window with the hopes of not falling down my trellis and that no one will be awake. Though in this house there’s always someone. Security is around the clock, inside and outside of the house. Hopefully, they’ll be lax at the time and not be paying attention.
Sitting in my window, I can’t help but compare the dreary weather to my mood.
I refuse to become someone’s possession as my father wants me to be. I want to embrace who I’m meant to be. I feel I were to be someone in life and yet I’m nothing more than a pawn in a world I only know I’m to smile and look pretty on my husband’s arm. Or better yet, lie on my back while he impregnates me. I’ve always wanted children but never with a man I don’t love.
A knock on my door startles me out of my head. Calling out for them to come in, I wait to see who it is. No reason to move from where I’m sitting in my window.
The door opens and my da steps into my room, closing the door behind him.
“Iníon beloved,” he sighs as he makes his way to where I’m sitting and takes a seat next to me then takes my hand in his. “I know you wish to not marry someone you do not know but I’m doing what I must for you, not just for the Alliance. Dean will take great care of you, Bridget. He’s successful and I know he will protect you and keep you safe.”
Nodding at his words, I refuse to speak knowing I will only anger him. No reason to get anyone’s feathers ruffled when I’ll be leaving before this Dean man gets here. I don’t care if he can keep me safe or not. I refuse to be shackled to anyone.
The two of us sit without a word between us as we watch the rain for a good couple of minutes.
“You know I remember the day you were born. It rained though the sun was doing its best to shine through. Same as you, you have always been a bright light beaming through the clouds. And if I know you as well as I do, you’ll win over the heart of your fiancé the same as you did me the day you were born. You looked up at me with your beautiful eyes and I fell in love with you more than I already was. Now please let’s have a good day, as tomorrow you will finally meet Dean,” he says, patting my leg.
How can my da say something so sweet yet turn it into something opposite at the same time.
With this knowledge I know I must leave, making my escape tonight. Sadness fills me as I give my da a fake smile to placate him.
He patted my leg. “How about we grab your sister and go have another movie night?” he offers. “We won’t be able to do this after you both leave.”
“Sure, Da, maybe we can call down to the pub you like and order some soda bread pudding and barm brack,” I suggest.
Smiling, he draws me from my spot to hug me. “Sounds like a plan. Now come, let’s go find Alison and spend the evening having a good night,” he says. Letting me go, he stands and holds his hand out for me to take. For tonight, I’ll take this little bit of time to enjoy spending it with him since this will be the last time I see him.
“There’s no way this was my favorite movie growing up,” Alison blurts out, causing us to laugh as we watch The Princess Bride.
“Considering I sat with you through each one of them I should know,” Da jokes. Today has been one of the best days in a long while.
“Nope, I don’t believe you. This movie is completely ridiculous,” Alison says, pointing her hand at the screen.
“Deirfiúr beag, hate to break it to you, but Da’s right. I remember you used to say you wanted to be the princess in the movie and find someone to go through all the trial and errors that Westley went through.” I laugh as Westley and Vizzini sit together swapping the cups.
“Well, I prefer not to believe you. I’ll stick to my books,” she huffed. “Those are much better than this movie.”
Throughout the rest of the afternoon the three of us have been binge-watching several of the movies we used to watch as well as indulging on desserts. I usually refuse to eat so much fattening food. It’s not that I’m on a diet I just like to maintain my weight and sugar intake. Not needing my sugar levels to go sky high.
Being a type two diabetic eating too many sweets without having the proper amount of insulin I would be in trouble.
The ringing of my da’s phone startles me out of my thoughts. I turn my attention to him as he pulls his phone out to see who it is. With a frown on his face, he excuses himself from the room. Glancing at the clock on the wall next to the entrance Da went through, my eyes widen at the time.
Who would be calling Da at this time of night? Then I realize I need to go prepare for later. It’s nearly time for me to leave.
“Alison, would you want to come hang out with me in my room?” I ask, wanting to spend as much time as I could with her before running away. Though I know I won’t be away from her long, she doesn’t. I know what I’m gonna do will hurt her feelings, but I can’t have her blow our plans to have a life away from the Alliance.
It’s something I need as well as Alison. We both deserve to find our Westleys in this life. To become what we want. I, for one, want a man who would fight through hell for me, not just take me away to keep his ranking in the Alliance. By being with me he would become nearly as powerful as my father.
She will understand when I come to get her from the nunnery.
Making our way into my room, I close and lock the door behind her. No need to have someone walk in on us as I pack my things.
“What’s going on, Bridget?” she asks quietly.
Sighing, I glance at her from the side of my bed as I kneel to reach under and grab my knapsack. I know I’m the dramatic one and this one will be one for the books.
Da said I’m a bright light in the clouds, well I’m not about to allow my light to be diminished by some man I don’t even know.
God, I sound like a broken record repeating myself.
“I’m leaving tonight before Da hands me over to Dean,” I murmur.
Tears well in her eyes. “Where are you going?”
Fuck mo shaol.
Chapter 5
Dean
The past two days have been two fucked up days beyond all belief. From the moment I received Jackson’s call I’ve been on edge.
When Jackson and I got to the clubhouse, I’d been relieved to see my cousins’ little girl in her par
ents’ arms. Yet if not for Kayne fucking up by leaving her in the car, Keegan could easily be in the air right now alongside Jordan.
After making sure Keegan’s okay, I followed my cousins and everyone else to the room these men hold church. I’ve always found this term interesting, whereas I simply call my men into my office when I need to speak with them, otherwise I give them their jobs to do and they get it done.
I tell them all what I can, for now, figuring it best to allow Jackson to tell what he knows as the door closes behind us. Explaining when he found out about Jordan and how she’s associated with Kayne. Moving on to the most likely reason as to why Kayne decided to keep Jordan after the contract, she should never have been in, had been broken. The dickhead even lined up a contract for Keegan; he planned to hand her straight over to the other man when he’d gotten to Ireland with the child.
Once I find out who this other man is, I’ll be sure to pay them a visit. The tension in the room escalates as the meeting progresses. Jackson shows them the files that contain information about the connection between the Bryne family and the Diaz Cartel.
As Jackson finishes, I inform them of a few more things, however, I’m keeping the most important part for later when we’re about to touch down in Ireland. If who I suspect will be with Badger is, they need to know exactly what they will be facing. I could easily tell them but with Jackson still in the room I’m not risking it. Like I said before, he’s good to work with but that line is a fine one to walk when it comes to either side of the law. And this bit of information could send one man in particular over the edge when he finds out. I won’t let him find out until it’s time.
The two of us finished giving the members of the Devil’s Riot MC the information they need to know. I explain to them not all of us believe in these fucking contracts the Alliance deals with; however, there’s nothing we can do about it. Not when Tomás MacDermott, the Boss, says it’s the only way to keep ourselves close and allied with each other. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to change his mind on these contracts when I meet with him after we get my cousin back from Kayne.
