The Russian looked up into Liam’s eyes, and all Liam saw was hate and misery.
As Sergei knelt before him, Liam thought about Katya, and about all the women who were hopefully escaping to freedom right at that very instant. He thought about what it felt like to be imprisoned, and what Nadja looked like when she was left in that bathtub, cold, and alone, what she must have endured during her final moments.
Then Liam leveled the gun at Sergei’s head, waiting as the man’s chest continued to bleed while he struggled for breath.
One last time, he thought. “This is for Nadja,” he said before he shoved the barrel against Sergei’s forehead and pulled the trigger.
Cian sat in the backseat of the SUV at the private airfield, his mind a furious buzz after the encounter with his father. Angela had walked in just in time to prevent Cian from killing the old man. But time hadn’t played in his favor as he’d raced out of the family compound frantic to reach his brothers before the police did. The hangar next to him was quiet, the jet in front of him was warmed up and ready to go. Jimmy had put Katya on board an hour ago, and now they waited. Finn had been arrested, and Cian had the family lawyers working to get him out. But Liam had escaped, only no one knew how or where. He hadn’t heard from his brother in two hours, and his head hurt almost as much as his chest.
His driver’s phone pinged. “Looks like we got someone coming into the gate,” the man said. “On a motorcycle.”
Cian sat up, leaning forward to look out the front windshield. There were two other MacFarlane SUVs there, and they had formed a line in front of the broadside of the plane. As the motorcycle came closer, MacFarlane men emerged from the other two SUVs and took up positions of protection, automatic weapons at the ready. The driver of Cian’s car opened the door and did the same.
But Cian knew none of it was necessary, because he could already tell that the motorcyclist was his brother. The man was indestructible, and Cian couldn’t believe he’d worried at all.
He climbed out of the car and waved his arm for the men to lower their weapons. Liam cruised up and came to a stop right in front of him, a grin on his face a mile wide.
Cian couldn’t help but smile back. “Nice ride,” he said.
“It got the job done. The guy that left it sitting outside the rail station on Van Buren Street after dark was an idiot. It was begging to get stolen.”
Cian shook his head as Liam climbed off and yanked a wire that disconnected the engine of the Ducati.
“They got Finn,” Liam said, sobering immediately.
“I know. But I had a lawyer there before they even got him through booking.” He put a hand on Liam’s shoulder. “He’s going to be okay.”
Liam ran a hand over his buzz-cut hair, then rubbed the stubble on his jaw. “I left him there. He told me to go but…”
“It’s better one of you out than both of you in,” Cian answered. And it was true. He had what he needed to get Finn freed. If Liam had been locked up it may very well have been for life.
“I want to know how the hell the cops knew to come,” Liam said. “Did the Russians figure us out?”
Had it been Finn or Connor, Cian wouldn’t have told the truth. He would have continued to protect them like he had their whole lives, letting them believe that while their father might not be an easy man, he wasn’t a monster.
But Liam already knew. He’d seen the very worst of their father at a very young age, and Cian knew that telling him the truth now would ensure Liam got on that plane and never looked back. And as much as Cian’s heart would break when that happened, it did need to happen.
“It was Pop,” Cian said, moving Liam farther from the men who stood waiting for instructions on what to do next.
“What?”
“One of the guys obviously told him our plan. He knew we had the meeting and knew you were going to jet. He decided he’d rather have you in prison than anywhere else.”
Liam’s face stiffened, and his fists clenched. Cian watched him struggle to contain his anger.
“Hey,” he said, a hand on Liam’s shoulder. “You knew this about him already. Nothing’s changed. But now you know—you can’t ever come back.”
Nodding, Liam expelled a long breath. “Yep. Got the message—loud and clear.”
They looked into each other’s eyes then, and it all passed between them—the hurt, the shock, the death of their childhoods. Robbie had taken something from each of them that night, and they’d been looking for it ever since. Cian could only hope that with Katya and a fresh start, Liam would finally find it again.
“What will happen to you now?” Liam asked, his voice low.
“Don’t worry about it, I have plans.”
Liam smiled sadly. “You always do.”
“Your woman’s onboard waiting for you. I imagine she’s getting tired of Jimmy’s company by now.”
Liam chuckled. “He’s probably gotten her to play that stupid game with the animal names.”
Cian shrugged. “Probably. Maybe it’s kept her mind off worrying.” He reached into his inside jacket pocket. “Here’s the paperwork. I’ve already told the pilot the destination, and there’ll be a car waiting to take you to the property I bought.”
“Jesus. You didn’t have to do all that.”
“Yeah, I did. There may come a day when that place is no longer safe, but at least you’ll have somewhere to land until you get adjusted. You and Katya barely know each other. I thought you could do with a little honeymoon.”
Liam snorted. “A honeymoon, huh?’
Cian wrapped his hand around the back of Liam’s neck and pulled them together, foreheads touching. “Live for us both,” he said. “Slán abhaile.”
Liam was quiet for a moment, as they stood there breathing each other’s air. “Slán abhaile,” he answered.
Then Cian pushed his brother away, gave him a slap on the back, and walked to the car.
It was nearly two hours into the flight before Liam finally woke up. He and Katya had simply curled around each other on the reclining seat of the small jet and fallen asleep. Now, he looked outside to see nothing but darkness, and wondered what the time zone difference would be when they landed.
He tucked Katya closer, burying his nose in her soft hair, breathing in the scent of freedom. There had been a few moments there—when he’d discovered there was no Louis and no boat—when he’d thought he wasn’t going to make it. He’d left strict instructions with Cian and Jimmy that if something went wrong, they were to force Katya to leave without him. But damn, he was glad he’d made it with her.
“What are you thinking?” she asked sleepily. He looked down at her soft gaze and couldn’t stop himself from kissing her plush lips.
“About how happy I am to be here with you.”
She smiled. “Good. It makes me happy too.”
They were both quiet for a moment, the hum of the jet’s engines creating a white noise around them.
“So,” Liam began, not sure how to express what he wanted to say. “My brother got us all set up. When we get there, he has a house for us, money, the whole nine yards.”
“This is good, yes?” Katya asked. “We can stay in one place? Not move around?”
“Yes, it is.”
“So why you have this line”—she traced the skin between his eyes—“here? You worry why?”
He took her finger and kissed it before placing her hand back on his chest where he liked it. “Cian said something before I got on board. He said he got us the house because he thought we deserved a honeymoon.”
Katya waited, one eyebrow raised in question.
“Is that what you want?” he finally asked. “Do you want to stay with me if we’re finally safe? Would you want to actually…marry me?” God, he couldn’t believe he was even thinking stuff like this, much less saying it.
Katya blinked at him for a moment, then a smile curved her lips, and he thought he’d never seen a woman look so feline in his life.
“I think someday you will ask me this when we live together for a time. I leave cap off toothpaste or cook bad Russian food you might not want me.”
“Oh no, you don’t,” he told her, pulling her on top of him so she had to look him in the eye. “There’s nothing you could do that would turn me off. I told you that. I grew up with three brothers and a father who’s a son of a bitch. Nothing grosses me out. Nothing scares me away.”
She smiled bigger. “Then someday when you feel like it, you ask me the question again…and I will say yes.”
Liam didn’t have any more words after that. He was a man of action, after all, and Katya was going to be his favorite activity from now on.
Chapter 18
Lila opened her eyes to a blinding white light. She groaned and screwed them shut again, rolling to her side.
Gradually, the throbbing pain in her temples subsided, and she cracked one eye open again. She was lying on a small bed, not unlike what they might give you in prison. Beneath the bed was a concrete floor. Next to it, pointed directly at her, was that horrible bright light she wanted to shatter, and across the room was a metal door, one small window opening in it.
She sat up gingerly, taking stock of her physical condition, and concluding that aside from what felt to be a concussion and a face that felt swollen to the point of numbness, nothing else seemed hurt.
“Well,” said a voice with a heavy brogue from the corner. “I can see why the boy likes you. You are quite lovely in your exotic way, aren’t ya?”
Lila’s heart jumped, and she gasped as she realized someone else was in the room with her. She looked to the corner, and a man leaned forward from where he sat on a metal folding chair, resting his elbows on his knees. He was trim and probably in his fifties, his fair skin crinkled around light eyes, and his hair a mixture between red and gray.
She swallowed and waited for him to speak again.
“Name’s Michael Riley,” he said politely. “I’ll be your jailer during your stay. Do as you’re told, and everything will go fine. Resist like you did when you arrived here, and you’ll get more than a knock to the head. Are we clear?”
She nodded, her throat and tongue feeling thick.
“Good.” He stood, looking at her with a cold smile. Then he rubbed his cock through his jeans with one hand. “As I said, behave, and you’ll be fine. Resist, and maybe I’ll take the opportunity to find out more about what Cian sees in you.”
After he walked out, Lila lay back down on the cot and shook so hard, her teeth chattered.
Cian went straight from the airport to the offices of Maguire, Albrecht, and Phillips, Attorneys at Law. It was past midnight by the time Thomas Maguire, Jr. arrived to meet him.
“I’m sorry you had to wait,” Thomas said as he walked into the conference room his secretary had gotten out of bed to open for Cian. He nodded to the guards at the door and sat down across the table. Thomas Maguire Jr. was the son of the original namesake of the firm. Around Cian’s age, with auburn hair and green eyes, he was wearing a suit at one a.m., and Cian wondered if the guy had still been in it when he’d gotten the call to go defend Finn.
“How is he?” Cian asked, exhaustion taking a backseat to worry for Finn.
“He’s holding up just fine, and I have a bail hearing set for first thing tomorrow morning with Judge Patterson, who tends to be lenient on these things.”
“Good. And what about his accommodation right now? There are several groups, one in particular, who might try to get at him in the next few hours.”
Thomas had obviously foreseen that. “Yes, and I explained to the feds who showed up in the middle of the interview that if they really wanted a crack at their big-time case, they’d make sure my client was still alive by morning. He’s been given a solo cell, and the feds left one of their own to watch him. They don’t trust the locals, but there’s going to be some infighting over jurisdiction.”
Cian snorted. “I’ll bet there is.”
“Something else that might make you feel better…”
Cian nodded for him to continue.
“About an hour ago, the police found the bodies of Sergei Petrov, Viktor Castrov, and a man named Alexei Nicovich. All Russian mob.”
Cian blinked at him. Then he thought about those two hours Liam was missing, and the fact it only took twenty minutes to get from the warehouse where Finn was arrested to the airstrip Cian had waited at. His brother had protected them all to the very end. He shook his head, a small smile coming to his lips.
“I take it you know those names?” Thomas asked.
“Let’s just say I feel a little better about my brother being incarcerated tonight,” Cian answered. Thomas simply nodded.
“Can I ask you something?” Thomas said.
Cian waited. In his experience, that was a rhetorical question and didn’t require a response.
“My father’s been your family’s attorney for the last two decades. Why did you call me?”
Cian mulled it over for only a moment. He had neither the time nor the energy to screw around right now. Thomas Jr. didn’t know it, but Cian was going to require his assistance a lot in the next few weeks. Cian had to make a decision—trust the man or find someone else. He decided to trust him.
“How serious are you about attorney-client privilege?” Cian asked as he leaned his arms on the conference table.
“Very,” Thomas answered. “It’s not my problem what my clients may or may not have done. It’s my job to represent them to the best of my ability, to protect their interests, and in order to do that, I need to have completely open and confidential discussions with them. I’ll go to jail before I’ll violate that privilege.”
“Good,” Cian answered decisively. “Then consider me your client as of now, in addition to Finn. I’ll have a second retainer delivered first thing in the morning.” He paused. “Your father and mine have been colleagues for a very long time. I called you because my father was the one who had my brother arrested this evening.”
Thomas’s mouth pursed in surprise.
“Okay. So he alerted the police?”
“Yes, he did. And I have no doubt your father would do whatever my father asked him with regard to Finn’s case.”
Thomas didn’t reply to that, but his gaze darkened. “I’m sorry to hear that. You can rest assured that I operate independently of my father.”
“I’m counting on it. But I’m also counting on something else. You’re going to need to keep any records regarding my brother’s case and anything to do with me somewhere other than this office. If your father can access the computer systems here, then it’s not safe from my father’s reach.”
“All right,” Thomas agreed. “We have a satellite office on the Gold Coast. I can work out of there and keep all the files on an encrypted server housed at that location.”
“Good. Give me the address, and I’ll have one of my people come out and set up a security system at the office itself.”
“I have other clients…”
“As long as you take care of MacFarlane business and do it in a secure location, I don’t care what you do with the rest of your time. But my brother has to be your top priority. Above any other client, including me. I’ll pay whatever it takes for you to make that happen.”
Thomas raised one eyebrow but didn’t give any other reaction. “Well then, Mr. MacFarlane, you have yourself a deal.”
Cian released a sigh that he’d been holding for what seemed like hours. “Thank you,” he answered as he stood. “Is my brother really okay for the next few hours?”
Thomas smiled sympathetically. “Yes, he is, and honestly, I think your brother was enjoying the whole thing a bit. There was a very attractive female detective that he seemed to take a shine to. My guess is he’ll keep himself entertained thinking of ways to aggravate her overnight.”
Cian pinched the bridge of his nose. “Jesus,” he muttered.
Thomas laughed. “I’ll send you the details about the hearing
in a few hours when the courts open up.”
“Thank you.” The two men shook hands, and Cian went down to his car, telling the driver to finally take him home.
The penthouse was dark when Cian walked inside. He said goodnight to the guys outside his door and shut it behind him, then stood in the foyer for a moment. He was bone tired, but worried beyond reason. He’d not heard a word from Danny, and all his texts and calls had gone unanswered. He had to know that Lila had gotten away safely. He couldn’t understand what Danny could be doing or where he could be. It was unlike him to disappear, and it had Cian on edge.
He went to set his phone on the table in the entry when he saw an envelope in the glow from his screen. He picked it up, preparing to turn on the light and read the contents, but a sound from the living room stopped him. A phone screen flickered on, and Cian nearly jumped out of his skin when he realized Danny was sitting in the dark in his living room.
“What the hell…” Cian moved forward, reaching for the light switch on the wall.
“Please don’t,” Danny said in a strangled voice. “I can’t face you if I have to do it in the light.”
“What’s going on?” Cian demanded, dropping the envelope back on the table, panic rising in his gut. “Where is Lila?”
Danny stood, his shadowy form moving across the room until he reached Cian, where he fell to his knees, arms at his sides, his head tipped to the ceiling.
“My God,” Cian gasped as his heart leaped to his throat.
“I don’t want your mercy,” Danny said quietly. “I understand the consequences of what I’ve done.”
“What the fuck have you done?” Cian growled, every nerve ending on fire with the anticipation of hearing the one thing he couldn’t bear.
“I betrayed you.” Danny’s voice was rough. “I’ve been selling you out to your dad—”
Cian moved on impulse, not even realizing he had the other man’s collar in his hand until he’d lifted Danny partially off his knees, using the shirt collar to slowly strangle him.
Brush of Despair (Dublin Devils Book 2) Page 19
