“I got picked up by bratva fuckers. Knocked me out.” I should cringe as I say it; admitting such weakness would earn me scorn from my father. But I don’t feel judgment from this man. “I woke up and saw her. Caged like something wild. Goddamn traffickers. When they tried to put their hands on her, she damn near ripped them off.”
“Motherfuckers! Why the fuck didn’t she tell me she was going to be coming? I coulda picked her up at the bloody airport,” he snarls, and it’s a sentiment I understand; the sense of wishing things could have been done differently. Though I also feel admiration as I remember her fire. I shrug, not wanting to turn this into an indictment of her relationship with her father. Or why she chooses to try to take care of herself. But then again, that’s Emma. Independent to the death.
“They would’ve killed her; I can’t deny that,” I say. “But she wouldn’t have gone down alone. Fought like a tiger. I’m damn sure she left scars. It’s why I had to get her out of there. Found out what the price on my head was, added a little extra for her, and bought us both out.”
“You paid to have her released?” he asks.
“Of course.” When I think back on that day, I sometimes wonder why saving her seemed so natural to me. They could have demanded double. Triple, for all I cared. I’d never have left her there.
“Well then, I guess you do own her, fair ‘n square.”
“I told you, Tommy. Nobody owns that woman.”
Though on the odd occasion, she lets me possess her. It’s a thought that makes my balls tighten.
McErlane’s answering laugh is throaty. “Then it seems to me that you might be the right man for my daughter, Caraldi. Much as it pains me to admit it.”
“I certainly hope so, sir,” I say. Our eyes lock for a moment, and I get a sense of being scrutinized. He gives a nod as if satisfied, somehow. And perversely, the gesture warms me.
I’m good enough for his daughter.
I’m good enough for this family.
And that makes them my own.
We stop speaking as the vehicle comes to a halt outside a gray building, and I lean forward to survey the unassuming façade.
“Let’s find this fucker and show him who he’s messing with,” I say grimly.
McErlane makes a sound of agreement, and without question, I know this is someone who has my back.
∞∞∞
“Well, that was a motherfuckin’ waste o’ my good time,” McErlane grumbles as he stretches out in the back of his hideous green car. He’s got a bottle of Talisker in one beefy hand and has been drinking straight out of it. “Want some?” He holds the bottle to me.
“I’m good.” I may have just upturned a seemingly innocent business with ole Tommy, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to be climbing into a bottle with him. Besides, I have plans for the night.
“I guess my guy was off the mark,” he says ruefully. “I’m sorry.”
I shrug. “No telling what’s going on behind the scenes, Tommy. They may have gotten wind that we were on our way.”
Or his guy was deliberately led off course. Wouldn’t be the first time my uncle pulled a slippery move on me. Which means he may have something else up his sleeve. I’d better keep my guard up.
“The next time we go out, I’ll verify the intel myself, son,” Tommy says. There’s a grim set to his jaw. He’s taking this shit seriously, which gives me another of those odd feelings of belonging. This isn’t his fight; it’s mine. And yet he’s as focused as if Eduoardo is his own sworn enemy.
“Thank you, Tommy,” I say sincerely. “You don’t have to do this, and—”
“Course I do!” he snaps, and for a moment, it seems I’ve offended him. His eyes have grown heated when he aims them at me. “We’re kin now. You’ve wed my girl. That means you’re as good as my son.”
It takes me a moment to process these words.
My son.
Jesus, how long have I waited to hear someone say that with this level of sincerity?
When Tommy rests a heavy hand on my shoulder, I know he’s about to say something deep.
“I told you this already when you bested me yesterday, kid, and I meant it. I never had a boy o’ my own. It tore me apart, especially knowing that I got so hooked on it that the love of my life died trying to give me what I wanted. For years, I hated myself for what I did to her. I was sure I was being punished. But now, just look at what the good Lord sent. A man worthy of my daughter, good enough to kick my ass, man enough to be my kid.” He gives a slow nod. “If I coulda picked anyone to follow in my footsteps, he’d be just like you, son.”
