His eyes dance while he tells me about his elder. “He’s been in a nursing home for about a few years now. He isn’t aware of anything that goes on around him anymore. But he always said, ‘May God grant you always a sunbeam to warm you, a moonbeam to charm you, and a sheltering Angel so nothing can harm you.’ He’s the one who took us to church. But that night I saw you, you looked like what I imagined an Angel looking like. My brain channeled him and Aingeal is what came out. Now it’s permanent.”
The story he tells me of his grandfather warms my heart. This man cares deeply for his loved ones.Am I one of them?My annoying inner voice asks. I ignore it because there are too many things in that statement to sift through.
Father Grayson isn’t here right now, it’s just me. Ewen. And he’s the one who’s going to enjoy this bliss for a bit longer.
22
DECLAN
In a short amount of time Ewen was becoming my everything. For years I was content watching him, but now that I’m in his orbit, I need more. Will I be able to go back to how our lives were before? Him a devout priest, me a Reaper? An actual angel and the Devil connected. Just the idea of it puts a weight on my chest.
Ciaran is waiting for me in the lobby. He’s anxious and he doesn’t handle anxiety well. That’s one reason I have my role in our organization. I never have anxiety nor do I want to deal with the boring side of business. That’s why my day job is the bar.
“You look so much better than when I saw you last,” he says in greeting.
Waving him off I say, “You know I only did it for the attention.”
Ciaran gives me a look that says he knows I’m full of shit. He’s right. I hate having the attention on me.
I follow him to his office. “Cam, hold my calls until I say,” he tells his secretary as we pass. She shoots us a smile in acknowledgement and goes back to whatever she was doing. We helped her out of a bad situation a few years ago. Since then, she’s been a vault to everything she’s seen and overheard.
He walks behind his desk and takes his seat. He looks like the King of Boston, which he rightfully is. I take one of the chairs opposite him. “We have a major problem.”
Those words jumpstart me. I lean forward and rest my elbows on my knees. The angle pulls at my injuries and forces me to rethink my movements so I sit back. “What exactly is the major problem?”
“Teresa is missing.”
“And how is that our problem? Did she finally give up on you and go back to her fiancé in Chicago?” I ask. He’s always said she was nothing special, but I’ve always thought he was lying. Even to himself.
“No, she wouldn’t have left without telling me. Plus, the Bianchis have been getting far more brazen since your attack. Our guys have been jumped, our holding house was incinerated. And they bought up a lot of property in our area. More than we were aware of at first. I think they’re setting up to make a big play and cut us down.”
Teresa probably got out of town for those exact reasons. She knows a war is coming. “Like I said, Teresa took off. Don’t sweat that. We need to show those Italians you don’t mess with the Irish.”
“I agree with you there. The Teresa situation feels fishy though.”
Ciaran gets up and goes over to his bar cart. He pours two glasses of whiskey then passes one to me. I take it and sip from the glass. Expensive whiskey always burns away doubt.
He walks back behind his desk but doesn’t sit. He looks out his window, taking in downtown Boston. “I need you back as soon as you can.”
“I want to end these fuckers for what they did to me. No one has ever gotten the jump on me before.”
“Exactly.” He turns to look at me. “You haveneverlet yourself get injured. How can they fear the Reaper if he can be taken down so easily?”
“You think I wanted any of that? I almost died, and I left evidence that could destroy me.” I left behind bodies, and I still have no idea where I lost my gun. “Trust me when I say we will get them back. For all of it. And I will be the one to do it.”
He drains his glass in one go. “I know. I was able to get a clean-up crew in to dispose of those idiots. They also found your gun. So, all is good on that front. Thanks to Teresa. Her family tells everyone everything. I also have Kelly holding off their men. Everyone thinks he’s the Reaper.”
Aaron Kelly is my murderous stand-in. Interesting. The guy does have a blood lust for sure, but he isn’t family. “He’s a good guy but make sure he doesn’t get comfortable. That’s my job once I’m back to perfect health.”
“Right. Which better not be faked either. Don’t think I didn’t see you wince in pain a bit ago. I need Dec, my brother with the dark soul out there avenging the wrongs done to him.”
That is something we both agree on.
I follow Ciaran and down my glass. Setting it back on his desk, I get up to leave. I need to get back with my angel before the want to kill takes over and I rush into it.
“Please stay safe,” Ciaran, the big softy, says as a farewell.
I don’t like the moves that vile family is making. They’re up to something, and wewillput a stop to it.
