Exploding: A Mafia Romance (The O'Keefe Family Collection #1)

by Tuesday Embers

  The merriment of the sheer irresponsibility of youth accompanied with the freedom of childhood was marred by the ammo being divvied up on the kitchen table where they’d shared many a meal as two families that felt more like one. The sun had set, and everyone gathered around the table, deferring to Vince to set the tone of authority. “It ends tonight, guys. You see a dealer, shoot to kill. They’ve had plenty of warning, and I want a new neighborhood before dawn. Silencers on, so we can get farther before the cops get called.” He turned to Carrigan. “Officer O’Keefe, you hear sirens and you ditch. Hide at the home base and wait it out, you hear? I don’t need you catching heat if you get found out.”

  Carrigan nodded. “Roger that.” He set a black box down on the table. “Police scanner. Fally, you listen to this, and if you hear the cops coming our way, send out a notice so we can scatter.”

  Fallyn gave her brother a thumb’s up. “On it.”

  Vince addressed Fallyn head on, making sure she caught the pertinent information. “Fal, you only open the doors if you hear this knock.” He banged four times, paused and then hit the table with his fist once more. “Got that? Lowlifes are gonna be crawling all over this place once things get going if we don’t move fast enough, so everything stays locked up unless you hear that. Don’t even check the peephole if the knock doesn’t match. Got it?”

  “Got it. First aid kit? I brought my own, but if I run out of supplies, do you have another?”

  Vince nodded to Tony, who retrieved it for her, setting it on the gray couch in the cozy living room just off the kitchen where they were all congregated. Vince grabbed his guns, tucking two into holsters and holding the third. “I won’t forget what you’re all doing for us tonight. Papa D never should’ve let the drug trade in, and I’m sorry for the mess you have to help us clean up. Hopefully it’s all over tonight, and we can start in the morning as allies.”

  Killian acted on behalf of his family and shook Vince’s hand, bringing him in for a kiss on both cheeks. “Brothers.”

  Fallyn kept her game face on until her brothers were suited up and reaching for the front door in their respective groups. “Wait!” She reached up and kissed her nearest brother on the cheek. “For good luck.” She moved down the line of her much taller brothers, and then pressed her lips to Angelo’s cheek, to Tony’s, Joey’s and finally Vince’s. “Come home to me, all of you.”

  Killian was the last one out, and before he left, he turned to Fallyn and clutched her head to his chest. “Lock this and don’t answer it unless you hear the knock,” he reiterated. “We’ll be right back, sweetie.”

  Fallyn wrapped her arms around her eldest brother, melting into him as she always did. “I love you, Kill. Keep Danny safe.”

  He kissed the top of her head and released her before she was ready to let go. She locked the door and waited by her cell phone, hoping the next call she got wouldn’t be to report damage unfixable.

  38

  Damage Unfixable

  The red curtains were all drawn throughout the expansive colonial with high vaulted ceilings, but Fallyn still felt exposed. She checked her phone every minute, though it sat right next to her on the coffee table in the living room. She fought the urge to call her brothers to check on them and waited, staring at the blank TV with wide eyes as she tugged at her fingers to try and expunge a bit of the nerves that were building there. She listened to the crackle of the police chatter for signs that cops were on their way, but luckily there was a disturbance far away from the hit points they were focused on.

  Twenty minutes passed with her not moving from her place. When her phone rang, she leaped off the couch, snatching it up and running to the map. “Where are you?” she demanded, ready to assign the team to the next house.

  “I’m at home,” James replied, confused at the intensity of her tone. “You alright?”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I have to go, James. I’m expecting a call I can’t miss.”

  “I was hoping we could talk.”

  “I’m sorry, James. My brothers are… We both agreed that it’s just not going to work. I hope you have a great life, though.” She hung up, knowing she’d been rude, but unable to concentrate on anything else. She ignored his subsequent texts, telling herself it was for the greater good to cut him off abruptly rather than end things in increments of niceties.

  She was ready when Finn called. “Finn?” she breathed, her mind racing to all the things that could be blowing up in their faces.

  “We’re finished at the first house. Despite that my sister thinks I’m the worst shot in the world, I managed to pick off three guys no problem.”

  “Sorry for that. I’m glad you’re proving me wrong.” She fought the urge to ask him how many bullets he had to use to get three kill shots.

  “Give us the next hit, kiddo.”

  Fallyn checked the map and rattled off the nearest red X to their location. “Everyone alright?”

  “Nothing more than a scratch. Don’t worry, Fally. We’ll all come home to you.”

  When he hung up, Fallyn knew she should feel relieved, but she couldn’t feel anything other than the anxiety of something horrible happening at any given moment. She listened to the crackle of the police com, nearly jumping out of her skin when her phone rang again. “Kill?”

  Killian had his in-charge voice on so Fallyn knew he was okay, but rattled. “Done with this house. Where to next?”

  Fallyn gave him the next address and crossed the red X off the map with a black Sharpie. “Everyone okay?”

  “Seamus took a blow to the head, but it only knocked more sense back into him, so we’re good.”

  Another call beeped in, so Fallyn ended the call with Killian and switched over to the third party. “Declan?”

  “All clear. Next?”

  Fallyn gave him the next address, marveling at the little red Xs that were falling without incident. “Everyone good?”

  “Tony got knocked around a bit, but he says he’s okay. Everyone else alright?”

  “Three teams checked in so far. All good.” She ended the call with Declan and waited impatiently for the fourth team to check in.

  Five minutes.

  Six.

  Ten.

  Fallyn jumped on the phone when it rang again, yelling into it without bothering to hold back her fear. “Carri? Talk to me.”

  “We’re done here. Where’re you sending us next?”

  Fallyn exhaled the worst of her fears. She gave them an address two streets over. “What took so long?”

  “Killing a house of people’s hard work, Fal. We did a double check of the home just to be sure we got them all. We caught them in the middle of refilling their runners, so we hit the mother lode and waited in the bushes to catch a few latecomers to the party.”

  “Anyone hurt?”

  “Nope. Don’t worry, Fally. We’ll be home before you know it.”

  Fallyn fielded calls for four hours without incident, breaking the pattern only when the signature knock sounded at the front door. She checked through the peephole and let in Carrigan’s team, who looked exhausted but largely unharmed. Her arms flung around Danny, bringing him down to her height so she could kiss his cheeks and hug him as tight as she wanted. “You missed us, eh?”

  Fallyn didn’t answer, capturing Carrigan in a hug with similar zeal, holding him tight as she let her nerves surface. “I’m freaking out here! Tell me you’re done.”

  Carrigan shook his head. “Vince was bleeding too much. We don’t want the cops finding his blood, so he’s getting patched up, and then we’re going back out. We’re getting a lot of the bigger houses, which means dozens of hits in one stop.” His green eyes were sad, and Fallyn knew the thrill of vendetta and unmerciful judgment fell heavy on his soul. “It’s bad, Fal. I had no idea this many people were involved. Even on the cop end, we had not even half of these houses marked. We should’ve done this a long time ago. It’s been just spreading by the dozens the longer we tried to build a plan to smoke out
a few.”

  Vince limped in, refilling his jacket pockets with more rounds in silence before lowering himself carefully onto the couch in the living room. Fallyn did her best not to throw herself on him and demand to see his wounds, but it was all she could do to keep her mouth shut and her hand in Carrigan’s. Danny disappeared into the bathroom while Carrigan walked into the kitchen to grab some water and call Killian for a status report.

  Fallyn brought Vince a bottle of water and the first aid kit, reasoning that playing nurse was a kosher reason to sit next to him. She kept her eyes trained on the gash on his arm that didn’t look too deep, disinfecting it and wrapping his forearm as she spoke to him. “Tell me how bad you’re hurt.”

  Vince cracked a smile through his labored breathing. “This is mostly from last night. I’m alright, baby. Just tired and sore. We’re making good progress, though. If all goes well, we’ll be done in another hour or two. Well before sun-up. You were right about Carri being a good shot. Saved my live four times already.” He took a drink of water and glanced over his shoulder to confirm they were alone. “Come here.”

  Fallyn knew she shouldn’t, but when he jerked his bruised chin to beckon her to him, she moved over, her lips meeting his in earnest. She hadn’t meant to kiss him more than a beat, and knew even that was a bad idea, but the second she indulged in the softness of the scary man, she fell for him all over again, as if it was the first kiss each time. His fingers trailed to her cheek, not worrying about the blood on his knuckles that brushed through her hair. “I love you, Vince. Finish it and come home to me. I can’t deal with you being shot at. I just can’t handle it!”

  Vince kissed her again, and then pressed his forehead to hers. “I know, baby. After this, it’ll be one step closer to us being able to be together.” His bloody thumb traced her lip before he kissed it again. She was soft, needy from fear and desperate to be near him. It was a heady thing for him to feel such love surrounding him, breasts pressed to his chest. For the moment, he ignored the work that still had to be done. He ignored the pain in his leg and his ribs. He ignored the voice in his head that screamed of the danger each stolen moment with her held.

  The one thing he couldn’t ignore was Carrigan ripping him away from Fallyn and throwing him on the ground.

  39

  Carrigan’s Sister

  Carrigan was so beside himself with rage that words didn’t come to him until after he’d drawn his weapon and aimed it at Vince, who was holding his ribs on the floor, fighting to rise to his knees.

  Fallyn threw herself in front of Vince, who raised one hand and tucked it behind his head, ready to face his executioner. “No, Carri!” she whispered, hoping not to involve Danny in the mess. “Put your gun down!”

  “Move it, Fally. I saw him make a pass at you.”

  She made sure that no matter where Carrigan aimed, he would hit her first. “I made the move on him! Vince is Ted Bundy!”

  “Huh?” Carrigan tilted his head to the side, confused enough to lower his weapon.

  Fallyn kept herself between the two men, pleading to her brother in earnest. “Vince is my boyfriend! Please don’t shoot him, Carri! I love him!”

  Carrigan was so turned around that he took a step back, tucking his gun in his belt and raising his hands in surrender. “This is the guy from your speech at lunch today? Vince? You’re dating Vince?”

  Fallyn nodded, wringing her hands as tears trickled down her cheeks, her face red with all the things she knew she should say that would occur to her long after they could be useful. “Look the other way on this, Carri. I’m begging you to let him go just this once. He’s good to me, and this is what I want. Please, Carri!”

  Carrigan whirled around when the bathroom door opened, his voice higher pitched than normal. “Danny, could you go out back and call Seamus and Finn to check in on them for me? I need a minute to chill in peace out here.”

  “On it.”

  Fallyn shot Carrigan a look of gratitude and relief, but before she could express any of that to him he held up his hands to cut her off, his voice quiet but terse. “I didn’t see what I thought I saw. I don’t know about any of what clearly isn’t going on in here. I know you would never be so stupid as to…” He hung his head in defeat. “Oh, Fally. You stepped in it this time. Rolled around in it. You really think you’re in love with him?”

  Fallyn nodded slowly, wringing her hands as she wept silently. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry.”

  “Yeah? You should be. Let me talk to James. I’ll convince him to come back. Explain it was all a joke or something. Make it work with him, not Vince.”

  Fallyn shook her head, finally looking up at her brother with too much regret twisting her features. “It doesn’t work like that. I love Vince, Carri!”

  Carrigan held up his hands, taking another step back. “I’m not trying to hear any of that nonsense. I came in here and nothing was happening. Nothing was happening all over my sister!” he barked in a whisper at Vince, who kept his gaze fixed on Carrigan’s knees, one arm still tucked behind his head. Carrigan pulled his gun on Vince again, pushing his sister out of the way and ignoring her shriek of fear at being manhandled by the brother she loved. “You! What have you been doing to my sister?”

  “Nothing, Carri!” Fallyn pled with her brother. “You caught the highlights just now!”

  “Shut up, Fal. Answer me, Vince.”

  Vince spoke slowly, his voice low and even. “I’m in love with Fallyn. You’re worried about her? I get it. I only want the best for her. We’re talking on the phone, that’s all. Merging our businesses so we can work together.” Vince swallowed. “She’s every bit the woman your parents would be proud of, and I’m not trying to mess that up. She told me she wasn’t having sex until she was married, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

  Carrigan shook with rage, holstering his gun and socking Vince across the face. “You don’t say ‘sex’ and ‘my sister’ in the same sentence ever again!”

  “Carrigan, no!” She flew on her brother, trying to get him off of Vince, who was too broken to properly fight back. “Stop!”

  Carrigan meant to shrug his sister off of him, but in the heat of the moment, he pushed too hard. Fallyn screamed as she went flying back, banging her head on the coffee table before crumpling to the ground. Fallyn’s dazed whimpers brought clarity to Carrigan in the heated moment. Before he could assess the damage, Fallyn was cradled in Vince’s right arm. “Look at me. Can you focus on my finger?” His voice was calm despite the beating he was barely upright from. “Tesoro, talk to me.”

  Fallyn rubbed the side of her head, shaking in his arms. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry, Vince. I didn’t want them to find out! Now it’s ruined! If they know I’m happy they’ll destroy it!” She wept in his arm, mourning the loss of something precious.

  Vince’s voice was calm. “I won’t let anyone take us away from each other. Don’t you know how much I’ll do to stay with you?” He kissed her lips, bleeding into her mouth. Then he turned to Carrigan, who was on his knees across from them, watching the scene in horror. “You,” Vince challenged, forsaking the dulcet tones he spoke to Fallyn in. “If you want to beat on someone, aim it this way. I’m the one you hit, not her.”

  Carrigan was awash in shame. “I’m sorry, Fally. You know I’d never hit you. It was an accident. I was trying to get at him, not you.” When Vince tore his threatening gaze from Carrigan and turned to look on Fallyn, Carrigan saw the shift from mobster to the pile of goo that one look from Fallyn transformed him into. He mulled over the fears she verbalized to Vince, guilt weighing heavy on his heart. “I don’t want to destroy the thing that makes you happy, Fally. We all want a good life for you.” He paused, closing his eyes. “Is this it? Vince is what you want?”

  Fallyn’s reply was a whisper shrouded in fear. “Yes. Please don’t kill him. Please, Carrigan.”

  Carrigan exhaled heavily with his eyes still closed, his head bowed. “Okay, then. I won’t tell the others. Ke
ep it secret, and I’ll stay offa Vince.” Guilt crashed hard over him at her intake of breath. “I think it’s a mistake, but it’s yours to make.”

  “Really?” The hope in Fallyn’s voice hit her brother as she righted herself and crawled to Carrigan, sinking into the hug she was scared would feel different, but it didn’t. His love was the same, and she breathed knowing she could be honest with her best friend at last. “Thank you, Carri. Thank you!”

  He kissed the top her head. “I’m so sorry I knocked you, sweetie. I didn’t mean to. I would never do that on purpose.” His head rose to bark at Vince as he released his sister. “We have to go back out. On your feet, D’Amato.” The command was harsh and filled with loathing that scared Fallyn.

  Danny walked into the living room, eyes wide at the three on the floor. Vince was considerably bloodier than he’d seen him ten minutes ago. “Whoa. What happened here?”

  Carrigan stood, bringing Fallyn up with him. “Just a little scuffle. We’re fine now. Ready to go?”

  Danny motioned to Vince, who held his side with one hand and wiped blood off his lip with the other. “I am, but he’s not. Sit this one out, Vince.”

  Vince waved off the offer. “I’m alright.”

  Danny opened his mouth to protest, but Carrigan’s tone was sharp. “You heard him. He’s fine. Move it, D’Amato.”

  Fallyn saw Carrigan’s hand rest on the handle of his gun, the panic flaring up in her. Her words tumbled out quickly as she pulled on his arm. “Carri, no. You can’t take him out there. You know he’ll get hurt!”

  Carrigan turned to his sister, his voice emotionless and cold. “I’ll take care of him.”

  The ice in her brother’s threat that should have sounded like comfort terrified her. “No! Don’t take care of him! Please, Carri! Don’t do it! He’s staying here!”