I finally gave it up, answered a few professional emails, and headed out. I wanted to forget about it for a while and just hold Delaney in my arms.
She was cooking when I walked into the condo, frying some sort of fish on the stovetop. I walked up behind her, lifted her hair out of the way, and kissed her neck.
“Hey, babe,” she said, smiling as she twisted in my arms and offered me a proper greeting.
When she pulled back, a shadow crossed her face.
“What is it?”
She slipped the fish from the pan and wiped her hands before going to her bag to retrieve her cell phone. She pulled something up with a few swipes, then handed it to me. There were a series of text messages, some threatening, all menacing.
“Who sent these?”
“I don’t know. They just came while I was at the office this morning. I tried calling the number, but it went to a generic voicemail every time.”
I dialed the number, but like she said, it just went to voicemail.
“What’s going on, Sean?”
I handed her the phone back and crossed my arms over my chest.
“We think someone’s out to get my father.”
The words sat heavily in the room between us. She watched me, silently waiting. I sighed before I filled in the glaring blanks.
“Almost a year and a half ago, Cassidy was supposed to move to Los Angeles to live near Brianna. They had these condos in the same complex, just across from each other. But when she arrived, instead of meeting Brianna at a coffee shop like they’d arranged, Cassidy got a call from a man claiming to have Brianna. He instructed Cassidy to move to Boston and get close to my father.”
Delaney frowned as she again picked up a towel to wipe her hands, as though she felt dirty just from the thought of trouble.
“Why would he pick Cassidy?”
“He somehow knew about the affair they’d had when my mother was pregnant with me. And he knew Brianna was my father’s. He thought Cassidy was the only one who could get close enough to my father to hurt him, to steal information that would allow the kidnapper to hurt my father.”
“So she did it?”
“She did. She got a job as his personal assistant and stole names from his phone and took pictures of papers sitting on his desk. She sent them everything she could find that seemed even slightly incriminating, hoping that they would release Brianna. They didn’t. They just kept asking for more until she finally told Pops. And Pops took Ian, Kevin, and Killian to California and they rescued Brianna.”
“Just like that?”
I shrugged. “We thought it was over, but then Stacy’s fiancé was killed. Pops thought it was related because there was a warning on a warehouse where one of Jack’s men was tied up that said they were going to take everything precious from Pops. So he sent Killian out there to watch over her. But Stacy thought Killian had killed her fiancé, so she hired a hitman to kill him. Fortunately, she fell in love with him and called it off. Unfortunately, whoever set the whole thing up paid the hitman twice as much to continue with the contract…and he nearly killed Killian.”
Delaney began to pace the kitchen.
“Not only that, but someone was giving information to the Italians, creating a turf war between them and Irish. And giving information to the police so that a bunch of Jack’s men were picked up off the streets. Someone was trying to take us out, one bit at a time. And then Pops’ arrest…”
“You think that’s related to all this?”
“Now I do. These text messages seem to confirm it.”
“But why?”
I shook my head. I’d been working so hard on the “who” that I hadn’t considered the “why.”
“I don’t know.”
“It seems very personal.”
“It does.”
“Why Brian and not Jack?”
That was something else that bothered me. Jack was the leader of the Irish mob. If this was a move to take over the organization, this person would be going after him, not Pops. It didn’t look like it was the organization this person was after. He wanted Pops in jail. He wanted Pops to suffer.
But why?
Something told me that if I could figure out the “why,” I could figure out the “who.” But it seemed like that proverbial gold ring—it was always just out of reach.
“It doesn’t matter,” Delaney said, coming into my arms, wrapping her own arms around my chest. “You and I are no longer part of all this. We’re on our way to Europe, and then we’re coming home to a new life. You’re going to work for that law firm, and I’m going to launch that new social networking app, and we’re going to be blissfully happy together.”
“You’re right.”
“Promise me that all this is in the past for you.”
I kissed her forehead. “He’s my father.”
“I know. And Jack’s mine. But we don’t have to let their choices define ours.”
She was right, of course. I kissed her gently.
“We’ll go backpack shopping tomorrow.”
Her eyes lit up, and I couldn’t help but smile.
She was right about one thing: we were going to be blissfully happy together because we already were.
Chapter 25
Sean
I heard the phone buzzing, but my sleepy mind wanted to ignore it. I rolled over to find Delaney sound asleep, her hair tangled everywhere. I smiled softly, moving it gently out of my way before reaching over her to get her phone off of the nightstand.
I didn’t know the number. But it was three o’clock in the morning, so it must be important.
“Hello?” I mumbled.
“Somehow I knew you’d be the one to answer.”
The voice was altered electronically, probably by one of those apps, making it almost unrecognizable as human.
“Who is this?”
“I’m sure she showed you the text messages.”
I nodded, glancing back at Delaney, as I carefully slipped out of bed. I went into the hallway and stood at the head of the stairs, staring down into the darkness as I tried to picture the person on the other end of the line.
I was afraid I knew who it was, but I fought the idea.
“How long do you think it will be before he goes down? Do you really want to go down with him?”
“Why are you after my father? What’d he ever do to you?”
“Oh, Sean, how naive you really are. After all you’ve done for Jack, how can you still be so blind as to what Brian Callahan is capable of?”
“I know what he’s capable of. That’s what makes me wonder who could have the balls to take him on like this.”
“Don’t worry about me. I know what I’m doing.”
“Do you? Do you really know what you’re getting yourself into? Because I don’t think you do.”
“He deserves to die for what he’s done. But I’d rather pick his family off, one by one. That way he suffers before he meets his end.”
“What are you talking about?”
“There’s a bomb attached to the ignition switch of one of your brother’s cars. Can you guess which one before they get up for work tomorrow morning?”
“You’re lying!”
“Am I?”
There was laughter, but it sounded like that canned stuff they used to put on the soundtracks of sitcoms back in the seventies. But there was also something familiar about it.
My heart sank.
Fuck me!
“I know you’re lying because I know that when you lie, you have this funny little quirk to your laughter.”
“Very good,” the voice said. “You know who this?”
“I do.”
“Then you know that if you tell anyone,” he said, the app disappearing and his real voice floating across the distance to me, “that I will come after Delaney. And I will not stop until she’s dead.”
“We’ve stopped you before.”
“Temporary delays.”
“We got Br
ianna back—”
“Because I let you.”
“—and we stopped that hitman from killing Killian.”
“Only because he kidnapped Killian instead of shooting him dead—right there in the car like I told him to.”
“You touch one hair on Delaney’s head—”
He laughed again. Kevin laughed as if this was some sort of game we once played when we were kids.
“Watch your back, Sean. This isn’t over. In fact, it’s far from over.”
“Why? Just tell me that much. Why are you doing this?”
“Because he took her away from us,” he said, his voice a low, angry growl. “Abigail Callahan was the only person who ever gave a shit about me! She was the only one who ever saw me for what I was and not for the person everyone else assumed I was. And he took that from me. Do you really think I believe that she died of heart failure because of the saline and morphine they were giving her? Bullshit! He killed her—and now I’m going to make him pay. I’m going to take away everything that’s precious to him!”
“I’ll stop you.”
“Try. I want you to try. I want to play this game with you because this time…no one is going to win here, Sean.”
“Then stop.”
“Go kiss your girlfriend. She’s so pretty when her hair tangles that way…”
The phone went dead in my hand. I ran back to the room, but she was still asleep, alone and unmolested in the bed. But now I found myself searching every weak spot in the house.
We were leaving for Europe tomorrow. I loved my family, but Delaney...I couldn’t survive without her.
I’m sorry, Pops.
~~
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Billionaires In Love
Volume 2
Remember Us
Chapter 1
Xander
“Call me when it’s ready,” I said, handing Jonnie the file I was holding. “They want to see it as soon as possible.”
“No problem,” she said, skirting off to her desk.
I walked into my office, kicking the door closed with the heel of my foot. I could still hear the hum of working taking place outside the glass walls, but it was down to a dull roar, which was great for the headache I could feel coming on behind my eyes.
When I started this company, I thought it was going to be a breeze. But don’t all young entrepreneurs? I’m proud of what I’ve built over the last five years. This business has been my life for these past few years, but now, I’m ready to think about something other than security systems for a while. I’m ready to think about settling down and having a family.
I’ve already met the girl. I just need to convince her to marry me.
There’s a picture of her on my desk. Long blonde hair. Bright green eyes. A cute little button nose that accents her full lips perfectly. And curves that would catch the attention of a blind man. But it’s not just the way she looks. Harley is one of the most intelligent women I’ve ever known. And an incredibly talented artist. That’s how we met, actually. My company was contracted to set up security at an art gallery in Texas. She was the showcase artist at the time.
I knew I wanted her the second I laid eyes on her. She was in jeans and a t-shirt, her hair sweaty and tangled from her efforts of bringing a dozen, oversized canvases into the warehouse-like gallery without any help. That was her personality in a nutshell: strong, fiercely independent, and determined. I walked over and turned the charm on, and she shot me down in a single look.
I was a goner.
It took me almost a week to convince her to go out with me. But that first dinner led to a late lunch and another long dinner and six months later she’d moved to Los Angeles to move in with me.
I’d never thought of myself as the one-girl-for-the-rest-of-my-life kind of guy. But with Harley, I was dreaming of green-eyed babies and rocking chairs on the front porch. I even had the ring in the top drawer of my desk.
Like I said, I just need to convince her.
I settled down behind my desk and woke my computer, scrolling through emails that needed my attention.
Part of my job entails a lot of hand-holding. We provide security systems for companies, big and small. And these companies need to be reassured—some on a daily basis—that the system is working and we’ve got them fully protected—from their computer systems to their hiring protocol to their physical locations. So, most mornings, I have the equivalent of a single email from each client, which amounts to hundreds of emails. Harley told me once I should hire a secretary whose sole job would be to answer these emails. I was beginning to think she was right.
In a few minutes, I was lost in the emails, writing reassurances to clients I knew well and clients I’d only just met. I didn’t even hear the phone ring until Jonnie, my office manager, stuck her head in the door.
“Xander?”
I looked up. “Did you get those—?” I stopped because I could see something in her expression that caused the fingers of dread to dance up and down my spine. “What’s going on?”
“Someone from Cedars-Sinai is on the phone.”
I frowned, not following what she was saying.
“It’s about Harley.”
I snatched up the phone, pressing the appropriate button to connect the call.
“This is Xander Boggs.”
“Mr. Boggs? This is Alicia Franklin from Cedars-Sinai. Do you know Harley Alistair?”
“Yes. What’s going on? Is she okay?”
“There was an accident, Mr. Boggs. Ms. Alistair was hit by a car while jogging.”
That was all I heard. I know she kept talking after that, but it was just white noise. I remember saying I’d be there as soon as possible. And then I was searching for my keys.
“Maybe you shouldn’t drive,” Jonnie said.
“I’ve got to go.”
I charged past her and rushed out the door.
***
“Why won’t you go out with me?”
She looked up, surprise making her big green eyes look even bigger. “You sure are a conceited one, aren’t you?”
“No. I just know what I want when I see it.”
“Yes, well, I’m not something that can simply be possessed.”
“I don’t want to possess you. I want to take you to dinner. Have a nice conversation with someone who knows absolutely nothing about security systems.”
She smiled, but she ducked her head so that I only saw a glimpse of it. I wanted to see more.
“You think you’re so charming,” she said. “But I don’t have time to play games with a guy like you.”
“And what’s a guy like me?”
“Some big city playboy who thinks he can have any woman he wants. Some charmer who thinks the whole world should kneel at his command. I’ve been down that road. I have no intention of walking down it again.”
“So you’re cheating yourself out of a good time with me because some other jerk broke your heart?” I shook my head slowly. “You don’t know what you’re missing out on.”
“Oh, I think I do.”
“I could surprise you, you know. I might be the best thing that ever happened to you. But if you don’t give me a chance, you will never know.”
Again that smile appeared on her full lips, bringing a light to her eyes that could have lit the darkest of rooms. I felt like I was standing in the center of a spotlight when she shone those eyes on me, and that was a feeling I wanted to keep.
“If I go out with you, just once, will you leave me alone?”
“I can’t make promises.”
She groaned…but the groan ended in a soft giggle.
“Okay. One date. But I’m not making promises, either.”
***
I ran up to the nurses’ station the moment I got off the elevator, a littl
e breathless as I slammed my hands on the counter to get their attention.
“Harley Alistair?”
“Are you Mr. Boggs?”
I nodded, watching the short, overweight nurse come toward me.
“If you’ll follow me,” she said, gesturing over her shoulder, as she pushed through the little gate that blocked the area behind the desk from unauthorized access. She walked slowly down the hall before she stopped and gestured for me to enter a door on the left. I thought it would be a patient room, that Harley would be lying in a bed, a little bruised but basically okay, annoyed with all the fuss being made over her. But it wasn’t. It was a small break room with hulking vending machines overshadowing the small table set in the center.
“What’s going on?” I demanded the moment the nurse joined me in the little room and closed the door.
“As I said on the phone, the accident was quite serious.”
“Where’s Harley?”
The nurse pressed her lips together and gestured toward the table, making it clear that she wasn’t going to tell me what I wanted to know until I calmed a little. I took a deep breath, trying to remind myself that this woman was in control here, not me. But it was a difficult thing to concede.
I took a seat, crossing my legs and locking my fingers together in my lap. She sat, too, sighing as she flexed her feet in their clunky white nurse’s shoes.
“Ms. Alistair was brought into the ER via ambulance about three hours ago. The paramedics said that she was jogging on Third Street when a car apparently veered out of control and hit her. She was unconscious when they arrived.”
I stared down at my hands, anger and fear and hatred and a million different emotions I couldn’t even begin to decipher filling my chest. I didn’t look up, didn’t speak. I was afraid if I did, I would say something I shouldn’t and this nurse would have me escorted out by security. I needed to see Harley. I needed to know she was okay.
“Ms. Alistair has a broken leg, three cracked ribs, and a dislocated shoulder. There are also many cuts and bruises, but the injury that doctors are most concerned with is the head injury.”
SEAN: A Mafia Romance (The Callahans Book 3) Page 16
