by Faye Parker
When I'd first arrived, the urge to bend her over my knee and spank her for being so naive was almost overwhelming. Seeing how distraught she was eased me a little. Louise had already filled me in on the fake sex video.
I wanted to make Denver pay just for that - as if that greasy asshole could ever satisfy a woman. Jealous that someone else dared to imagine touching her made me want to sneak Ellie into my own office and make our own little recording.
But it would be for my eyes only.
Focus, idiot. I reprimanded myself.
I unlocked my phone and called Da. He answered on the fourth ring.
When I finished the call with him, I gave Nevan the call to get started on the fake information. He was a genius at that kind of stuff - I suggested he used names of people we knew were Doyle supporters, which he loved - double agents were deeply hated. This was a perfect opportunity to bring a little chaos and mistrust to Denver’s world.
Dad wanted me to bring Ellie to Chester House… tonight. Just thinking about it made me swear aloud in the car. There was a party planned for tonight for Mathew’s dad, George had turned 45 and there was always an excuse for a party as far as my mum was concerned. I’d have to sneak Ellie in by the back door unless I wanted everyone to see her. Part of me liked the idea of that, but no, I got the impression that she would be terrified enough without meeting the full tribe.
She answered on the second ring. “Hello?” a nervous Ellie said.
“Hey, it’s Daniel.”
“Is something wrong?” Straight to high alert despite me telling her not to worry. What? Did she think I couldn’t take care of her?
I could it in her voice, the girl was seriously stressed… same as me. I could remedy that for both of us.
“Relax, all’s fine. I’m coming round in ten minutes. Just wanted to give you a chance to make yourself pretty.” I smiled to myself and hung up.
Let’s see what she makes of that.
I knocked on her door exactly ten minutes later, she answered immediately. Her hair was straightened and she'd changed out of her work clothes. Jeans looked good on her.
"I see you took my advice then," I said as I walked in before being asked.
“I had changed out of my work clothes before you rang.” She said defiantly.
“I’ve just been watching TV.”
A lie, I’d watched the lights flicker on and off in the few rooms in her tiny home since I hung up our call.
I guess she regularly straightened her hair to just watch tv then.
From this angle, from above her, I could make out the faint line of where her hair dye had started to grow out. I’d seen enough girls with bleach blonde hair and dark roots but never blonde roots.
Clearly brown was not Ellie’s natural color.
There’s always one way to find out. I pushed the thought away, it was already hard enough to behave well in such a confined space without thinking of that.
My earlier fantasy replayed in my head again, this time, she was blonde. Everywhere.
I felt my cock twitch in appreciation. He liked, he liked a lot.
The last thing she needed to see right now was my growing hard-on. I walked towards the kitchen area of the room, raking my fingers through my hair as I paced, trying to focus on something, anything, that would distract me from imagining her tight wet pussy.
“Well, fix your lipstick. We’re going to a party.” I called back to her.
“I don’t know anyone having a party tonight.” Her tone was full of innocence and rebellion. She eyed me suspiciously before lifting the TV remote and roaming through channels.
I reached behind the TV, killing the power to the set. “Well, now you do. When Carrick Anderson, the Boss of the Kindred Sons wants to see you, you go.”
Did something flash across her face - disappointment?
“Oh, ok, I just thought you…” that beautiful blush rose on her cheeks again. “Never mind.”
I called it. “You thought I was asking you out?” I bit back the laugh that threated to rumble up my chest.
She’d been serious and I wouldn’t laugh at that. I wouldn’t belittle her. But really, she’d actually thought that I’d take her to a party?
I sat down beside her. Those pink cheeks deepened to a hue of scarlet that I suddenly adored. “Ellie, I don’t do dates. If I did, I would do it a lot better than some party.”
“That’s fine Daniel, I um, it’s not like you’d ask me out anyway. You’ve probably got a nice little harem of mafia princesses to pick from.” She jumped off the sofa and disappeared into a bedroom. I followed, of course.
She was brushing her hair as I walked in. I knew my presence made her a little uneasy, but I kind of liked the sass she was starting to give me. “If I was asking you out on a date, it wouldn’t be to a stupid birthday party. A woman like you? I’d keep you all to myself.”
She froze and the slightest gasp escaped her lips before a sarcastic expression covered her face.
Oh, Ellie, whatever has happened to you? I wondered.
“You don’t see yourself properly.” I took a step closer, feeling the pull inside me wanting to take her right there on her own unmade bed. If you only knew… I thought. And for the briefest of seconds, the image from my shower fantasy played in my mind.
My cock hardened again at the thought. He’d liked that little adventure and he was all for me pushing her onto her own bed.
Blonde or brunette? We could find out for certain.
But I had more respect for her than that. More respect for any woman than that.
She moved away a little, still facing me but unintentionally in front of the mirror. I could see the reflection of her ass in those jeans and I just wanted to bite it. As if I would trust any of my lackeys to be within twenty foot of her right now. My jealous streak just wouldn’t take it.
She caught what I’d been staring at and for a second I saw what she was so desperately trying to hide - there was something there. Attraction.
She did like me. She just didn’t want me to know.
Women.
Her cheeks flushed and the slightest smile played with the corners of her mouth. But then the veil rose again and she raised her eyebrows asking a question her mouth would never say. “Can’t blame me for looking at it. You’ve got on helluva of a sweet ass. Now let’s move it - you’re keeping the boss-man waiting.”
Chapter Seventeen
Ellie
I couldn’t believe the front of this guy. Openly following me into my bedroom and then gawping at my ass in the mirror… only to blame me! Shameless. God, I shouldn’t like it, but heaven help me, it made me feel all kinds of things to my very core.
Hot, sweaty, breathless, dirty, fun things.
I knew now he wasn’t with Louise, but that didn’t mean he was single, or that he wanted anything more from me than this file handover. And even if he did, he was the kind of guy who just wanted one thing from a woman.
Perhaps his actions were all a ruse to keep me sweet. That was a very real possibility too.
“I’m not waitin’ all night.” He strode out of my bedroom and into the tiny hall as if he owned the place. “You’re fine as you are, come on.” I gave myself one last glance in the mirror and was surprised at how flustered I looked.
Get it together, Kate. I gritted my teeth, fuck; I shouldn’t be calling myself that anymore - even if it was only in my own head… Get it together, Ellie.
The torrential rain from earlier had died down to a fine mist, the kind that played havoc with a girl’s hair. I had to keep reminding myself that it wasn’t a date, but I still wanted him to see me at my best.
How he’d thought that giving any girl ten minutes warning was ever enough was well beyond me.
Men.
“We’re nearly there,” he said as he slowed onto a quieter avenue. Then he turned the car into some space.
He reached for a black key fob that was sitting on the car’s console. He pointed and clicked in the
direction of a large set of gates. He slowed in front of them, waiting only seconds for the gates to be opened, electronically.
Made sense I suppose. Even though we were in a more rural area now, further out from the city center, this area was full of grand houses, all in their gilded cages of high walls, gates, and hidden security cameras.
“Wow.” I murmured to myself more than to him. “Beautiful.” And it was: the fountain at the front, the soft glowing way the house was lit, the weeping willow that was bedazzled in twinkling lights. Then I swallowed. I saw the dozen or so cars parked to the side we were passing - none of which I could ever afford to rent for an hour, never mind own.
I watched as a man opened the door of one of the cars and watched a middle-aged woman in effortless glamour glide out; so demurely she almost floated. Her hair and makeup were perfect, her dress was clearly designer, and the shoes were easily more expensive than my month's wages, if not more. I looked down at my best jeans and felt very inferior.
"So, as I said, Carrick wants to meet you." Daniel said, entirely comfortable in his own ripped jeans and a vintage tee shirt. I suppose if you had a body like that, it didn’t matter what you wore - you always looked great.
I bet he looks great without those jeans too.
“He’s not one for the big party scene, so he’ll probably be in the library. We’ll just go straight up there. OK?”
He parked in the corner, away from the other cars and ushered me in through a back door where the caterers were busy preparing what smelt like food for the gods. My tummy rumbled in appreciation. Thank god for the noise in the room. The appetite I’d lost earlier was back with a vengeance.
He directed me, the heat of his hand radiating from the small of my back to my core. I heard laughing and music come from somewhere beyond but then he directed me up a flight of stairs to dark quietness.
He opened the door to what I realized was the library; simply due to the number of books… who owned these?
Did they ever get read? I wondered.
I could spend a lifetime in here.
“Wait here a sec,” he said with mild irritation. “He knew we were coming.” With that, Daniel closed the door and I was alone in the room.
A couple of minutes later he returned, and I instinctively stood up from the plush sofa I had perched on. His irritation had grown. “He wants us to go to his office. It’s only down the hall.” He gave me a tight smile. “C’mon.”
Carrick was standing as I walked in. “Ellie, nice to meet you.” He greeted me with an outstretched hand that I shook. “You’re very welcome to me home. Why don’t you sit down?” his heavy Belfast accent jarring even to my ears, I’d often thought of it as a menacing accent, but on him, right now, it sounded homely – comforting even. I felt my shoulders relax ever so slightly. Don’t forget who he is. The pressure returned.
“So Daniel here tells me that you’ve been havin’ a bit of bother.” I liked that he just got straight to the point rather than too much small talk. “But he also tells me that you were going to deal with that bother in a way that would have ended badly for everyone. Very badly.”
I swallowed. This was the Boss, the Don of the Kindred Sons - and was that a poorly veiled threat?
“She didn’t know what was in the file.” Daniel said simply, “She was under the impression Denver wanted to blackmail a businessman who used Denver’s women.”
Carrick’s eyes threw daggers at Daniel. “Aye, and that makes it better then? Sure, she didn’t know what she was doing?” He stood up and looked directly at me, “You’re very lucky, wee girl, that Daniel here was able to come up with a way of turning this around.”
I winced. Daniel muttered something under his breath that I couldn’t make out.
Carrick moved over to the side table a poured himself what seemed to be whiskey. Sipping it before returning his death stare to me. God, this man went from kindly and kind of fatherly to mafia boss in a split second. “Do you know who we are?” He asked plainly.
I cleared my throat before I spoke. “Yes,” I said, as loudly as I could. “I do. I’m so sorry for what could’ve happened - I didn’t know. I’d never do that.”
“Louise has told you that her ma’s in that file?” He said, “My brother’s wife?!” It took a second for that to sink in… his brother’s wife? The resemblance dawned on me from the pictures on Louise’s phone earlier. The two men who were together: one was her father and this guy, Carrick, now that I looked closer, was the older version of the second guy.
“I’m so sorry.” I felt the heat radiate from my cheeks as I burned with embarrassment. I bit the inside of my cheek in the hopes it would stop the tears that threatened to fall.
Then it hit me, and for yet another time in my life, my mouth ran unfiltered before my brain had a chance to stop it.
“Then you’re Daniel’s dad!” I looked to Daniel, his face expressionless, then I saw the picture on the wall - the same one that Louise had on her phone.
“Aye, Ellie, that I am.” He looked back at Daniel, “Though how I haven’t managed to teach you a single thing, I’ll never know.”
I was the only one sitting and I couldn’t help it, my eyes flicked from one man to the other. The likeness was there, I just hadn’t noticed it. Although Carrick was an older man, with the finest wisps of grey at his temples, he was still physically fit. Still built. But that was nothing in comparison to the young, jacked body of his son.
Daniel was the one looking uncomfortable now.
“I won’t say anything or tell anyone," I said earnestly. "Daniel’s told me what I need to do.” I stood up.
“I know what could have happened and I’m so sorry, but I’ll make it right.” I had to fix this and he had to believe me. I knew what the Anderson’s were like and from the glare I’d just got from the boss (Daniel’s dad!) if I didn’t get this right it would be the last thing I’d do.
I stood up, accepting my fate, “I promise.”
The air shifted in the room, “That’s a good girl.” He said, cooling instantly.
“I knew you would, I just had to speak with you meself to put me mind at ease. I’m sure you know what I mean.”
“I won’t let you down, Carrick, um Mr. Anderson.” I wouldn’t, but as soon as I did the handover with Denver’s friend. I would be gone.
Ellie would disappear and Ryan would have to move away to live with me. He’d be disappointed as he’d wanted to move back to Londonderry, but he’d get over it.
No matter how much I’d want to hope, everyone knew there was no way out once you’re involved with the mafia, I just hoped we could both disappear safely.
Carrick swirled the brown liquid in his glass, the nice guy was back, “Well, now we’ve got that sorted, why don't you slip downstairs and grab yourself a bite to eat?”
As we left the room, Daniel’s hand was again at my back, but it didn’t bring the same comfort as before. I knew now that he was the son of the Don, that brought responsibilities, I was sure of it - and the knot in the pit of my stomach told me that whatever I felt for him wouldn’t matter now.
I couldn’t be involved with the Kindred Sons and the risk of being known.
I needed to leave him behind.
Chapter Eighteen
Daniel
I was glad she’d figured out I was Carrick’s son. I didn’t have to lie - not that it usually bothered me, but I reasoned that it was easier if she knew enough so she’d do her job. Not that she could do much else. The security cameras would now have her image and measurements on file. If she disappeared, we could find her - provided we had enough time and she went somewhere we could get their camera footage. No one could really go off-grid in 2019.
There was no way in hell that I was taking her to the actual party. It would have been like taking a lamb to the slaughter. Plus, mum would have thought I’d brought her as my date.
I needed that headache even less.
I spoke to one of the servers and had them bring
us a couple of plates of food to the den. Ellie followed me, quietly until we’d sat on the sofas. “Are you upset with me?” I’d only asked because I knew it would be important for her to trust me for the drop, but now I’d asked, I really wanted to know, to ease her - and to ease myself.
The food and the beers I'd asked for arrived within a few moments. She still hadn't spoken, she just watched the ground and shook her head occasionally.
"Here, I'm sure you're hungry." I offered.
“Oh,” her reverie broken, she spoke politely. “Thank you.” She took the plate to her lap and started eating.
“Mmmm! This is gorgeous!” her surprise amused me.
“Yeah, they do all sorts of food for the parties, but they always make a big pot of stew too.” I hid my smile with another bite.
“This is fantastic!” She ate greedily and I was both happy and displeased at the same time. I loved a woman who enjoyed her food, but I got the feeling she hadn’t been eating properly and the way she was wolfing the piping hot stew down was something else.
“My Grandma used to make it all the time - always used Doherty’s mince, though.” Now, why wasn’t that a surprise?
Because Ellie has a history in this area.
I knew it. I fucking knew it!
Give her time, the voice in my head reasoned, she’ll tell you herself when she’s ready.
We finished our food and our bottles of beer in a relative calm but I could see she felt out of place here. I agreed, I didn't like these affairs either - too much gossip and mundane conversation for me. Out there she'd be given cocktails or champagne, something frilly with no substance.
At least she looked comfortable as she sipped from her bottle of Bud, I need to remember she likes Budweiser.
She was the best-dressed woman in the whole house, the rest all style but in reality no substance. The blouse brought out the blue in her eyes, making me revisit my shower fantasy once again, those wide eyes looking into me as she’d demanded I’d fill her.