“You look fucking stupid with that headlamp.”
“You have a headlamp on too, you eejit.”
We’ve been up for what feels like days on end, and my body feels like it’s going to give up. But there’s no time for that shit. We need to get this handled while it’s still nighttime.
“Thank fucking Christ he only brought three guys,” Declan complains as we get the barrels and gravel loaded first.
Tadhg and Cormac carry one body at a time. It’s times like these, I really wish I picked a different career path or that we had more men to make this shit easier. But when it comes to tossing bodies, only the most loyal members can be trusted.
Finn tosses Anthony over his shoulder and places him on the seat before slapping him in the face.
“Rise and shine. Time to watch your friends sink.”
Anthony’s eyes roll to the back of his head, but they blink open as he looks around. It takes him a while to orient himself in the dark night, but it’s obvious we’re in the middle of nowhere.
“I think burying them in the desert would’ve been easier,” Cormac grumbles, and I rub the sweat off the back of my neck.
Maybe he’s right, but that would’ve also been a ton of digging. It’s too bad Declan’s contact at the morgue got fired. I grimace, thinking about that creep, and what he was willing to do for a few bucks.
This boat launch is nearly abandoned, and there’s no one around for miles. The lake isn’t monitored like other bodies of water, and we’re using that to our advantage.
Finn drives the boat, using sonar to find the deepest area of the lake. It doesn’t take long. It’s eerily quiet and dark out here, that is besides Anthony’s mumbled pleas behind his gag.
“Usually, I’d torture you for days, Anthony. But the fact is, I’m fucking tired, and I’d like to get back to my Omega.”
I open the lid to one barrel, and we heft the first body in, contorting him to fit inside before shoveling driveway gravel to weigh down the barrel. The other men work on the other two bodies, and I can’t wait to get this over with.
Anthony must notice the last,emptybarrel because his panic rises and he yells more frantically around the gag.
“It will be nice not having any in-laws,” Finn says as he pours gravel on top of a man’s dead body.
“Not that it matters, but I had Matteo’s blessing before he died,” I admit.
“Exactly, it doesn’t fucking matter,” Finn replies with a roll of his eyes.
It takes longer than I would like, but eventually, the three bodies are in their barrels, covered in gravel. The lids are tightly sealed, and it takes all of us to put the barrels on their sides and roll them off the back of the boat.
They’re so heavy they immediately splash into the water and begin to sink to the bottom.
Anthony watches wide-eyed, sitting in the passenger seat of the boat. I’m covered in a sheen of sweat, but killing the man who was a threat to the person I love the most gives me a second rush of adrenaline.
I pull the gag from his mouth, and he looks at me with wired, watery eyes.
“Just shoot me. Get it over with.”
I grin at him, grabbing the back of his neck. He smells just as bad as he looks, but I hold his gaze.
“You think we’re just going to shoot you and toss you in the lake? If we weren’t so tired, we’d have you locked in a warehouse for weeks. But it’s apparently your lucky day. It’s honestly a shame Cillian isn’t here, considering you shot him.”
“I think we’re maturing,” Declan sasses proudly, making us all laugh.
It’s a delirious sort of laugh, one where we’ve pushed our bodies to the limit and can’t believe this ridiculous situation we’ve gotten ourselves into.
Finn stands next to me, the boat slightly rocking with the wind as he grabs Anthony on one side and I grab the other.
“What are you doing? No. It doesn’t have to be like this. Elena will never forgive you,” Anthony begs.
“See, that’s where you're wrong. You never really knew who your sister was. She didn’t even ask for us to spare you,” I deliver the news in a soft, patronizing tone.
