Worcester Nights - The Boxed Set (18 page)

It was the opening I’d been seeking. I let satisfaction ring in my voice. “Well, I’ll tell you, Evan. I have you on speakerphone right now, and I’m with the men from that very
hell-hole
. These are my friends. This is my group. And you know what, this is the life I’ve chosen. Starting from this very moment, you and your damned cub-scout ideals can take a flying leap.”

Jimmy slapped Seamus on the shoulder in delight. “What did I tell you?”

There was a pause from the phone, and when Evan spoke again his voice had a tone of careful attention to it. “And what about Sean?”

I couldn’t help it. My eyes automatically moved to lock on to Sean’s, where he lay tied to the bed. His gaze was shadowed, exhausted – and held a steel core of absolute loyalty. Whatever path I chose, he would follow me down it.

I held Sean’s gaze as I spoke into the phone. “Evan, Sean’s an ex-felon. His father was a drunk. He’s probably been in more fights than Floyd Mayweather.” My throat went tight, and I added in a lower tone, “He certainly looks it right now.”

Evan’s voice layered with that trace of awareness that I knew so well, that I had been seeking. “Kay?”

I took in a breath. “Evan, I love him. Whatever he faces in life, I will stay by his side.”

Sean’s eyes shone, and for a moment the creases of pain eased in his forehead.

There was another long pause from the phone, and this time when Evan spoke I could hear the tension. I could imagine his fingers gripping his phone, turning white.

“Then what do you want from me, Kay?”

Here it was. A ring of eyes was watching my every movement, hanging on every word. Sean’s life hung in the balance, and probably my own as well. Even if I called in the cavalry, Seamus could easily shoot us both before the doors were breached.

If I played my cards right, we could have it all. We could nail the group not only for the pornography, but also for multiple counts of attempted murder. I had no doubt that Trai and his wife would go on the short list the moment it was proven that they were the leaks.

I looked down into the phone in my hand. “Evan, I don’t want to see you again until you are wholeheartedly ready to support Sean and me. I want to see dedicated effort from you to prove you are taking me seriously. And don’t try enlisting our brothers or friends, either. This is between you and me.”

The phone went silent, and I held my breath. He could refuse, of course. He could think it too risky to go it alone and insist on bringing in the entire eastern seaboard. He could do a thousand different things.

And Sean could die.

At last I heard his sigh, almost a groan. When he spoke, his voice was low and rich with emotion. “Kay, I love you. If this is what you want, what you truly want, then I’ll support you in your choice.”

A click, and he had hung up.

For a long, long moment, the world hung motionless. There was only Sean’s gaze on me, deep, fathomless, and so full of emotion that I thought it would spill over and drown us both.

Life spun back up into activity. Jimmy bounced over to me, drawing me into an enthusiastic hug. “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, you really let him have it! I’m glad you’re on our side, Katie.”

Seamus came over to me, holding out his hand. I passed over the phone. He gave an approving smile. “We need more women like you around here, Kate. Makes me feel like I’m home again.”

There was a call from the front door. “Boss, Trai’s here.”

Seamus turned, a gleam in his eye. “Send him on in.”

Jimmy still had an arm around my waist, and he drew me over to the side. The splotches of blood in the center of the room had almost a Jackson Pollock quality to them – angular, sharp, interlaced with the dark, smooth brown of the boards.

Trai barely glanced at Sean or the blood as he set up the scrubber. He took up the power cord and began walking toward the far wall.

Seamus turned to me, pitching his voice to carry. “So, Kate, what was that again that your cop-brother told you about those Cubans?”

I stilled, the suddenness of his question intruding on the carefully constructed conversation I had just finished with Evan. It took me a moment to remember the purpose of Trai’s visit here, of the trap we were setting.

“Oh, right,” I stated, catching back up with the present. “My brother had information about Javier and Raul.”

Trai slowed in his motions, his head turning slightly toward us.

Seamus nodded. “It’s almost a shame we won’t be able to take those Cubes down ourselves, but, you know, if they’re all going to be in prison, that’s good enough for me.”

Trai fumbled with the plug, taking a moment to re-seat it in his hand.

I shrugged. “Well, from what the cops say, the Cubans have no idea that every phone in their system is bugged. Not a word goes in or out of that group without the Feds listening in on it. With everything the team has gotten on them up until now, it’ll be an easy case to lock them all up for life.” I rolled my shoulders. “It’s almost a shame that Massachusetts did away with the death penalty back in eighty-two. But life in prison should be good enough.”

Seamus grinned. “Good news for us, that’s for sure. We’ll be able to waltz in and take over their entire territory without a peep.”

Trai turned back to us, an apologetic look on his face. His voice was soft and clipped with his Vietnamese accent. “I’m so sorry, but I forgot some of the cleaning supplies. I’ll be back in a short while.”

Seamus nodded. “Just don’t take too long,” he commented dryly. “If this blood sets into the boards, it’ll be hell to scrub out.”

“Not to worry, I’ll be back soon.” Trai didn’t even bother to move the scrubber. He just dropped the coils of the plug next to the unit, then scurried out the door.

Jimmy winked at us, then he was in motion, slipping out the door after Trai.

Seamus grinned, stretching. “About time Jimmy put those driving skills of his to good use. You should have known him when he was younger. Best wheel man I’ve ever seen. A real talent there.” He pulled his phone from his pocket. “Kate, that was a touch of brilliance on your part, to tell him that their phones were bugged. It means Trai can’t just call them to warn them. He has to go in person.”

Seamus’s phone rang. He hit the answer button, then the speakerphone. “You’re on, Jimmy. You got him?”

Jimmy’s voice held more excitement than I’d heard in it during my entire time at the bar. “He’s flying, Seamus. I was worried I’d have to hang back so he didn’t spot the tail, but Trai barely sees the red lights in front of him. Nearly took out an old woman at the corner by the post office.”

Seamus was calmness personified. “Just stay on him, Jimmy. If anybody can do it, you can.”

Jimmy let out a chortle of glee. “Hah! Nearly had her on two wheels that time. I’ve still got it!”

“You do indeed. You keep on his ass. Is he –”

“He’s slowing down,” interrupted Jimmy, his voice bright. “Same place Katie was held at. They haven’t even fixed the window yet. He’s nearly taken out the garage door, he skidded so hard, and now he’s raced in the front door.”

“You’re sure they didn’t see you?”

Jimmy scoffed. “He didn’t look around once. He was in such a panic that he barely saw the cars crossing him. He nearly took out a family of four.”

Seamus nodded in satisfaction. “Good, good. Come on back home, Jimmy. You did well.”

I could hear the pride puff up Jimmy’s voice. “I did, didn’t I. I’ll be back soon.”

Seamus clicked off the phone, then stared at it in consideration for a long moment. He carefully tucked it in his back pocket before raising his gaze to look at Sean. His eyes were considering, flat.

He walked over to stand at the side of the bed. I hung back, not wanting to intrude on this moment. The situation still hung in tense balance. Seamus might decide Sean wasn’t the risk to keep around. Sean had been badly beaten – would he carry a grudge? Would he end up being a canker which ate into Seamus’s organization?

Seamus pressed his lips together. “What we did was good business sense,” he stated. “We had a serious issue, and you were the most likely candidate.”

Sean nodded his head. “I know. If I were in your position I would have done the same thing.”

Seamus’s gaze drilled into Sean. “We beat you pretty good,” he pointed out.

Sean gave a wry chuckle. “You haven’t seen my father,” he countered. “What you did here, my father would have called that his warm-up. There’s a reason my mother sent me out of country.”

Seamus nodded. “So we’re good?”

Sean held his gaze. “I have no problems from my side. I’m a soldier. I do what you tell me, and I accept the risks.”

Seamus raised an eyebrow. “And the Cubans? You’ll follow my orders on that, too, and not go blasting solo on some hot-headed quest for revenge?”

Sean’s jaw tightened. “
Tiocfaidh
ár lá
.”

Seamus’s eyes brightened, and for a moment he stood straighter. “
Tiocfaidh
ár lá.
Our day will come.”

Sean nodded again. “I trust in you to lead us. To make the plan, to utilize our resources, and to wipe those cockroaches from the face of the earth.”

Seamus’s face gained an inner glow, as if his skin had been dark before and something within him had caught alight. “It’s been a long while since I’ve had something like that to tackle,” he murmured. “All this shit that goes on here, I’d never have thought, twenty years ago, that this would be my life. I had such plans to better the world.” He looked down at Sean. “You and I, we are going to better our world. We are going to eradicate those vermin and make our city safe for decent folk again.” He glanced over at me. “Safe for the women, the children.”

Sean’s face was steady. “Just tell me what to do.”

Seamus stepped forward, pulled a knife from his back pocket, and with quick, expert moves he cut the rope from Sean’s wrists and ankles. Sean groaned as he brought his arms and legs in. Seamus stepped back, giving Sean room to climb to his feet.

Seamus nodded to Sean. “I’ll tell you what to do first. You go home with that woman of yours, and get some rest. Rest well, because a few days from now we’re going to have a special event.”

Sean’s face stilled. “You’re going to move on the Cubans that quickly?”

Seamus’s eyes glinted with amusement, and he shook his head. “No, no, that operation is going to be much larger this time. Larger and more final. So we’re going to have a gathering of all the heads and their most trusted captains. I’ll call them in, and we’ll meet here. With our combined might, we will pulverize them into the earth. It’ll be the Romans at Carthage.”

Sean’s gaze lit, and I could see the effort it took for him to keep his voice steady. “You’ll have all the families together, here?”

Seamus reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, thick black leather. He flipped it open and began pulling out one-hundred dollar bills. When he had taken fifteen of them, he folded the wallet back up and returned it to its home. Then he held the money out to Sean. “And you’re getting a promotion.”

Sean’s gaze went from the money to Seamus. “A promotion?”

Seamus tucked the money into Sean’s hand. “You’re now a captain. You’ll get that every week. It’ll be enough for you to take good care of Kate there.”

Seamus turned to me for a moment, nodding in approval. “Kate, you’re a hell of a woman. You are just like Bridgit was when she was your age. I thought they didn’t make women like that over here in the states. They’re too soft, too unwilling to do what needs to be done. But you’ve proven otherwise. If I were twenty years younger …” He shook his head, and looked back to Sean. “You take care of her, and you treasure her. She’s a special woman.”

Sean’s eyes glowed with emotion. “I know it.”

Seamus clapped him hard on the shoulder, and I could see the tremor of pain which Sean held in. Seamus grinned. “Well then, you two get on back home and rest up. Ethan’s waiting outside, he can take you. Just make sure you both clear your calendars for Saturday night.”

Sean glanced at me. “You want Kate there, too?”

Seamus creased his brow. “Why wouldn’t she be? She’s been instrumental in all of this. She deserves to be recognized for her achievements.” His brow narrowed. “Or do you think she’s less worthy just because she’s a woman?”

Sean shook his head. “Not at all.”

Seamus nodded. “Then it’s settled. The both of you will be the guests of honor at our celebration.” He waved a hand to the door. “Let me walk you out.”

Every ounce of me wanted to slip my arm under Sean’s shoulder and support him, but I knew it would lessen him in Seamus’s eyes, and that Sean himself would never allow it. So I just walked alongside him as he slowly, carefully made his way across the warehouse floor. Seamus pushed the door open for us, and indeed Ethan was parked right alongside the building. Sean pulled open the door for me and made sure I was safely inside before climbing in after me.

Seamus lent over into the cab’s doorway. “See you in a few days,” he grinned. Then he closed the door and hit the top of the cab. Ethan pressed on the gas, and we slid away from the curb.