Page 36 of The Villain

“Slow down,” I ordered. Devlin straightened on his stool, his full attention shifting to me when he heard my sharp tone. “Your signal sucks, and yelling isn’t helping. You said she’s gone?”

The line filled with shuffling. Car doors opened and shut. Choked sobbing. Then Mads spoke again, clearer this time, “Nina got evicted weeks ago. None of the neighbors have seen or heard from her, and no one knows where she went.Fuck, Cian! She just took Jeremy and… disappeared.” His voice broke on the last word.

I forced myself to think through this logically, because Mads was in no condition to do so. “Has Jeremy been to school?”

“I don’t know. It’s Saturday. Dyl can’t call.”

“Shit,” I muttered, rubbing my forehead. “I can send men out to canvass the area. Does Nina have access to money? A car?”

Dylan murmured something in the background. “Dyl said she’s been seeing some lowlife. And we don’t want to call the cops because what if they take him away? Involve CPS or someshit?” Mads was working himself up again. I could hear his breath rasping over the line.

“Mads. Breathe. Are you in Langford right now?”

“Yeah.”

“Send me your location. I’ll get a search party together. We’ll ask around. We’ll find him, Mads. I promise.”

“Thanks, Cian.” He sniffled, then hung up.

While I waited for the text, Devlin remained unnaturally still, his gaze locked on the bar.

“So what was that about?”

“Mads’s nephew is missing.”

Devlin’s eyes lifted to mine, and something in his expression made me pause. He looked… unsettled. I turned and gave him my full attention. “What?”

“His name is Jeremy? And he’s from Langford? How old is he?”

“Not sure,” I said. “Seven, maybe eight? Elementary school age.”

Devlin worked his jaw and leaned back on his stool. “Tell them to check the motel they snatched me from. The Lowery, across from Joe’s Pizza. Room 15.”

That motel was in Gary, the next county over from Langford. I narrowed my eyes. “What are you saying? I need details before I send Mads there.”

“It’s too much of a coincidence for it to be him, but…” he shrugged. “There was a kid around that age at The Lowery. Said his name was Jeremy. He stayed there with a woman, and a man who came and went. They’d been there for a few weeks.”

I picked up my phone and called Mads.

Devlin

Not even two hours later, the doors to O’Shea’s swung open. Mads stomped through with a man behind him who had to be his brother, Dylan. And on Dylan’s hip was a familiar face. Jeremy.

His clothes were dirty, and there was another bruise on his wrist. Guilt soured my gut. I’d let the kid down. I had planned to call the cops all those days ago. But then I’d gotten abducted, and chained in a shed, and had a dick shoved down my throat, and almost burned alive…

I hadn’t done anything to help get the kid out of his shitty situation. The fact that he was Mads’s nephew was just a coincidence. But despite my guilt, I felt a small sense of relief knowing the kid would be okay. Because Cian was involved now. Cian would fix everything.

Mads cut through the crowd toward Cian, who leaned over the bar to speak to Starla. “Tell Randy to make some chicken fingers and fries for the kid. And plate up a piece of chocolate cake.”

“On it.” Starla turned on her heel and disappeared into the kitchen.

As soon as he was within earshot of Cian, Mads started spitting fire. “That bitch! She?—”

“Mads. Not here,” Dylan said. His voice was hoarse, and his eyes were red-rimmed. He dropped onto the empty stool next to Cian and settled Jeremy on his lap. “Just… later. Please.” He sounded exhausted.

Jeremy turned his head and locked eyes with me. The direct eye contact made me squirm, but I couldn’t look away. Did he blame me? Was he disappointed? I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.

Cian bent to the kid’s level, making himself appear smaller. Then he spoke in a soft voice I hadn’t thought he was capable of, “You hungry? They’re making you some chicken fingers and fries right now. Does that sound good?”