Watch Me Burn
Page 30
“Dominick Stone may be English, but that bloody wolf is not ter be trifled with. If he were ter ever learn about the army’s involvement in this, he and his entire family would come after us all! I should hand yer traitorous ass over ter them on principal, but that would be ter good for yer so now yer get ter spend some time with, Finnegan. And son?”
“Aye, Da?”
“Send me his smilin’ face.” And with that grizzly statement, the call is disconnected.
Being the coward that he is, Ian attempts to crawl away from Finn. He makes it a few feet before he’s put into a chokehold.
“Don’t leave yet, lad, the fun is just gettin’ started.” And with a quick pull of his forearm, Finn snaps Ian’s neck. He lets the cougar’s body hit the concrete before giving us the signal.
“So that’s it?” Kingston snarls. “What the bloody hell, man! I was all pumped up for a fight!”
Yeah, no shit, all of us have been anticipating this moment for a month now. I’m not one to revel in bloodshed, but come on! It’s nice to be given the option.
“I know I’m going to hate myself for asking,” Cass sighs, “but what the hell did your dad mean by ‘send me his smiling face?’ Whatever it is, it doesn’t sound pleasant.”
“It’s not, first I give him a Glasgow smile, and then after I string him up I will flay the skin from his body, startin’ with his face.” Finn humorlessly chuckles to himself. “It makes one hell of a bloody mess.”
Well that’s just fan freaking tastic! Now I hate Cass for asking that question, as if I needed to have that particular imagery floating around in my head. Note to self, do not let Dmitri anywhere near Finnegan McDermott. It would be like Jack the Ripper meets Charles Manson. Those two psychopaths would end up debating the best ways to mutilate a body over a bottle of whisky. Trust me when I say, my best friend does not need any pointers on that subject.
“So bloody typical,” Edward shakes his head. “Did it even occur to you that we may have fancied a chat with him before you tore his bleedin’ head off? Now we have no way of knowing how many of his men are on their way here.”
“Yer know what? Yer can kiss me Irish ass!” Finn shouts. “Do yer know what will happen if me da finds out that I worked with a Brit? He’ll cut off me lucky charms and shove em down me throat.”
I couldn’t stop my laughter even if I tried, which I didn’t. At least I’m not the only one to find Finn’s play on words hysterical, several others join in on the fun.
“Dude, that’s the funniest shit I’ve heard all day.” Dallas doubles over with his laughter.
Micah on the other hand looks anything but amused. “Well, that Brit is right. McIntyre traveled alone and since there doesn’t seem to be a way to transport the weapons in the nearby vicinity I’d say we are about to get some company. You were only supposed to detain him long enough for us to take out the crew, handing McIntyre over to you wasn’t part of our arrangement.”
“No, but it is now,” he says as he lights up a smoke. Finn then motions to one of the lingering crewmembers. “Are yer the captain of this vessel?”
“Aye, sir.” The poor man begins to fidget nervously.
“Gran’ then tell me, captain, do any of these men belong to, McIntyre?”
The captain shakes his head frantically. “No, Mr. McDermott, sir. I can vouch for every one of them. I swear ter yer that we did not know what we were transportin’—”
Finn holds up his hand, interrupting the rambling captain. “I believe yer, now tell yer crew to unload the cargo onto the docks, then yer are free ter go.”
“Finn,” Micah growls his name in warning.
The Irishman nods to the captain who scurries off to do his bidding.
“Those men on that ship are just doin’ their jobs, Micah, they are not yer enemies and I will not abide yer killin’ innocent men who are only tryin’ ter feed their families.”
Jesus, he makes it sound like we were planning on gutting the entire crew for shits and giggles. None of us would have attacked those men as long as they surrendered.
“Now if yer don’t mind, I have work ter do.” Finn pops the trunk of his car, he grabs something out of the back then heads for Ian’s unconscious body.
“Hold up, Finn.” Micah blocks his path. “I need McIntyre alive long enough to tell me where Tavish and Terric Shaw are hiding.”
“Aye, I suppose yer do. I’ll tell yer what, if I cannot break him by mornin’ yer can have a go at him, deal?”
Micah seems to consider Finn’s compromise, he doesn’t seem too happy about it, but eventually he agrees.
“You know he isn’t going to be asleep much longer,” Xander points out. “What are you planning on doing, stopping along Route 2 and snapping his neck again?”
Finn snorts. “That is the problem with yer vamps, yer lack forethought.”
He pulls out a gun from his shoulder holster complete with a suppressor. While whistling the tune “Drunken Sailor” Finn fires off two rounds into the back of Ian’s head, then pulls out a plastic shopping bag from his jacket pocket and ties the damn thing around the cougars head. Once his task is completed, he hoists the shifter over his shoulder like he weighs nothing more than a sack of flour and unceremoniously drops the body into his trunk.
Now that Ian has two silver bullets lodged in his skull, he won’t be an issue until Finn digs them out.
“What are we going to do with the trailer full of illegal weapons?” Raiden hikes his thumb over his shoulder.
Apparently, the crew had made quick work of removing the cargo container from the ship. From the looks of it, the men are already preparing to head back out to sea.
Finn runs his hand over his slicked back dark hair. “Sink it into the ocean, blow it up, as long as it disappears I do not care what yer do with it.”
“Aren’t you afraid your da will cut off your naughty bits when he hears about this? Or is that only a consequence of working with the enemy?”
The Irishman saunters over to Edward and stands nose to nose with him. “Oh, I will pay a price for losing his precious cargo I’m sure, but better I pay it then hundreds of innocent people. As for working with yer, no he can never find out because yer see vampire, it is one thing ter work with an Englishman it is quite another ter work with one from the very family who destroyed me heritage, me culture, and me homeland. That act is unforgivable.”
And with that, Finn turns on his heel and gets into his car. Edward stares up into the dark sky as the Irishman drives off.
“I find it fascinating that he holds ill will toward me and my family yet the crimes perpetrated by his family on my country are somehow justifiable.”
Yeah, I’m not getting involved with their squabble even if you paid me to. In my opinion, we should keep those two men apart at all costs, better to be safe than sorry.
“You’re just pissed that he didn’t kiss your royal ass like everyone else does. If I were you I’d start checking underneath my car for explosives.” Kingston snorts.
“Bollocks,” Edward snaps. “You’re British yet he shows no contempt for you.”
“I’m Welsh, asshole, just like good ole Saint Patrick, so it seems I get a free pass.”
Well, I think it is safe to say that Edward and Finn won’t be sitting down to share a spot of tea and crumpets anytime soon.
“Christ, let it go, Edward,” Micah says as he claps my father’s long time friend on the back.
“We have more important things to worry about than the two of you braiding each other’s hair. We need to dispose of that container before someone shows up to collect it.”
He then motions for my brother and Cass while everyone else moves out of their way. Micah stands next to the twenty-foot storage container with his hands spread out before him. In the next moment, the resounding crunch of grinding metal and splintering wood pierces my ears. The damn thing is so mangled it looks as if it went through one of those compactors at a junkyard. With a stomp of his foot, the container
flies straight up into the air.
Adam breaths in deep and with his exhale and the forward thrust of his arms, he sends the destroyed piece of metal soaring through the air. The storage unit travels at least a mile before a wave of salt water wraps itself around the container and drags it underneath the sea.
Man, I will never tire of watching my brother use his amazing gift. The sound of a throat being cleared catches my attention. Standing before us is the angel of death in all of his glory. He’s decked out in a pair of tight leather pants, black combat boots, and a black T-shirt that reads “Jesus is coming, everyone look busy.”
“Please tell me that the kid is with you?” Azrael searches the faces of the men standing around the dock.
“No and Jamie is missing as well,” my brother responds.
Azrael curses in a language that I have never heard before. He seems almost panicked with the news of Jamie’s disappearance.
“This isn’t good, Mike. I’ve searched everywhere, it’s like the kid has vanished off the face of the Earth. I even had my men search the four corners of heaven and he isn’t there. We need to find him, like now. If he isn’t with Michael or one of the other Archangels, then there is only one other explanation, and if demons have him it’s only a matter of time before they kill him.”
Oh, this isn’t good. We need to find the boy, and Jamie. He’s going to freak the fuck out when he learns that his son is missing and possibly in danger. You can say what you want about his actions last night, that wolf would give his own life to protect Alaric.
“I am going to wring James’ fucking neck!” The ground begins to shake with the force of Micah’s anger. “Boston Enforcers go home, there isn’t anything left for you to do. The rest of us will head home and start tracking my idiot brother.”
“Hold up, Micah.” Dallas grabs his boss by his arm. “I want to help you look for him.” Hannah and Gunnar both utter similar statements.
“Why do you even care, Turner? All you and my brother do is fight. I’d think you’d be happy he was missing.”
Dallas actually looks taken back by Micah’s harsh statement. “What the hell makes you think that? I love that crazy ass bastard, and the fighting is just how we roll.”
Oh, you have got to be kidding me.
“Let them help, Micah, we need to find him and the more bodies out looking for him the better,” Lincoln exclaims.
Micah looks like he is about to explode. God knows I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes right now. I’d be going out of my mind if I didn’t know where my brother was, and if his pup were missing as well, yeah, I’d be freaking out.
“Fine, let’s—” Micah never gets a chance to finish his statement.
As if our night wasn’t strenuous enough, the sound of air breaks screeching to a halt and several diesel motors have all of us standing at the ready. The first shots have us scattering for cover. Great, now we’re pinned down with nowhere to go.
This night just keeps getting better.
Chapter 19
Jamie
It’s finally happened, I’ve hit rock bottom. I knew this day would come I just had no idea it would be so soon. My downfall into darkness wasn’t triggered by a single event, but instead a series of occurrences predetermined by fate. Whether it was chance, destiny or karma isn’t really the point. The outcome has my life spiraling out of control and all I want to do is let go and continue the free fall into despair. I don’t want to just land at the bottom, I want to crash through it and take it to a whole other fucked up level.
“Get up!” an ominous voice resonates throughout the darkened room.
My body instantly goes on high alert, muscles tense, heartbeat exhilarates, and my chest rises and falls with every harsh intake of air. I struggle to clear my head of its alcohol-induced haze, but can’t seem to grasp onto anything tangible. I have no idea where I am, or how I got here.
“I said, GET UP!”
The stranger’s words are no longer a request but a demand to get off my ass and do as he says. Well, whoever it is can suck it.
“Make me,” I say, or at least I think I’ve spoken the words out loud. In my drunken state, I can’t really be sure of anything. For all I know the menacing tone belongs to a figment of my whiskey riddled imagination. Seconds later, a familiar pair of glowing emerald eyes pierces the darkened room. Strong hands grip my biceps pulling me to an upright position.
“I will not let you do this to yourself or to your family, do you understand me? You are better than this, fight, dammit!”
I attempt to laugh off my brother’s concern, but it ends up coming out in the form of an anguished whimper.
“I have no more fight left in me, brother. The pain is too fucking much, make it stop, Micah… please just make it stop.”
Just like the song playing in the background, I’m torn to pieces over what I have done. I’ve always thought of myself as a decent man, but in truth, I’m a coward, one who destroyed his only chance at happiness. All of these years I told myself that I would be a terrible father and I was right. How could I not fight for my own son?
When I woke in my living room, the only thing on my mind was seeing Alaric and telling him that I loved him, that I would be the father that he deserves, but how could I promise him something that will obviously never happen? It doesn’t matter if I have changed my mind, it still won’t change the fact that I give him to Michael.
Then there’s Kelsey. God, I was such a dick to her. I can’t believe she didn’t smack me for the way I disrespected her. I can’t say I blame her for calling off our engagement either. I wouldn’t want to marry me after that. I was ashamed and heartbroken all at the same time. This is how I ended up in this cheap, dingy motel room. I couldn’t face my son or my pregnant mate. So I ran.
“It’s time for you to man up and the first step is to get out of this bed.”
“I’ll get right on that,” I snort.
“Damnit, James, I’m serious. I’ve done my best to keep your family together while you took some time to figure this out on your own. Instead of doing the right thing, you have remained holed up in this room drinking yourself into oblivion. The only thing that will ensure is that you lose your family for good.”
I roll my eyes in the darkness, knowing full well that my brother can still see my rebellious action. He’s right after all, but there is no need to point that out to him. Nor would it be to my benefit to mention how terrified I am of going home.
“Christ, Micah! Get off my back already, you know this is how I deal with shit so just say what you came here to say then get the fuck out and let me get back to it.”
Micah releases his hold on my arms causing my upper body to fall back against the uncomfortable and no doubt dirty as fuck mattress. I reach for my smokes and the nearest bottle of whiskey and make myself comfortable.
“I know the last few weeks have been stressful, but you need to get off this emotional roller coaster that you’ve been on and get your shit together because in case you have forgotten, James, your mate is pregnant and she needs you.”
“What the hell am I supposed to say to her?” I shout. “I’m sorry that the child you’re carrying will be ripped from your arms the moment he takes his first breath? How Micah, how can I tell Kelsey that the only reason we will miss our son’s first words, his first steps, his first everything is because I give him away.”
Nothing that I say or do can make up for what I will do. She will never be able to forgive me for giving our child away and who could blame her.
“He did the impossible, Micah. After everything our father and his men put me through to break me, in the end it was my son who did it so don’t fucking tell me to just let this shit go.”
“Do you think you are the only one who is affected by all of this? Have you given no thought as to how the rest of us feel knowing we do nothing to stop you from ruining your life? It is my job as your leader and as your older brother to guide you and I failed you and your son.”
My brother is wrong. If there is one thing I have learned it’s you can’t change your destiny. I may have changed my mind about wanting to be a father, but the fact remains that I don’t get to raise my son. I’ve been gone for three days. By now, Alaric must have come to the same realization.
“You’re right Micah, this discussion is pointless. Don’t let the door hit your ass on the way out.” I stub out my smoke then swallow the last of my liquor supply. Shit, I’ll have to find a way to get some more.
“I’m sorry, brother, but your little pity party is over. Welcome to your intervention.”
Before I can argue, Micah lifts me off of the bed, hoisting me over his broad shoulders like a rag doll.
“Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.”
My world spins and my stomach revolts at the sudden jarring movement. I clamp my mouth shut swallowing down the bile that threatens to empty itself all over Micah’s back.
“Unless you need me to kill someone, I would much rather stay here and wallow in misery.”
“Sorry, brother, but I know this isn’t just about giving your son away, this whole idea of fatherhood has you rattled. Now, as I see it you have two choices, you can either get your head out of your ass and commit to being the type of father I know you can be. Or let Kelsey go so she can raise him alone.”
I mumble a string of curses under my breath since I’m not ready to deal with either of those choices while Micah strips me of my clothing. Once again, my brother lifts me off my feet like I weigh nothing more than a small child and places me in a confining shower stall.
I suddenly bust out laughing at Micah’s solemn expression.
“Am I being punk’d?”