“I’m eighteen now,” I reminded him, especially as I remembered spending the milestone birthday a few days ago in that same dark cell. “I can see whomever I want to see.”
“Enough!” His voice had a sharp, powerful cadence, and it was much like the crack of a whip. “I don’t know why you continue to defy me. I’ve warned you time and time again, yet you insist on learning everything the hard way. A summer in the hole did little to convince you to see things my way, so I’ll have to resort to other methods.”
“W-what are you going to do?” I hated the weakness that the slight stammer provided, and I could imagine the old fool smirking at the sound of it. For all my defiance, as he called it, I’d always done what was told of me. I knew what was expected in this world. My cousins did as well. “Answer me, Daideó.”
“You do not give me orders, garmhac. Since you consider yourself to be grown, why don’t you tell me what I should do?”
“You should let me live my own?—”
“I was talking about the girl. Regardless of what I choose, you’ll suffer as you should. The little succubus, however...”
“Do not touch her,” I quickly said before he could even start formulating a plan. “I’ll never see her again if you spare her.”
The very thought of never holding her in my arms, or being balls deep inside of her again, made me sick, but I knew my grandfather would do so much worse to her.
“I could have her swept up and sent northbound. She might be a decent piece for my men in Boston. I mean, she only needs to lie there. The crew will do the rest.”
This time, I growled before I remembered I needed to hold it inside. “She doesn’t need to be harmed. I’ll cut off all contact with her. I promise.”
“Your promises are as worthless as your own father’s ever were. If she isn’t to be a whore for the organization, perhaps she’d fare better on the market. You’ve already seen to it that she can’t be advertised as pure, but I think she’ll still fetch a pretty penny. That flaming mop of hair...sky blue eyes...porcelain skin...She’d be a welcome sight compared to most of the women I put on there.”
Hearing my grandfather nonchalantly talk about sex trafficking the girl I love made the rage inside of me build. At first, I was seeing red, but as he started to detail the vulgar things those creeps would do to her, the room around me began to spin. I wanted to speak, but each time I opened my mouth, nothing would come out.
The pain in my chest that hours ago had been from the metal pipes, steel-toed boots, and fists my grandfather’s crew used on me was now replaced by a fear I never even knew I could feel. I’d refused to allow any of those men to break me, including my own grandfather, but if he followed through with what he was proposing for Reagan...
“I’ll come home to Dublin and stay there indefinitely. We won’t be able to ever see one another again.”
The very thought was causing the rarely used organ in my chest to splinter, but there was nothing I wouldn’t do for Reagan. She was my soulmate. I’d known it the first time I’d drawn her into my arms, and I was reminded of it only an hour ago when she was back in them. I’d give it all up though if it would save her.
“You’ll cut off all contact with her and return to Ireland tomorrow.”
“I will,” I promised.
“And you’ll never think or speak of her again.”
“I promise.”
“Very well, garmhac. I’ll have your flight arranged. And Cillian...”
“Yes,” I answered.
“Don’t cross me again.”
“I won’t.”
When sure my grandfather had disconnected, I dropped the cell phone onto the bed. I fell down right beside it, ignoring the tearing of still sore muscle. The two fractured ribs were also healing, but not a single ounce of this physical pain could be worse than what I was truly feeling.
The ache in my chest grew more pronounced with each breath I tried to take. In a matter of hours, I’d no longer see my Anamchara. She’d be confused, and hurt, but I’d do whatever I needed to do to protect her. I only hoped she would one day understand it all.
As I grabbed my cell phone to take a final look at her picture, I realized I’d never disconnected the call, and neither had my grandfather. I brought the phone to my ear and was quiet as his voice was easily heard. He was no longer talking to me, but rather to one of his underbosses. I’d almost gone ahead and ended the call myself, but his next words chilled my blood.
“Kill the whore! I want her dead, and every part of her body disposed of except those blue fucking eyes of hers. Cillian needsto look at them and know that he did this to her. I want them to be a reminder to him.”
“Consider it done. I have men in NYC who can be there in a few hours.”
“You’ll wait until he’s on the plane. I want his welcome home gift to put him in his place once and for all.”
“As ordered, it will be done.”
