Page 78 of Bedazzled
“No more killing,” she said vehemently. “Not for me.”
“This is part of our life in the Morozov Bratva. It will not change. Tonight? I do not feel remorse for any of those men. Not when they were instrumental in kidnapping you and Ella. Not when they tortured me. They have murdered and tortured hundreds of people, maybe thousands.”
Tania took my hand, examining it. There was blood under my fingernails, I thought I had washed it all off. Pulling on it, she urged, “Get in with me, please? We’ll just sit here. You know, for a little bit.”
“Of course, love. Whatever you like.” Stripping quickly, I slid in behind her, cradling her against my chest and wrapping my arms around her. “We can stay in here as long as you want.”
Tania…
It took hours of arguing with Yuri and Maksim the next day to keep them from murdering O’Rourke. Not that I didn’t think the rat bastard deserved it, because he did. But he was too rich. Too connected.
Too powerful.
“Trust me, there’s better ways to handle him,” I promised my scowling husband.
Patrick joined us for lunch. He looked exhausted and prepared to enjoy a liquid lunch of whiskey until I filled a plate for him, nagging until he gave in.
“Leave off, woman,” he sighed, seating himself. “It’s been a long week and that whiskey is my reward.”
“I just realized that you’re going gray,” I said. “Already? Damn, these two are working you too hard.”
He shrugged, stuffing another chip in his mouth. “Runs in the family, my Da was completely silver-haired by his mid-thirties.”
“You’ve only got a couple of years to go then,” I teased him, “though working as this family’sObshchakwould turn anyone gray.”
“Patrick here is getting a promotion,” Maksim said. “We couldn’t have pulled this off without our undercover Irishman. You were a menace last night,Obshchak.”
Raising his glass in a toast, Patrick nodded but kept eating.
“Congratulations,” I said, adding more fish and chips to his plate, “what’s the promotion?”
The three men exchanged some sort of irritating, meaningful glance that told me absolutely nothing.
“It’s less a promotion,” Yuri said carefully, “as it is Patrick reclaiming what’s his.”
I looked between the three of them before sighing. “Okay, thank you for the eloquent pauses and the explanation that clarifies absolutely nothing. What is Patrick reclaiming?”
There was a wry twist to his mouth when Patrick said, “My family were the original kings of the Irish Mob. The Doyle’s. The O’Connell’s managed something similar to the bloodbath last night against my family. But they were more…” he swallowed and Yuri leaned forward, like he was trying to offer support.
“They were more thorough. They killed my parents. My uncles, aunts, and cousins. My grandparents. And…” Patrick’s eyes were like ice chips and the funny, kind man I knew was buried under years of fury and hate. “They murdered my little sisters. But not before they… they hurt them.”
“Oh, my god Patrick, I…” I took his hand, clenched in a fist and smoothed out his fingers. “I am so sorry. How long have you been suffering with this?”
He shrugged. “Ten years. I was shot three times but I lived. I’m sure Jimmy O’Connell would have been back to finish the job, but Yuri found me first. We met up at the Ares Academy when we were younger. He and Maksim took me into the Morozov Bratva. I’ve been here ever since.”
Yuri stared at our clasped hands, and Patrick hastily withdrew his. “He found Jimmy O’Connell a couple of years later and took a very, very long time killing him. It sent quite the message.” He smiled approvingly at Patrick.
“This is Patrick’s territory now,” Maksim said, making it sound like a formal proclamation. The Doyle family will take over O’Connell interests.”
“And pay the Morozov Bratva a healthy percentage,” Patrick added, sounding a bit more like his usual cheeky self.
“Of course,” Maksim shrugged as if it was obvious. “The Doyle clan might be small, but Patrick will be growing it very soon.” There was another look exchanged that I didn’t understand, but before I could ask some prying questions, Gavrill stepped in.
“Pakhan,Nolan O’Rourke is here. He wishes to ‘say hello’.”
I could practically smell the hate in the room.
“Good morning!” O’Rourke said cheerfully as he strolled into the room, holding my messenger bag and laptop case. “I thought I’d drop off Tania’s things, though of course, she is always welcome to stay at the castle.”
