None of Nolan’s sons ever managed to procreate. No one to leave anything to. I might have rammed a knife into Jonas’s pecker, and then into his jugular vein…but that apparently wasafterhe sent off a signed marriage license with his lawyer. And that lawyer obviously made it out of the compound before Declan and Malek brought the cavalry in to light the place up. I didn’t know it then. I know it now. I’m Jonas O’Dell’swidow. I knew what I was doing when I went upstairs with them that night, leaving Seven in that creepy ass basement. I knew the onlyway out of marrying the fucker was death. But I also knew my brother was coming for me. And signing my name on that line,I thought, would mean nothing if one or both of us were dead by the end of that night.
I never expected any of this to happen.
As I’m not experienced in any of this, I turned to the one person I knew that could help me figure it out,withoutblowing a fucking gasket. And that’s where I’m heading now. Malek spent about a month bunking with Simon Kensley. We got used to being in each other’s company pretty quickly. For a man of few words…he’s actually a fucking genius when it comes to numbers and legal documents. But the other thing he’s good at? Well… that threw a bucket of fuel to this fire that’s started in me.
There was a reason Malek trusted every phone number in Seven’s cleaner phone, but not a single person in our house other than Declan. They’re killers. And they don’t apologize for it. They knew it needed to be done, and they rained the fires of Hell on that compound to get us out. Mal trusts Simon, so I do too. He looks at murder like part of his business…the way Sev used to disconnect herself when she cleaned bodies. I’m slowly learning how to be part of this family and find a better use for myself than just bouncing on a cock. I’d rather make that a perk of the job. I consider my visits to Simon’s the education one needs to become someone that nobody fucks with. That’s a hell of a lot more productive than anything college will get you.
The app I created to mask all my extracurricular activities definitely needs to be perfected…but I just don’t have time right now. It seems to glitch the hell out of my phone, though…and it’s fucking with my baddie playlist while I try to unravel my tight nerves on the drive over. I tried to distract myself with my conversation with Sev last night. That’s something Simon can’t help me with, for sure. This morning would have been a good opportunity to talk to Dec about things, but…I’m so fuckingunprepared. I’m not sure what I’m so afraid of. He’ll give me space if I need it.
But part of me doesn’t want that, either.
“Fuck me,” I whispered under my breath, shaking my head while I pulled into Simon’s manicured driveway. I gotta put this on the back burner for now. We’ve got some Irish houses to…Byrne.
Tee-hee.
CHAPTER 2
The Pawn
“You’re a nasty little fucking liar, Bridget Byrne…” I grumbled under my breath, clicking on this and that over several screens, while I watched my little doe on the tracker she thinks she’s hidden from me. She’s in Witherle Woods. And this wasaftershe posted up at some dodgy pub about ten miles from where we torched the O’Dell compound last year. She’s up to something. I haven’t quite figured outwhatyet, but I’ve got a few breadcrumbs I’m following. “…and I’m gonnadestroyyou.”
I eased my glasses off and tossed them onto my desk, pulling my hair into a knot on top of my aching head. She gave me one hell of a boner, tryin’ to take a page outta my book to see if she can hack a fuckinghacker. Her delusion is nothing, if not a bit sexy. Only thing that’ll make this more alluring is to see her freeze in my headlights and piss herself. My curiosity is piqued at what she’ll do if she suspects somebody’s onto her. It’s just a bonus that she’ll never know it’s me. I’ll tell her eventually, but I’m gonna make her work for it. It’s only fair. I’ll scare her into a frenzy first and then drag her down when she realizes she actuallydoesfucking need me…and I’m not there to save her. I wanna hear my name tear outta her throat before I choke it…and let the truth sink in.
My hands have always been dirty, love. But Callum Byrne didn’t take me in to kill. I’m all about the hunt, Little Doe.
I gloved up and threw on my black hoodie, popped in a pair of contacts, and blacked my eyes. I made sure to grab the mask I had stashed in the closet on my way out, and then I followed her every move until Witherle was in view. I spotted her car on the beaten path and tucked mine into the wood line whereit would be well-hidden. She’s pretty deep in the cut…and now I know why.
There’s blood all over the dirt at the back of her car.
I popped her trunk open, finding more on plastic that she’d laid out over the entirety of the back…along with a shovel. I’m not sure I’m believin’ this shit. Now I’m pissed. Watching my screen and keeping an eye out for shrubs and low-hanging branches, I made my way through. My tracker let me know when I was within a fifty-foot radius and I dismissed the screen, shoving it into my back pocket when I finally spotted her. I hid in the dark, leaning on the trunk of a pine, watching my girl make an absolutedisasterout of dumping a fucking body.
“Yeah, well…that’s why I haveyou, Mr. Miyagi. She didn’t give me much, but I do have a couple names you can look for in that file.”
Who the hell is Mr. Miyagi?
I heard enough to gather that she’s killing for intel. That just makes this shit worse. She knows there ain’t much I can’t figure out for her…so why the fuck is she hiding this? Unless…that’s exactlywhyshe’s hiding this. God, I’m fucking livid. Talkin’ myself out of storming up behind her, ripping her jeans down and layin’ fire to that perfect round ass—before I fuck theIrishout of it—might be the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. My knuckles hurt from how hard I had my fists clenched in my front pocket while I watched herveryshitty attempt at covering this girl up with pine straw. Time to make myself known. I pulled my mask over my head, covering that with my hood and dropped my eyes to see a healthy-lookin’ branch. It snapped pretty good, and her flashlight went straight for me. I stepped forward just a smidge.
“I dunno who you are…but if you take another step, I’ve already found a great hiding spot for your body.” I smiled beneath my mask, watching her slither out a knife from herwaist that I don’t think I’ve ever seen before. The blood went straight to my dick. “I’m not fucking around! I’ll carve you like theGreat Pumpkin, asshole!”
Haha. Try it, Bridge. Please, try it.
I chuckled under my breath and went for her. She didn’t disappoint. Those eyes went wide and I clearly unnerved her…because she’s trying to stab me with aflashlight.
Ohhhh, Bridget. Bridget, Bridget, Bridget…you’re as helpless as a wee mouse.
I snatched the wrist that had a horror flick special clenched in it, and flinched when my knuckles caught fire. Damn, she got me. The light went out completely and I missed my mark when I tried to shake out my throbbing fingers and let her get away. She took off through the woods, and it wasn’t until then that I realized I’d stepped on the flat of the knife that must have dropped out of her hand. If it was anybody but me tonight…she’d fucking be dead. I’m furious.
“Run, run, run, Little Doe…” I growled quietly, stalking towards the direction she’d disappeared to. I couldn’t see her, but I could definitely hear her. I pulled my phone out and dropped a pin to this exact location so that I can come back and clean up her goddamn mess later. It’s gonna take everything in me not to absolutely annihilate her when she gets home. Almost ten months we’ve been living under the same roof, and this is where we’re at? I watched her tracker skirt around the woods and followed parallel to it until I made it back to her car—way before she did. She’s worked up. I love it when she gets like this. Her hair gets redder when she’s pissed off.
I hid and watched while that car went back…and forth…back…and forth. How many fucking points is this? I snickered and shook my head, knowing damned well she’s probly cussin’ that steering wheel to kingdom come.
And then I stepped right into the middle of the path.
The car jerked to a stop, kicking dust up in between us and I could almost smell her hair burning with the bitch fit going on inside that head. My grin is probably feral underneath this getup.
Show me your balls, Red.
Right on cue, she revved that engine. I know she wants every one of those tiny cylinders to end me right now, and honestly? It’s fucking hot enough to make melether. I stood still and kept my intense focus on what I could make out of her behind the wheel. Seconds ticked by, and then she surprised me a little—just a little—when her bratty ass foot stomped on the gas. She got close enough that before I went completely blind…I realized that her eyes were shut. This bitch was actually gonna kill me. I stepped out of the way andcontinuedto step until I was out of sight. I watched her taillights fade through the dust cloud.
