I stay in the shadows, watching, waiting for James to show me what I need. He’s boring. He fucks prostitutes like it’s his life’s mission. I thought I could get him with one of our girls. Lure him in. But he sticks to the ones he knows. Plus, I don’t like to use women as bait. I’ll just have to be patient. Even if that’s the last thing I want to do.
Ciaran has been helping me. I’ve never seen him get so dirty, but that’s the thing about war, you’ll do anything to win. After finding out who killed Teresa he’s been thirsty for blood. He killed four Bianchi members last night. I helped leave our calling card for Enzo, carving his name into one dead guy’s chest and leaving a word on each member’s body.
Enzo we are coming.
Four dead bodies made it work perfectly.
After that, James avoided his second and third girl of the night, leading me somewhere of importance. Their fucking warehouse. Finally. Is this where they have Ewen? I can’t just rush in guns blazing. It’ll either get me killed, Ewen killed—if he’s still alive—or cause me nothing more than emotional distress from coming up empty.
So, I stand in the shadowy corner and watch, waiting for answers.
EWEN
Ihave no idea what day it is, or how long I’ve been here. I want to say it’s been a couple days, but I could be wrong. I’ve been locked in a cage like an animal. Well, it’s more like a jail cell than a cage, but a cage nonetheless. There’s a brick wall and three walls of bars. I can tell we’re near the docks because I hearseagulls and boat horns. A bucket is the only thing in here with me. We aren’t going to talk about the smell coming from it. It smelled like death when I woke, clearly I wasn’t the first person locked up here.
Someone will randomly throw food and a water bottle in. They don’t want me dead yet, but how long do they plan to keep me alive?
When I’m alone, which is a lot, I pray, begging God to save me, but I fear he’s turned his back on me. I committed my life to Him just to give myself to another.
Declan.
Oh, my Declan, how much I think of him when I’m not praying. He is the one thing that keeps me going. His lips and how they break me with the slightest graze. His jade eyes that only light up for me. The way he holds me at night.
I came to the realization I love him the night I was taken, but I never got a chance to tell Declan, and that hurts so much. He’s told me so many times, and I was a fucking coward. I was afraid. I was a priest. I couldn’t love another. But I did, so much. I love him more than anything. More than God himself.
Mother Helen discovering us together wasn’t the end of my life. She was the angel coming to free me. I was just too stupid to realize it then.
If I ever have the chance to see Declan again, I’ll tell him. Tell him he’s the one I love, the one I want to spend the rest of my life with.Please God, let me tell him. Just once.
37
EWEN
Abolt of electricity shoots through my body, waking me as all my muscles tighten. I must have fallen asleep curled up in a ball on the cold concrete floor. I’m greeted by a burly man standing over me with a sneer. “Get up,” he rumbles and pokes me with what looks like a cattle prod. The pain is unbearable.
“I said move ya ass,” he yells and tries to poke me again, but I dodge the strike. I roll back in my cell, cage, whatever this makeshift enclosure is called. Standing is hard but I eventually move. “Get over here,” the man demands. I know there’s no fighting this situation, so I shuffle forward, keeping my eyes on the prod. He pushes the button, making it spark.
I jump, and he throws his head back, laughing. “This is the least of your worries.” He opens the door. “Now get out. You have a meeting to attend.”
I dart around the man, trying to avoid him and his electric stick. He uses the prod as an extension of himself and points it toward the door. “Walk,” he orders, so I do. He follows behind me. The bastard is having fun messing with me. He randomly sparks the prod, causing me to jump in fear. Once we’re out of the room, there’s nothing but a grimy hallway. This place is old and neglected, that’s for sure. He directs me farther down thehall. When we reach the end he shoves open another door and pushes me forward. I fall on my knees as the door closes behind me.
“Please come sit down,” a smooth male voice says. Looking up, a well-dressed man with combed back jet-black hair sits quietly in a chair. He looks too pristine for this place. There’s an empty chair across from him, and he motions for me to take a seat.
It takes a moment, my muscles ache, but I get up from the floor and then drop into the chair. I refuse to start any conversation. “Father Ewen Grayson, it’s my pleasure you have joined me today for a chat.” He makes it sound like I had an option about being here. “Tell me, how did Declan get the priest to be his cock sleeve?” He says it so simply. The want to be offended is strong yet I know I have to stay calm.
“I’m not his—his what you called it,” I say, but I can’t bring myself to degrade what we have with those words. I’ve let him fuck me, but it wasn’t dirty like this guy is making it out to be.
He crosses his leg, bringing his ankle to rest upon his knee. “Ah, but you are. He’s been fucking all the holes around Boston. I’m just surprised he was able to convince a priest he’s a good man.”
“He is a good man.” The urge to defend him is stronger than any other desire. I may die, but I will do so defending Declan.
“Ha! You are so fooled. He’s a terrible man. You know he’s a killer, right?”
“I know what he is and isn’t.”
“You are full of shit. He kills for the O’Sullivan crew and you don’t care. You are so far from God, you can’t even tell when you are being lied to.” The man stands and walks around, coming up behind me. “You are also the way I’m going to bring them to their knees.” He grabs my shoulders and squeezes them tightly. “You are going to be the best gift I can deliver to him.”
A wet cloth is brought up over my mouth and nose. “See you soon,” is all I hear before my world goes black.
