Lila’s stomach clenched thinking about how devastated Mrs. MacFarlane would undoubtedly be thinking one of her sons was dead. She’d never met the woman, but surely any mother would be permanently destroyed by the death of a child.
“Are you sure there isn’t some way to tell your mother the truth?” Lila asked. “It seems so…cruel…”
Cian pinched his nose and closed his eyes. “It is cruel, and if there was another way, I’d take it, but if anyone knows Liam is alive, the Russians will never stop. I can’t risk someone noticing my Ma’s not adequately upset. The Bratva are notorious for their patience when it comes to revenge. Waiting ten or more years is nothing to them. They’ll go Liam Neeson on Liam MacFarlane. If we could ask Ma, she’d tell us to hurt her if it meant saving her son.”
Lila nodded, discomfort still making her stomach squirm. It was a decent plan—lure the Russians into taking a fall. Leave them with their dead body and a USB drive full of illegal Russian accounts and activities. The MacFarlanes would be in the clear, the Russians would have lost—for now—and Liam and Katya would be free. But there were a lot of “ifs” in the plan.
Finn sighed from the armchair he’d flopped on ten minutes earlier. “The real beauty of this is that in addition to any arrests for the murder, the Russians will get so much scrutiny from the feds, they’ll have to close up shop here. If they try to expand into Chicago again, it’ll be years from now.”
And Lila knew enough about Cian’s long-term plans to realize he wouldn’t be around in years. He’d be dead or in prison. Because that was all the man thought he was worth, and it broke her heart to learn it.
“Okay,” Cian said. “I think we all need to get some sleep.”
“Yep, I just have to bring some nose plugs over to the guys guarding the corpse first…” Finn’s voice faded as he glanced at Katya and grimaced.
“Finn!” Cian reprimanded sharply. “A little respect.”
Liam played the faux pas off casually, walking by Finn’s chair and slapping him on the shoulder. “You’re disgusting, dude,” he quipped before rounding the chair to reach for Katya’s hand and pull her up from the sofa. He put an arm around her shoulders. “While you’re playing with dead bodies, we’re going to get some sleep. These days, I never know when I’ll have another chance.”
Cian nodded at Liam, and Lila watched a look pass between them.
“We have men at every entry to the newest safehouse,” Cian said quietly to Finn. “But I’m still worried. It’s been too long since their last move.”
Finn stood. “I trust your gut, but this time, I think it’s wrong. Lila sending that false building inspection work order for their brothel meant they’d have to move all those girls—fast. That could have easily taken them the last day and a half. My guess is they won’t be back to normal business until tonight at the earliest. And maybe not until tomorrow. I think we can relax until tomorrow morning, and by then, the meeting will be set.”
Cian grunted, his brow still furrowed. “Okay, but take an extra guy or two and stay alert.”
Finn acquiesced and left the suite.
Cian turned to Lila. “You ready to go home?” he asked.
And it struck her that she’d taken to thinking of it that way—his condo—home. She’d been spending her nights in Cian’s bed and her days in his office hacking Russian accounts, stealing their money, hiding information they needed. In a matter of days, she’d settled into a routine, and it felt…comfortable. Working with Cian had felt that way since the beginning. Yes, she’d been nervous because of his reputation, but when they talked about work—the real nuts and bolts of how to do what he needed—it had been comfortable. They understood each other, and it made the problem solving that much easier.
But in bed together they were something far beyond comfortable. Something unique that could only be created by the two of them. They weren’t Lila and Cian then; they were something new, something transcendent. And she knew it was all about to end. She’d felt it ever since he’d told her Liam was going to run. She’d sensed it in the distant look in his eyes and the careful way he’d held her the night before. Lila knew she was about to lose not only her home, but the man she’d come to love.
“Sure,” she told him with a falsely cheerful smile. His response was a grimace, but then he walked to her and pulled her into an embrace.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “For all of this. I’m sorry you’re involved, I’m sorry you’re in danger.” He kissed her forehead.
“I’m here because I want to be.” Please don’t make me go, she thought.
He just gazed at her, his face an array of emotions and thoughts, things she knew he wouldn’t share, but she could glean anyway. Then he took her hand and led her out of the hotel. Once they got to his condo, he undressed her carefully and made love to her with such tenderness, Lila thought her heart might truly break in two. He was saying goodbye, and she didn’t know how to stop him.
Chapter 16
Cian watched the light fade outside the plateglass windows of his condo. The sun was nearly down, and the clock was ticking. He could hear Lila clacking away on the computer in his office, where she’d been holed up all afternoon. Things were tense between them, and he didn’t like it but also couldn’t seem to help it.
He feared if he started talking to her, he’d never stop. She had that quietness about her, a patient way of listening, and really hearing everything he said. If he told her how terrified he was of being without Liam again, he might not be able to stop the torrent of words and emotions. He might not be able to keep from telling her how much he loved her and that losing her and Liam at the same time was going to be the death of him. He’d planned for this, chosen it, wanted it—and he still did—but damn, it was hard.
He turned away from the windows and went to the bar, pouring out a generous portion of Connemara for himself and a glass of Merlot for Lila. Then he made his way into the office.
Lila looked up when he walked in, and her eyes still had that slightly glazed look they got when she was so deep in coding she sometimes didn’t blink for what seemed like minutes.
“Hey,” he said, smiling at her rosy cheeks and messy hair. She’d climbed out of bed and gone straight to the computer, so she was still in yoga pants and a tank top with no bra. His favorite Lila outfit.
“Is that for me?” She pointed to the wineglass.
“Yeah, you able to take a break?”
“Yes.” She hit one key before standing. “I was actually working on Rogue business. I’ve been neglecting it with everything else we’re doing.”
He nodded and handed her the wine as she came around the desk. He led the way back to the living room, and soon they were both seated on the sofa, her legs curled under her like she always did, his whiskey already half gone.
He set his tumbler on the coffee table, resting his elbows on his spread knees. “We need to talk about what happens after tonight,” he said, his voice rough.
He glanced at her, and she just stared at him with those big, dark, soulful eyes.
“If this works, the Russians will be under control for a while. I’ll have to play the part of grieving brother—”
“I don’t think that’s going to be such a stretch for you,” she said softly.
He looked at her again and gave her a twisted smile. Yes, she already knew. He didn’t even need to say it.
“True.” Then he took a deep breath and let it out. “I told you I want my brothers out, safe, free from all this. I’ll only have Finn left, and I know I can make a deal with the feds—a trade—me for him. I’ll give them my dad, the business, and me, and then it will all be over.”
Her mouth formed an O of surprise, and he plunged on before she could respond.
“I plan to do it fast. I’ve already given them things on the business, and what I’ve been holding back will seal it. I’ll get immunity for Finn, and they can have the rest, including me.”
A tear ran down Lila’s face, b
ut he didn’t reach out to brush it away, just kept going, sticking to the business at hand like he had so many times before.
“Once the funeral for Liam is over, I’ll go to them. So maybe as soon as a week from now. I hate having to do it to my Mom, but maybe if Finn has immunity, he can be with her, help her through it all.”
Then he sat up and turned to face her full-on. He grabbed her hand in both of his and squeezed it as the tears continued to trickle silently down her face.
“You have to go—tonight. I want you out of this, away from any blowback from the Russians, any fallout with the police. When I let the feds have the information on my organization, it will lead them to your business, and you can’t be in the country when that happens.”
She didn’t say a word, just nodded, the tears coming faster.
“Lila from Rogue.” His voice was ragged with pain. “Knowing you has been—” He paused, not sure if he had the words to convey what he felt. “A privilege. I never thought I would get the chance to fall in love.”
Her gaze jumped to his, and he smiled warmly at her. “But then you came along, and you made the impossible possible. I can never thank you enough for that.”
She sobbed then, just once, and it tore open something inside of him that he didn’t think would ever heal.
“I’m going to the airstrip to make sure everything’s ready. Then I’ll wait for Liam to arrive so I can say goodbye. I need you to get your things together while I’m gone and go to the car. You remember where it’s parked?”
“Yes,” she whispered, her eyes pleading with him to stop. But he couldn’t. It was now or never, and he had to do what was best for her. What would give her a long and happy life.
“Danny will take you there. Tell him where to go, then follow the instructions in the glove box. You’ll leave from a different airfield from the one Liam will be at. Don’t talk to anyone, not even your mother, I’ll take care of her. Promise me.”
“I promise.”
He gazed at her for a moment, breathing in her scent, absorbing the feel of her skin, memorizing the planes of her face.
“I will fund an account for your mom—”
“I already did.” Lila gave him a sad smile.
Of course she did. He chuckled. “Good. Now listen, I know you can find a way to contact me once you’re there, but don’t. No matter how good you are, it’s too much of a risk. No one can ever know where you went. You heard what I said about the Russians? They won’t stop.”
“Okay.”
“Come here.” He pulled her into his arms and held her as close as he could, his heart beating so fast, it felt like he’d just fought twelve rounds. Her soft hair tickled his skin, and then he pulled back just enough to kiss her sweet lips, refraining from anything more than a quick brush because he knew he’d undo all of it if he gave in for even a moment.
“Goodbye, Lila,” he murmured, looking into her eyes. Then he stood and walked to the door. Keeping himself from turning to look back at her was the hardest thing he’d ever done.
An hour later, Lila stood in the foyer of Cian’s apartment and looked around one last time. She doubted she’d ever see the place again, and she wanted to commit it to memory. The kitchen where she’d first seen him shirtless, the living room where he’d made love to her against the glass that took up one whole wall, the office where she’d penetrated nearly every cyber wall the Russians had.
No, she wouldn’t see this place again, but she damn well would see the man she loved again. She’d promised she wouldn’t contact him, and she’d stick to that, but she hadn’t promised she wouldn’t help him. She could, and she would. She wasn’t going to allow him to sacrifice himself while everyone else walked away—even if walking away was done under phony names in the dead of night on chartered planes to corrupt islands with no extradition.
She looked down at the envelope in her hand with Cian’s name written on it. She didn’t know what it meant, didn’t know if it was a legitimate danger or not, but she couldn’t leave without telling him what she’d seen on his father’s security cameras. The last thing she wanted was to believe Danny could be betraying Cian. Danny was Cian’s man. And, she had to admit—hers. He was the guard who’d been there from the first time Cian had insisted she needed protection all the way until tonight. He was the one who’d drive her to the car that Cian had left for her. The car that would take her to the new life Cian paid for.
She didn’t want to believe Danny was disloyal, but she couldn’t leave Cian without alerting him to the possibility. So she laid the envelope on the foyer table, then opened the door.
“You all set?” Danny asked where he stood waiting in the hallway.
“Yes.” She tried to smile at him, but her heart wasn’t in it.
He squeezed her shoulder sympathetically. “You know he wants you safe, right?”
She nodded as they made their way to the elevator.
“We all do.” He smiled at her, and once again, she couldn’t believe he would betray his boss. He loved Cian, and he’d been nothing but kind to her.
“I know. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”
“Sure thing,” he told her as they descended to the parking garage. “Stay right here,” he ordered as he stepped out of the elevator, gun in hand, and looked around the area. When he was satisfied it was all clear, he led her to one of Cian’s SUVs and helped her inside. He’d had the building’s concierge take her bags down earlier.
They pulled out of the garage from the back entrance, Danny keeping a watchful eye all around them as he drove. His phone pinged with a text, but he waited until they got to a stoplight before he pulled it from his pocket to look. Lila saw his brow furrow as he read it, but then he shrugged and replaced it in his pocket.
“I need to make a stop before I take you to the garage,” he told her. “Boss needs something.”
“Cian?” she asked, worried something had gone wrong with the plan.
“Nah, the big boss, Mr. MacFarlane.”
Lila’s chest went cold.
“I’m sure it won’t take long. He usually just has some question he wants answered or an errand he needs run.”
“Doesn’t he have his own guys to do that stuff?” she asked, the back of her neck tingling in warning.
Danny glanced at her and shifted uncomfortably. “Yeah, but we used to switch around more. I worked for him before I ever worked for Cian.”
Lila just nodded, discomfort rising the longer they drove.
Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the electronic gates to Robbie MacFarlane’s property. Danny opened the window and punched a code he obviously knew by heart onto the keypad. Then the gates swung open and they pulled forward, up a short drive to a roundabout that spanned the front of the large brick house.
As they arrived, two of Robbie’s men came to the car, one opening the driver’s door and the other Lila’s.
“Danny,” said the first man. “Mr. Mac wants you to help me with the choice about what glass to have put in his new car.”
“It couldn’t wait till morning?” Danny asked, seeming genuinely confused.
“You know how he gets,” the other man answered, leading Danny away from the car. “He doesn’t have enough to do, so stuff like this becomes an emergency.”
Danny stopped. Turned to look toward Lila.
“I’ll take her inside, and Mrs. MacFarlane will get her a cup of tea or something while you do that,” the second man said as he put a hand on Lila’s elbow. Everything in her screamed that something wasn’t right, and Danny looked like he’d been blindsided, unsure whether to follow Lila or the man on his left, who hovered, tense and impatient.
“She needs to stay with me—” Danny began, but the first man interrupted him.
“He’s got her. She’s just going to be in the kitchen. Let’s hurry and do this so the old man can go to bed and you can get back to business.”
Before he could look back to her, Lila was in motion, the sec
ond man’s hand on her elbow almost painfully tight. She jerked her arm to try to get him to release her, but then there was a gun pressing to her side, and she knew her instincts had been dead-on.
It was dark, the only lights those that illuminated the drive and yard of the MacFarlane mansion. Danny was being distracted by the other man, and her new captor leaned down and whispered, “Don’t say a word, and no one will get hurt. Try to involve Danny, and we’ll have to kill him.”
Lila swallowed and did as she was told.
The man propelled her into the house, taking a sharp left at the entrance before walking her down a long hallway. He stopped at the last door and opened it. It led to the back parking area of the compound where there were no lights, only the moon that provided a faint gray glow to the gravel parking area and the big black Lincoln Town Car that waited in the center.
Somehow, Lila knew if she got into that car, she might never get out. She began to struggle, trying to remember the moves Cian had taught her at Sean O’Neil’s gym all those months ago. She also realized she didn’t even have her purse with the gun he’d given her. It sat in the car on the other side of the property, useless as hell.
The man dug the gun into her side harder as she tried to wrench her arm from his grip.
“Don’t do that now. I don’t want to hurt you,” he said softly. “You won’t be able to get away. Just cooperate, and maybe the old man will let you go after he talks to you.”
Her heart raced, and she held her body stiff as the man practically dragged her the remainder of the way. At the car waited another of Robbie’s men, and he opened the door as her captor shoved her in. The door was shut, and the locks clicked into place within a fraction of a second. The engine started, and they were moving before Lila even had a chance to turn and look into the same icy blue eyes the man she loved possessed.
Brush of Despair (Dublin Devils Book 2) Page 17
