Page 50 of Conor
“As you wish.” I pull out my Glock and tap it against my thigh. “Just one question though. What exactly were your intentions with the boy?”
Slick makes an unintelligible sound, and I can see the wheels turning in his pea sized brain. He knows what’s coming, and I don’t expect honesty from him, but it can’t hurt to ask.
“I wouldn’t have harmed him. It was just a matter of keeping her compliant.”
“Aye.” I curl my lip in disgust. “You would. What honor do ye have left? Ye’re going to die, there’s nothing left to lose now.”
“I don’t hurt kids,” Slick insists.
“To be sure, ye don’t hurt my kid.”
His lips flatten, and he’s practically frothing at the mouth to challenge me on that, but he knows better.
“Blood or not, that boy is my son,” I inform him. “And you should know what happens when ye touch a brother’s son.”
“I didn’t touch him.” Slick thrashes against his restraints with what little life he has left.
“But ye thought about it. That was enough.”
I stuff the Glock back into my jeans and reach for my knife instead. Slick breathes harder in anticipation, flinching when I step nearer. He’s wrong if he thinks it’s going to be a violent attack. Slow and steady wins the race.
I cut the rope from his waist and use it to secure the knots between his wrists and ankles. A quick call out to Boris, and he opens the door and lets Alexei inside with the wheelbarrow.
“What the fuck now?” Slick yelps. “Just finish me already.”
“I intend to.”
Not so gingerly, I dump the sack of shite face down into the wheelbarrow. He doesn’t say a word, but he’s shaking as we wheel him down the dark tunnel in Alexei’s basement. When we reach the exit, the sun is high and it’s a beautiful day for a funeral.
Slick wastes his energy carrying on the entire way to the fresh slice of earth in the woods where many a traitor has come to meet his maker. The freshly excavated hole is six feet deep, and Alexei seems to appreciate my efforts.
“You didn’t skimp on the details,” he says. “This is good.”
Without further ado, we each grab one side of the barrow and unceremoniously dump Slick into the hole.
“Come on, man,” he screeches. “You can’t do me like this. Have a heart.”
The two of us grab our shovels and start the long process of covering his body with dirt. He bitches and moans about it the entire time, and I don’t bother to acknowledge any of it until we’re ready to cover his face.
“For every minute you still have breath in your lungs, I want you to think about my wife and my son. Think about how sorry you are that you even considered laying a hand on them.”
“I’m sorry,” he blurts. “So fucking sorry.”
His wasted words are smothered by a shovel full of dirt on his face. After that, Alexei and I work in silence, burying Slick and sending a message to anyone else who thinks they can take what’s mine.
“What do you think?”
Archer glances around the room and shrugs. “It’s nice, mama.”
I can’t help but laugh when I meet Conor’s eyes. The house is a lot more than nice. It’s more than I ever could have dreamed of having. Conor told me to pick out a house, any house I wanted, and even if I never said it out loud, he knew this was the one. The Victorian style townhouse is in the Beacon Hill neighborhood, only a few doors down from some of his other friends. I feel safe here, as Conor intended, and I hope Archer does too.
After moving all day, we’re exhausted and ready to settle into our new space. But Conor and I still have plans to celebrate. I get Archer tucked into bed and go over my instructions with Rory again. I don’t think I’ll ever stop being nervous about letting him out of my sight, but over the past two months, I’ve come to understand that Conor was right. These guys protect their own and they won’t let anything happen to Archer, or even me, on their watch.
“You ready, hot mama?” Conor wraps his arms around me from behind and feathers his lips over the length of my neck.
“I think so.” I turn into him and drag his mouth to mine, kissing him like it’s our last day on earth. Conor grunts and pulls away with a wicked smile.
“If ye keep at that, we won’t be making it out the door.”
