Page 82 of Twilight Tides
I looked to Murray.
He let out a huff and rolled his eyes. “Fine.”
Kelly raised her hand palm up to me and I laughed as we high-fived.
30.Murray
There were so many things I would rather have been doing that morning. Foremost in my mind was London and the electric air of anticipation that buzzed between us. Last night after Kelly interrupted us to inform me about my impending performance at open mic night, my daughter had insisted on helping me practice. London sat with us for a while until exhaustion had her excusing herself. Her early mornings at the B and B meant early nights in bed, which equaled not very much time for us in the evenings. No time at all to tell her that I wanted to make a go at a real relationship with her.
I didn’t want a rushed conversation with her in the morning, so I decided on a different route to tell her how I felt. This method had worked for us before, so I was willing to give it another chance.
First, I had to face Joshua Hughes for the second time.
The psychopath came over on an early-morning ferry to meet with me and Fraser at Fraser’s holiday let. It was a small cottage on the eastern peninsula where no one would notice us coming and going.
The vengeful, wrathful side of me I’d vowed to crush the day I’d beaten up my father attempted to rear his violent head assoon as Hughes walked into the cottage. Because I was pretty sure I could kill this motherfucker right here and now and Fraser would help me get rid of the body.
It was an awful, desperate thought, but that’s what happened when evil threatened everything you held dear.
We handed over our devices like last time, but Hughes gestured toward the door. “Let’s talk outside.”
Had their paranoia finally set in? The recording device DC McCubbins had provided was taped under the kitchen breakfast table. There was nothing else for it but to head outside or draw suspicion.
“You made the right decision,” Hughes stated as soon as Fraser and I had joined him in the front garden. It was less of a garden than a small field that abutted Farmer Kippin’s land.
I held Hughes’s gaze, refusing to be intimidated by him despite his apparent lack of conscience. “Let’s make things clear … I’ve agreed to do this, but Fraser and I will be captaining the crew on that first boat. And if you or either of the Walsh brothers come for my family again, and that does include Jill, I will take as many of you out as I can before you get to me. Do you understand?”
The younger man considered my warning. “I’ve explained to the Walshes that you’re not a man to be crossed.” He leaned forward. “But neither are they. So, here’s the plan …”
It was as Hughes had explained last time but in more detail. He’d written down dates, times, and the name of the boat we’d be intercepting off the coast of Ireland. TheIris.
“The bloke captaining theIrisis called Russo. Italian bloke. If he smells anything fishy going on—pardon the pun—he will take a machete to your entire crew.”
“Charming,” I murmured.
“Once he’s delivered the packages, he’ll help you hide them properly. Your contact at the port in Dublin is a woman calledSiobhan Cosway. Of course, you’ll need to register your plan to dock at the port for commercial delivery, but as an upstanding, established fishing company, that should be no problem.”
“Except I’ve never delivered to Dublin before or delivered directly off the fishing boat. I have refrigerated boats that do that for us.”
“Very fancy.” Hughes rolled his eyes. “Look, the port inspectors won’t give a shit about that. Just get your boat registered to dock and Siobhan will be there waiting for you with a refrigerated van ready to be loaded with fresh fish and coke. They’ve already got a guy in place working customs and excise so the boat won’t be searched. You do not transfer anything until Siobhan transfers money over to us. We’ll call you to let you know it’s done and then you begin delivery. Don’t worry about them taking it without paying. Siobhan knows if she tries anything, the Walshes will mount her head on a fucking stick.”
My jaw clenched so hard, it was a wonder it didn’t shatter as I glared out toward the mainland of Scotland. Never in my wildest nightmares would I have ever thought I’d find myself mixed up in the grimy, violent world of drug trafficking. I wanted to take a shower and scour this meeting from my body. From my mind.
“We done here?” I asked gruffly.
“We’re done. Next time, you meet me on the mainland. I hate this fucking island.” Hughes walked over to his vehicle and jumped in. Neither Fraser nor I spoke until he disappeared out of sight.
“You don’t have to do this.” I turned to my cousin. “I know you’ve got Eileen and the kids to think about. I can do this alone.”
Fraser shook his head. “No way, cuz. You changed my life when you took me off the fishing boats and made me head of charter. And not just financially.” He shrugged, looking a bit uncomfortable as he stared out at the water. “Who knows whatour fathers endured at the hands of our grandfather to make them such unlikable bastards. We don’t talk about it, but I know what your dad was like, Mur. Mine could give you a cuff around the ear every now and then, but he didn’t need to lift his hands to do damage. Why do you think Alana left as soon as she turned eighteen?”
Alana was Fraser’s big sister. I hadn’t seen or spoken to my older cousin since she’d fled the island all those years ago. I’d always suspected my uncle was as much of a prick as my father had been. He died two years after Dad, and no one really missed him either. My aunt Doreen, Fraser and Alana’s mum, had moved back to the mainland after my uncle’s death.
“Every day of my life, Dad called me stupid and worthless and made me feel like I wouldn’t amount to anything.” Fraser shrugged helplessly. “You trusting me to help build this company into what it is did more for me than you’ll ever know.” My cousin faced me, his countenance more sincere than I’d ever seen it. “There is no way I’m letting you go this alone. Eileen understands I need to do this.”
Gratitude overwhelmed me. It took me a few seconds to speak through the emotion. “I will do everything in my power to keep you safe.”
Fraser clapped me on the shoulder. “And I you.”
