Boston Underworld: The Collection

by A. Zavarelli

  I ignore the threat in his tone and focus on the small bit of information I’m trying like hell to grasp. “What do you mean overseas?”

  His eyes snap up to mine, and after a year of searching, I finally get my answer.

  “She has been sold.”

  39

  MACKENZIE

  I’M STILL GRAPPLING with what Alexei told me when a barrage of shouting echoes up from downstairs. I glance at Alexei, wondering if he can hear it too.

  He’s already got his hand on the remote, flipping through the monitors. My attention darts back to the screen to find Ronan storming through the halls of the house with Franco hot on his heels. Alexei stalks out of the room and I follow, and eventually we all converge at the base of the stairs.

  Ronan doesn’t even spare me a glance, and he’s even more stiff than usual. Something is off. He clips out a stream of perfect Russian, or at least what sounds like perfect Russian. I can’t understand any of it, but soon him and Alexei are arguing.

  “English, please?” I ask.

  Ronan flashes his eyes at me, only for a second, but they are shining with hatred.

  “Is he okay?” I demand. “Is Lach okay?”

  “He sent me to take you to another safe house,” Ronan says. “This one’s been compromised.”

  I glance at Alexei, who doesn’t look convinced. To be honest, I’m not really either. But Ronan couldn’t have known I was here unless Lachlan told him, right? And he’s always trusted Ronan to be my handler. Still, something about this feels fishy. But if there’s a chance for me to get back to Lachlan somehow, I’m going to take it.

  “I will deliver the girl personally,” Alexei says. “If what you say is true, you should have no problem with this.”

  Ronan gives a stiff nod.

  The next two minutes is a blur of Alexei barking out demands in Russian to Franco and Ronan watching me carefully. They usher me out the door and into a silver car while Ronan climbs into the Beamer and takes his place in front of us.

  As we drive through the forest, I try to formulate an escape plan. Now I have three men to shake off, and it isn’t going to be so easy. Especially considering I gave Ronan the slip once, I highly doubt he’s going to let that happen again.

  But it doesn’t matter. I’ll do whatever it takes, I tell myself. I have to. Because I can’t let Lachlan sacrifice himself for me and the mistakes I’ve made. I can’t let him die because of my actions. I love him. I love him so fucking much it’s crazy. I thought I was incapable of such things. I know I’m incapable of loving anyone else this way.

  I don’t know how he did that. How he got past my armor. But he did. He tore it all to bits.

  Ronan’s brake lights flash ahead of us.

  Franco snaps out something in Russian, and both him and Alexei pull out their guns.

  “What’s going on?” I shove my head between the seats, trying to see what’s happening.

  The next thing I know, there are two loud pops and a hiss of air as the front tires of the car deflate. Alexei and Franco are speaking in Russian, glancing behind us, and I’m getting the gist that someone’s just fired those shots from the trees somewhere.

  So why the hell is Ronan stopped?

  Glass shatters as they take out the tail lights next.

  “Jesus!” I duck and take cover. “Who the fuck is shooting at us now?”

  The men jump out of the front and crouch behind the doors as they fire back. There seems to be some confusion about which direction the bullets are coming from. Like there might be two shooters. And I know instinctively, one of them is Ronan. Either way, I’m not going to stick around to find out. I grab for the door handle and fling it open. I know we’re a whole hell of a long way off the beaten path here, but I’ve got to get away from these crazy motherfuckers.

  Ronan’s got to be absolutely frigging nuts, shooting at the Russians like this.

  He has to know this is going to start a war. I can’t understand what’s happening, but honestly, I don’t care. I don’t have time for whatever the hell they’re doing, or whatever plan they’ve concocted for me. I just need to get to Lachlan.

  I army crawl across the forest floor, my chest heaving with relief as the sound of gunfire grows more and more distant. Pine needles and cold gravel dig into my skin, but none of that matters. As soon as I’m far enough away, I’ll start running. I’ll steal a car if I have to. I’ll do whatever it takes.

  All these thoughts are going through my head and they’re the only thing I can focus on. So when someone grabs me from behind and covers my mouth with a foul smelling cloth, it catches me off guard. Much too late, I realize I’ve just been chloroformed.

  When I wake up again, I’m hog-tied on the back seat of Ronan’s car. I’ve got a wicked bad headache and the way my body feels I’m guessing they weren’t all too gentle when they went about the business of tying me up.

  I wrangle myself into an upright position and glance out the window. We’re on the freeway, headed back towards Boston. Relief swells inside of me like a balloon, but it’s short lived.

  Conor is riding shotgun, and he’s pale as a sheet. Ronan’s grip is like a vice on the steering wheel, and nothing about this situation is making any sense at all.

  “What happened to Alexei?” I demand.

  Ronan’s gaze meets mine in the rear-view mirror, and it’s never looked colder.

  “Are ye sympathizing with the Russians now?” he asks. “Lachlan told me ye hated them. Not surprised that was a lie too.”

  I ignore his jab and focus on what’s important. “There’s no way Lach would have authorized you starting a war with the Russians. I want to know what’s going on.”

  Ronan laughs. A cold, dark laugh that reaches deep inside of me to unlock an entire vault full of dread. What if he was right in front of me all along? What if he’s the rat? It never even occurred to me before, but now…

  “Where are you taking me?” I press. “I want to see Lachlan.”

  “Oh ye’re going to see Lachlan alright,” he says. “Didn’t I tell ye what’d happen if you fucked him over?”

  Conor glances back at me, and he looks like he’s going to be sick. And that’s when I realize Ronan isn’t the rat at all. He’s gone rogue. To protect Lachlan.

  “You’re taking me to Niall,” I say quietly. “Aren’t you?”

  Ronan doesn’t answer. He doesn’t need to. His hatred towards me is rolling off him in waves. His loyalty to Lachlan runs much deeper than I ever could have expected. And there’s a good chance he’ll be paying a heavy price for this as well.

  “What about Scarlett?” I ask quietly. “She didn’t have anything to do with this… please…”

  Ronan keeps his eyes fixed on the road, but his voice is calm and steady. “No harm will come to her.”

  I believe him. I don’t know if it’s just because I have to, that I can’t accept any other option, but I do believe him when he says this. I sit back against the seat and the car falls silent as we drive on. Though I know they aren’t going to be very receptive to anything I have to say, I talk anyway.

  “I never wanted to hurt him. I was just trying to find out what happened to my friend.”

  As I expect, neither of them responds.

  For the rest of the ride, I try to formulate the words that will clear Lachlan. That will absolve him of any guilt in this situation. But they don’t come to me. I don’t know what I’m going to say when I face Niall. I only hope I can make it count.

  When we pull up to the back of Slainte, it’s after hours. The club is shut down, but the familiar cars of Lach’s crew fill up the lot. Ronan opens the backdoor and removes the binds before tugging me to my feet.

  And then he stares at me, with the briefest moment of hesitation.

  “Ye shouldn’t have done it,” he says quietly.

  And then he’s tugging me along, Conor dragging his feet beside me. When we get inside, the place is dead quiet. Ronan and Conor glance at each other, and th
en Ronan jerks his head towards the basement. They usher me along and down the stairs. Ronan unlocks a room I’ve never been in before and then gives me one last look of regret before he swings the door open.

  When I get a look inside, I know this is where I’m going to die.

  LACHLAN

  * * *

  Fucking Ronan.

  It makes no difference that the Russians are banging down our doors. The moment I spot him, I clatter him in the face. He lets me get two in before Rory yanks me away.

  “I did it for your own good,” he snarls. “I won’t allow ye to give yourself up for her.”

  Sentimental bastard. He doesn’t understand. Though I’d venture if it was Sasha’s arse on the line he’d be whistling a different tune.

  “That wasn’t your decision to make,” I tell him.

  “Both of youse shut the fuck up,” Niall yells. “We’ve got your mess to clean up now.”

  Ronan and I both follow Niall down the hall without another word. He nods at Conor, and the front door opens. Alexei, Franco, Viktor, and the rest of their outfit filter inside. They’re loaded down with armed weapons, as are we.

  Alexei meets my eyes briefly before he turns his head away. He’s aware this wasn’t my doing. It’s out of my control, as is whatever happens next.

  “I want a word with Niall,” Viktor says. “In private.”

  Sean and I both step forward, but Viktor holds up his hand.

  “Only him.” He points at Alexei.

  The lot of them walk down the hall towards my office to seal my fate. There’s no question what they’ll be discussing in that room. Everything I’ve ever wanted is being torn from my hands right in front of me. None of it matters. The burn of uncertainty is only made worse by the fact I still haven’t a clue where Mack is.

  Ronan took her against my knowledge. I’m going to murder him the first chance I get.

  Ten minutes pass. Then twenty. When thirty have come and gone, the agitation is getting to me. Something about this isn’t right.

  A gunshot goes off, and a moment later, we’re all holding our weapons at each other. Franco tells his men to stand down in Russian as he eyes me off.

  “We’ll check it out together,” he says.

  Him and I both walk down the hall in silence. The office door is cracked, and all three men have their guns pointed at the door in confusion.

  “That wasn’t in here?”

  “No,” Niall curses.

  My eyes move to the floor beneath as Viktor speaks.

  “Ivan’s downstairs, yes?”

  Niall must’ve told Viktor we captured him. If they’ve got one of their men down there, this is not going to end well.

  “He’s a traitor.”

  “Lachlan,” Niall’s voice is thin with warning, but I can’t look at him. My eyes are locked onto Viktor, waiting for his next move.

  “He will be handled accordingly,” Viktor says.

  “Aye, he will,” I say. “By our lads.”

  “He isn’t the only one downstairs,” Conor says from the doorway.

  His eyes are wide, and he doesn’t need to say anything else. I’m legging it downstairs before I’ve even fully processed what’s happening. The lads are following me, but Ronan must be down there already.

  All of us come to a halt at the bottom of the stairs. As I anticipated, Ivan is shot and laying in a pool of blood on the floor. But it isn’t by one of the Russians.

  Above him, Mandy and Donny both have a grip on Mack, each of them holding a gun to her head as they lead her towards the back door. My first instinct is to go to her, and my body obeys.

  “Don’t come any closer!” Mandy yells.

  The gun in her hand flies in my direction, and Mack starts pleading with her. Mandy’s eyes are crazed, her hair wild, and there’s blood smeared all over her shirt. I can’t wrap my head around what’s happening here.

  “Mandy, what in the bleeding hell are ye doing?”

  “She’s coming with us,” she says. “Don’t come any closer, Lachlan, or I will shoot you.”

  They inch further away, and I follow.

  Niall and Viktor descend the stairs, along with the rest of the Russians, and fear like I’ve never known grips me. They’ve all got their guns drawn, and they’re all pointing in the direction of my girl.

  “Mack.”

  She holds up her hand and her big blue eyes are glassy when they fall upon me.

  “Sweetheart, I need you to listen to me.”

  Her lip trembles, and she glances between Mandy and Donny. He’s smiling, his teeth bloody and his eyes crazed. She must have hit him in the face already.

  “What is this?” Viktor demands from behind me, his voice escalating to fury. “This was not the plan.”

  Niall tries to calm him while I keep my eyes trained on Mack, looking for a way out of this. But Mandy keeps dragging her further away while Donny looks for any excuse to unload his weapon.

  “Everybody stay back!” Mandy orders again.

  I glance at Niall and he and Viktor both order the lot of us to stand down. There’s no clear shot. Mandy’s taller than Mack, but she’s crouching down and using her body for protection. She’s almost to the door, and I can’t let her go.

  She shot Ivan. Something I never would’ve guessed she’d be capable of. I’m afraid she could easily do it to Mack too. With Donny, there isn’t even a question. His sadistic smile tells me exactly what he plans to do.

  I bolt forward, and Mandy pauses to thrust the gun towards me.

  “Lach, no,” Mack pleads. “I’m sorry for everything, but this was the plan all along. We’re working together.”

  I freeze on the spot, staring at her in confusion. There’s no way that could be true. But Mack’s expression is flat and cold. And Mandy’s smiling like she’s just pulled off her best performance yet.

  I can’t believe it. I don’t want to believe it. I move forward again when Niall and Ronan both grab me from behind. I’m fighting them off, but it’s too late. Mandy and Donny have slipped out the door, taking Mack with them.

  Niall moves to my side. He’s holding his phone towards me, speaking, but I can barely hear him. I’m still looking at the door. Was Mack really lying to me about that too?

  “It’s a message from her friend Scarlett,” he says.

  Finally, I glance down, and realize I was wrong. It wasn’t Mandy. Mack was the one who gave her grandest performance yet.

  To save me.

  Ronan rips the phone out of my hand and gives me a shake to get myself together. Niall and Alexei hand us some extra ammunition, and then we disappear out the door behind them.

  40

  MACKENZIE

  MANDY OPENS the driver’s side door and shoves me inside before she climbs into the back seat. Donny is in the passenger seat, leering at me with all of the sick shit he obviously has in store. They both keep their guns on me the entire time Mandy barks out her instructions.

  “Drive,” she snarls.

  I turn the key in the ignition and fumble with it. I’ve only ever driven a car twice, but I’m not about to tell her that.

  “Hurry the fuck up!”

  I get the key turned and put the car in drive. I press the gas too hard and we burn rubber out of the parking lot. In the rear-view mirror, I can just see Lachlan and his men filing out of the building and running towards the lot.

  Great. A car chase.

  There’s no doubt he’s going to kill me now. But I don’t regret it. I had to protect him. I did and said what I had to.

  Mandy directs me onto the interstate, and it isn’t long before a black SUV is right behind us. Ronan’s at the wheel, Lachlan in the passenger seat beside him. They are keeping a distance, and they aren’t shooting at us. I don’t know what’s going on, but I guess they figure we have to stop sometime.

  I have no clue what Mandy’s endgame is here, but I know it can’t be good.

  I glance in the mirror at her, and her crazy is on display f
or all the world to see. Her hair is a tangled mess, and she keeps looking at me with that same familiar hatred I can’t understand. Cars are whizzing by us, and my hands are so tight on the steering wheel my knuckles are white and my fingers numb.

  “Faster!” she barks.

  I press down on the accelerator, and the car surges forward. Donny’s free hand creeps over to my thigh and grips me so hard I cringe.

  “I told you I’d have my way with you,” he says. “When this is all over, I’ll have fucked you six ways from Sunday.”

  I’m fighting the urge to backhand the shit out of him when I hear the cocking of a gun. I glance over, and Mandy’s got her gun pressed against his head.

  “Hand me your weapons,” she says. “Or so help me, I’ll blow your fucking brains out right here in the middle of the interstate.”

  “What the fuck?” Donny snarls.

  Mandy whips him in the face with the butt of her gun and his nose starts gushing blood.

  “Fucking do it!” she screams.

  Donny hands her the gun and holds his other hand up to stem the bleeding.

  “The knife strapped to your leg too,” she orders.

  He reaches down and pulls out the knife and hands it back to her. I think it’s the first time I’ve ever seen him speechless. I’ve got no clue what’s going on here, but it’s obvious I was wrong about Mandy. She wasn’t the one being played in this situation at all.

  After she stashes his weapons somewhere safe, she holds the gun between us, ready to shoot either one of us who tries to make a move. The car is silent for a long time, and the wheels are turning in my brain as I try to figure out what to do.

  “You don’t remember me,” Mandy says out the blue. “Do you?”

  I glance at her in the mirror again, and I can’t hide my confusion.

  “Should I?”

  She laughs and shakes her head. “I knew you wouldn’t. Donny didn’t either.”

  Donny and I both look at each other, and we’re wearing matching expressions of confusion.

  “It’s not surprising I guess,” Mandy says. “Considering she didn’t either. That’s three for three.”