Page 51 of Twilight Tides
“I’m not vulnerable, you miserable wee pissant.”
Joshua chuckled dryly. “You’re wrong. My employers always get their way, Mr. Shaw. Even if that means doing a little or a lot of damage to get their way.” He pulled a phone out of his inside jacket pocket and tapped on the screen. Then he turned it to me and there was a photo of Kelly in her Edinburgh school uniform. “Tasty little piece, your daughter. She’d look even tastier with a machete through her neck, don’t you think?”
“You fucking—” Fraser pushed off the wall, face a mask of rage, but I stood abruptly, gesturing for him to stop.
Even though my own fury rushed through my blood like fire, I leaned casually across the desk. “You even look at my daughter, and you’ll wish Ionlyused a machete by the time I’m done with you.”
Hughes didn’t even flinch at my quiet threat. Instead, he turned the phone screen, tapped it again, and showed me another photo. “I’m not really into pedophilia, so she’s more my taste.”
It was a photo of London.
“You traded up with the second wife, eh? Younger than you. Hot as fuck.” He licked his lips. “It would be my pleasure to give her the ride of her life. Right before I shot her in that pretty face.”
Fraser glowered at me as if to sayLet me at him, but I didn’t want to give the bastard the satisfaction of reacting.
“No?” He frowned and tapped the screen again. This time it showed a photo of Mum. “All these lovely women in your life. All ready and waiting to be violated before dying a violent death.” Hughes chuckled, eyes bright with that malice and madness. I realized why he was the bloke they sent to do the negotiating. He was criminally insane.
It took everything within me not to mash his face into my office wall. “I’ll say this once and only once. I will never let you or your gang of thugs traffic drugs through my company. And if you even so much as come near my family, I’ll wipe that smirk offyour face with the knife I use to gut fish and then I’ll drop your body at the bottom of the sea. I doubt anyone will care enough to come looking for you.”
Hughes’s mouth twisted in an upside-down smirk. “That might have been the most impressive threat I’ve heard yet because I actually think you’re capable of doing just that. Which is why I want you on board and cooperative.” He stood abruptly and tossed our phones onto the desk. “Take some time to think about it. We’ll be in touch.”
An awful silence fell between me and Fraser as we waited for Hughes to leave the building. Our breathing was heavy but neither of us spoke as I rounded the desk to remove the phone from under it to check if it recorded the conversation properly. To my relief it had. Fraser and I shared a morose look as he switched his phone back on to bring up the camera app for the puffin statue. About a minute of silence later, the sound of our conversation with Joshua filled the room from his phone, and he turned it so I could see that the statue had captured good footage.
“What now?” my cousin asked grimly. “These people are not to be messed with, Murray. These are violent criminals.”
“We don’t know that for sure.” Though I knew that was wishful thinking. “We need to find out more about the Walsh brothers.”
“And then what?”
“Police.” I shrugged wearily. “But I think I’ll talk to Ramsay first.”
“McRae? Why McRae? Do you think it’s wise to tell people about this?”
“Ramsay was in the military.” At least that was the story he told people. But all of us lads in the pipe band had our suspicions that Ramsay McRae was more than ex-military. We were pretty damn sure he was an ex special agent for the Britishgovernment. There was a possibility he could investigate this and give me advice on how to proceed.
“So?”
“Just … let me handle it from here.” I gave my cousin a stern look. “And aye, this stays between us.”
“He threatened Aunty Fiona.” Fraser glowered. “And Kelly. And London. Eileen and my kids could be next.” He referred to his wife and twin daughters.
“I’m aware,” I snapped and then winced. “Listen, I know. But there’s not a lot they can do on an island and get away with it. Look at that moron who attacked Taran last year. Where did he think he was going to hide on an island?”
“These guys are smarter than that.”
“Are they? They came to me thinking that they could … what was it he called it? Cuckooing? They’re fucking morons if they think that I will allow my company to be dragged into their filth. I’d rather shut the whole thing down.”
Fraser shrugged. “Maybe we should.”
I didn’t think that would stop these people. “I’ll talk to Ramsay first. Trust me. I have a feeling he’ll know what to do.”
From there, who knew what would happen. But I had to believe that I could protect Kelly, Mum, and London and still not give into these bastards.
I couldn’t fail them. Not again.
19.London
Finding a second to talk to Ramsay without Nee knowing wasn’t as difficult as I’d thought it would be.
