“I’ll be there,” he agrees.
Turning on my heel, I take my glass and hand it to the bartender, watching as he submerges it in the water and starts washing it. “Good lad,” I murmur, adding a few notes to the tip pot. He tilts his chin at me.
Leaving the same way I came, I'm home just in time for Moira and Mikayla to arrive with the bikers following behind her. Two of them jog over, and Moira opens her boot.
“Andy, you’re home,” she greets with a wide smile, as if she’s surprised I kept my promise.
“Told you I’d be, milseán,” I remind her.
The two bikers that had run over the road when she pulled in walk from behind her car carrying baker boxes that, if I know Moira, are filled with delicious food from the bakery. They each kiss her cheek, and then hightail it back over the road when I glare and growl at them touching what’s mine without permission.
It's a little amusing to watch them hurrying into the house though.
Moira giggles, stands on tiptoe and kisses my cheek. “No need to be jealous, I’ve got some for us too. Can you get Mikayla? She passed out on the way home. Seems she had a busy day today at school.”
I look over Moira’s shoulder and smile when I see Mikayla fast asleep, little mouth open and drooling, sleeping the deep sleep of the innocent.
“We can’t let her sleep too long or she won’t go down easy tonight,” Moira warns as I unsnap the harness holding her into the car seat, easing her out of the car and into my arms. My heart melts when she snuggles into me. Turning with my precious bundle, I wait for Moira to open the door and let us into her home.
Wolfie nudges at her hip, as if to hurry her along. “Okay, okay you big galoot. I know, you want your afternoon treat,” she coos at him.
Not only do they have me wrapped around their little fingers, they've got my dog too.
I hated leaving them that night, which only made me more determined that retirement was a good decision. The job I did didn’t allow for mistakes and if my mind was on my family and not paying attention, then I had no business doing disposal work.
We’d got Mikayla down, and I spent the next few hours wearing Moira out. Leaving her tired, rumpled, and satiated. Eyes at half-mast as she watched me get dressed. Not that she asked where I was going, or if I’d be back.
Turning on her back, she crooked a finger at me as I finished buttoning my shirt. Walking over I leant over her, allowing her to draw me to her as I kissed her.
“Be safe,” she whispers. “And come home when you’re done so I know you’re okay.”
I stare at her for a minute, wondering if I have it in me to come here after watching the filth of the world for hours.
“Andy,” she pushes. “Come home to me when you’re done.”
“Okay,” I agree, going to kiss her, but she stops me with her fingers on my lips.
“Promise.” Her gaze searches mine, as if she knows that I’m lying to her when I say I’ll come straight back to her.
God, this woman. I’m not sure that I deserve her goodness.
And I hate myself just a little with the next words out of my mouth, “I promise. I’ll come home to you.”
“Good,” she smiles, lifting her head. She gives me a quick kiss and lets me go.
Keelan is waiting for me when I get to the airport. We’re not boosting a car this time. I had Uncle Sean leave me a sedan that’s scheduled to be crushed within days. We try to mix things up as much as we can so that we don’t have the same routine. My next hit, I’d leave my bike at the train station and the one after that would be a bus station. If I had two more but since I wasn’t planning on anymore, I’d show Keelan how to stay under the radar.
He's easy to be around, doesn’t talk much and doesn’t expect me to. We watch and catalogue, breaking into the suspect’s house while he’s sleeping to look around.
As I stand over him while he’s sleeping, I think about how easy it would be to kill him. But them dying the easy way isn’t good enough for me. I like for them to hurt, to suffer, just like they made their victims suffer. I always tried to do to them what they’d done to those they’d killed. An eye for an eye if you like.
I watch him for a minute longer, happy in the knowledge that his time on earth, breathing the same air as innocents is nearly over.
Walking out of his room, I find Keelan waiting in the hallway for me. He tilts his head towards the kitchen. Following him, he leads me to a door and a set of stairs that disappear into a basement. Unusual for this area.
He slowly traces his flashlight over the pictures taped to the walls. Bingo! This was the evidence I was looking for. Turning, we leave just as silently as we arrived and let ourselves out of his house.
We don’t talk until we’re in the car and on our way back to where we left our bikes.
