“I’ve spent ten years without you, and why is it so hard now to spend even an hour away from you?” he asked, smiling.
I could see he was feeling just as happy and relieved as I was.
“Maybe because we don’t have to pretend anymore. Pretend to be just friends,” I suggested. He nodded and leaned in again for a kiss.
I watched him putting on his shirt, and I swung my legs off the bed and started collecting my clothes off the floor.
“You don’t have to go anywhere, Fal!” he exclaimed, when he saw me dressing.
“I think I’ll go home. I need to do some housekeeping, so I better get going,” I told him. Keegan nodded.
“I’ll drop you to your place, and once I’m done with the family…I’ll check on you later?”
I smiled at him.
“That would be lovely…”
We got ready to go and before we left, Keegan pulled me into his arms again, meeting my lips with his.
“I’m going to miss you,” he whispered in my ears. I wrapped my arms around him tightly, laying my head on his chest where I could hear his heart beating.
“Spending all these years away from you, Keegan, has been the hardest thing I had to do,” I said. He was looking in my eyes again.
“I’m never going to make you do that again. Whatever happens, we do it together this time,” he replied. I nodded and smiled. I believed him completely. I knew Keegan was never going to let me out of his sight. He was going to protect me and keep me safe.
“Returning to Chicago suddenly feels like the best decision I’ve ever made!” I exclaimed. Keegan smiled, grazing my lips with his fingers lightly.
“Yeah, it was. It was time that you came back, and time that we stopped torturing ourselves,” he added.
We kissed again and then it was time to go. Keegan drove me in his car to my apartment and before I got out, he kissed me again.
It was like he couldn’t stop kissing me! Which was great, because I didn’t want him to. He waited in his car till I’d walked through the doors of the apartment building. I waved at him and blew him a kiss girlishly, Keegan smiled and shook his head and then I watched him driving away.
It felt unreal, that I was feeling so happy. Just this morning, a few hours ago…I didn’t think I would ever see him again. I didn’t expect to feel happy like this again either. And now suddenly, it felt like everything was falling into place.
As long as Keegan was with me, I had nothing to worry about. He was going to take care of me.
I went up to my apartment and locked myself in, starting to count down the minutes to when I’d be with him again.
9
Keegan
Mam was at the door, and the first thing she did when she opened it and saw me; was whack me a tight one on the side of my head. I ducked, missing her palm and squeezed my way into the house.
“Keegan Murphy! You come back here and accept the beating you deserve!” mam screamed as I rushed into the kitchen.
Our family home was huge…a sprawling mansion full of ten bedrooms, a large dining room and living room and a den and every amenity the family could ever need. Despite all the luxury, our family still always just congregated around the kitchen, where mam was constantly cooking something.
My brothers were there, all three of them. Callum, Eamon and Seamus were standing around the stove, dipping bits of soda bread into the soup that was boiling.
Mam came rushing in behind me.
“I better not find all the bread gone now!”
My brothers jumped to hug me.
“Jesus, little bro, where have you been?” Eamon asked, thumping my back. Seamus and Callum gave me bear hugs too, till finally, I turned to mam. She was standing patiently to the side, watching her sons hugging each other. I could see that her eyes had filled with tears of joy.
I presented my cheek to her, just like she’d asked.
“Go on, mam, I deserve it,” I said.
Her lips quivered and then she reached for me, enveloping me in her arms and holding me tight.
“Don’t you ever do that again!” she barked.
“Which one shouldn’t he be doing, mam? Going to prison or not coming to see you first when he gets out?” Seamus joked, while mam just rolled her eyes at us.
“Keegan.”
It was dad’s deep voice at the kitchen door. I looked up to find him standing at the door, with his hands in the pockets of his pants. One of the most powerful men of the mob scene in Chicago.
“You better have washed your hands, John!” mam yelled at him and dad turned on his heels and rushed away.
Nothing had changed. Dad was still one of the most feared men in the city, and a mouse in mam’s palms when he was at home.
We sat down around the kitchen table for dinner, and dad joined us soon enough after he’d washed his hands and changed his shirt.
We couldn’t stop talking. There was so much my brothers wanted to know, and I did too…about everything I’d missed. I wasn’t in a great mood only because I’d just got out of prison. But the other reason wasn’t something I could discuss with my family right now.
“How are the Gallaghers?” I asked when there was a lull in the conversation. Before anyone else could answer, it was mam who spoke up.
“Do not mention that name in front of me, especially not at the dinner table!” she hissed.
I exchanged looks with dad, and I knew he’d fill me in later. For now, we were allowed to only talk of happy things in the presence of mam. All dad wanted to do was protect her, just the way I wanted to protect Fallon too.
After dinner, we left the kitchen and went out to the back porch with our glasses of whisky. Mam was clearing up the kitchen table and doing the washing. All my life, I’d heard dad nagging her to hire someone to help with the house work…especially since we lived in such a big house now and since dad had the money. Mam always refused. She liked picking up after us, making the house pretty and clean for her husband.
Outside on the porch, the five us were standing with our whiskies. Now that we were out of mam’s earshot, I could finally ask dad that question again.
“What about the Gallaghers?”
From the way my brothers and dad looked at each other, I could sense that there was something wrong.
“The scene with them has been getting worse lately, especially after the bar fight with you. It’s almost like they want to stir up shit, force us to slip up and make a mistake,” Callum explained.
“What the fuck do they want?” I asked and I heard dad sigh.
“They want our business, son, it’s quite easy. Connor Gallagher has never worked a day in his life, not the way I have, he has no idea what hard work is. Now, he wants to use violence and his sleazy methods to steal what I built all these years,” dad said.
I clenched my jaws in anger. Just hearing their name was enough to set me off.
“They want to take over the weapons trade. They’ve been trying to undercut us with our contacts and buyers,” Seamus continued.
It sounded exactly like them. Sneaking around behind our backs and trying to steal our business.
I drank my whisky, enjoying the way it burnt my throat as it traveled down to my stomach.
“What’s the plan?” I asked, looking around at their faces.
“We don’t have one. Not yet,” Seamus said.
“We were waiting for you to get out of prison,” Callum added.
“All I know is that we need to stop them. We have to put them back in their place and remind them that they’re nothing. Scum of the Earth.”
Dad’s voice was a deep growl as he spoke. I could sense that he was losing his mind over this. The Gallaghers were really getting to him this time.
“We’ll find a way, dad, don’t worry,” I said to him.
Now that Fallon was back in my life, everything had a new meaning again. This life was worth living. Suddenly, I did care what happened to me, what happened to her and my family. It was li
ke I was alive again. I was going to find a way to stop the Gallaghers, no matter the cost.
10
Fallon
I spent half an hour cleaning up my apartment. Keegan had said that he would visit me once he was done with dinner with his family, and I wanted my place to be ready for him. This felt like a new life…like all of a sudden, now that I had Keegan again, a brand new life was beginning.
I didn’t care about anything else right now. Not my job, not my safety—I just wanted to be in Keegan’s arms again. Exactly where I wanted to be since I was a teenager. It was about time that we finally had our chance!
As I did the dishes, I had a smile on my face. It was finally happening…we were going to be together. I had complete faith in him, faith that he would be able to find a way for us to be together, and not just as friends; but more. I’d seen it in his eyes…he meant it when he said he’d missed me all these years.
I felt a bit of regret, that we’d missed out on ten years of being together. Ten years of a head-start of building a life together, of maybe starting our own family. So much time had been wasted, and I felt sad about that. Especially now that I knew he’d wanted me all along too.
But now, none of that seemed to matter anymore. All that mattered was the future, and despite the threat of the Gallaghers, the future seemed happy. As long as I had Keegan, I knew I’d be happy—no matter the threat.
After I was done with the cleaning up, I made myself a cup of coffee and sat down on the couch in my small living room. I didn’t regret leaving Nashville. I was glad I was back.
Now my next step would be to find where the Murphys had buried my father. I wanted to visit his grave. I knew that he would have been happy and content; knowing that I was with Keegan now. He wouldn’t have to worry about my safety.
We were just at the start of a new relationship…even though this wasn’t really a new relationship. I’d known Keegan all our lives. However, we still had some way to go before we could take the next step of commitment. We hadn’t even, hadn’t yet…confessed our feelings.
I was in love with him. I’d always been in love with him…but I needed to hear him say it, before I was sure that it wasn’t just an infatuation on his part. That the feelings he had for me were real.
My mind was filled with thoughts of Keegan and our future when there was a knock on the door. I put my coffee mug down and jumped out of the chair. He was back! Just like he said he would be.
I rushed to the door and pulled it open, expecting to find Keegan on the other side, smiling that handsome smile of his. What was the rest of the night going to look like now?
But it wasn’t Keegan, instead, there was a stranger on the other side. I looked at him for a few moments, confused by his presence. Did he have the wrong house?
He was in a dark jacket and baggy pants. His hair was thinning on top and he had a deep stubble.
“Yes?” I said and the moment the word left my mouth, I knew something was wrong. This wasn’t just some random man who’d mistakenly knocked on my door. He had every intention of finding me inside.
He lunged at me, grabbing my wrist.
“Hello, Fallon,” he hissed. I tugged and screamed, trying to get my hand free but he pushed himself into the apartment, kicking the door shut with his feet.
“Let me go! Let me go!” I howled. I could feel his hand digging into my flesh as he pulled me closer to himself. I wriggled in his grip till eventually, I kneed him. Right in his crotch. He hadn’t seen it coming and he yelped in pain. It was the perfect opportunity for me to yank my hand away from him and run.
I couldn’t run to the front door, so I ran back to my bedroom. I shut the door behind me, but there was no lock on it. I only had a few moments to decide what to do.
I rushed to the window, struggling to slide it open. There was a fire escape outside, which I hoped I could get onto in time. I’d managed to slide the window open, just enough for me to slip out.
I was panting, my heart was racing. I just wished that Keegan was here.
I swung one leg out the window, and then another. I thought I was going to make it, but I felt the man’s hand on my ankle. He was yanking me back into the room, just by one foot.
I screamed and thrust, trying to kick his face with my foot but he had a pretty good grip on me.
He pulled me back in the room.
“No, No!” I screamed, trying to stop him from dragging me away.
“The Gallaghers are expecting you,” he growled. I knew I was putting up more of a fight than he was expecting, but it still wasn’t good enough. He was a big burly man and he wasn’t about to let me go.
When he’d had enough, he pulled me by my shoulders, forcing me to face him.
“Shut up!” he barked in my face. I didn’t stop screaming. I wasn’t just going to give in to his demands.
“Fine. Fuck it!” he said.
And that was the last thing I heard, because then I felt his hand punch my face. I was knocked back on the floor and I felt light-headed. Then everything went black.
11
Keegan
“I’ll call you in the morning, mam,” I said to my mother as I left the family home. I knew she really wanted me to stay the night and spend some time with her but I couldn’t. I needed to see Fallon.
If only I could tell them the truth, and tell them who I was going to see—I knew they’d be happy. But I didn’t want to start telling people Fallon was back in town yet. Not till I had a plan.
Back in my car, I drove towards Fallon’s apartment again. I couldn’t wait to see her, especially now that I knew the Gallaghers had become an even bigger problem. If they found out that she was in Chicago again, it would give them the perfect opportunity to kill the last remaining witness of the Michael Donovan killing.
Besides, harming Fallon would be a great way to get to us—to get to me. They knew how important she was to the family.
Parking my car outside her apartment building, I charged up the stairs to her apartment. I already had the jitters. I still couldn’t believe the fact that we were finally together. I needed to see her again to remind myself that she was real.
On the fourth floor, when I approached the door of her apartment, I saw that it was swinging open. I looked around, reaching for my gun. Had I got the apartment wrong? This was the one she’d said she lived at.
I pushed the door further open with my foot and stepped in, my gun was already cocked out. I was ready to shoot.
“Fal? Fallon?” I screamed her name, but didn’t hear a peep.
Her apartment looked clean, there was barely any sign of struggle. Could it be that she’d just stepped out? I walked through the living room and noticed the mug of coffee on the table. She’d barely drank from it.
“Fallon! It’s me!” I shouted again, and no sound. Keeping my gun pointed, I went into the bedroom. There was a window open and a breeze was blowing in. If she’d stepped out, why would she leave the window open in her bedroom?
I went over and looked out at the fire escape. I was about to slink back in, when I saw a bit of fabric stuck on the edge of the window sill. I picked it up and looked keenly at it. It was a piece from her denim dress. I was sure of it.
“Fuck!” I growled.
Now I knew for sure that she’d been taken. Why else would a piece of her dress be out on the window? She was trying to make an escape, but they’d caught her.
Every dark thought was running through my head right now. Where had they taken her? What were they going to do to her? Had they killed her already?
I felt like I was going to be sick.
12
Fallon
I woke up to the sound of dripping water. I had no idea where I was, and my first instinct was to throw up. I was nauseous and feeling sick, but I screamed instead. It was then that I realized I couldn’t move.
I was tied, my hands were tied and my feet were tied too. I was on a bed and my arms were pulled up, tied to the back grills of the bed. I bl
inked furiously, trying to get my eyes adjusted to the dark. It was some sort of room. A small room…or it may have been larger, but I couldn’t tell in the dark.
I looked around me and immediately I knew that the Gallaghers had me. I remembered everything now, the man in my house, pulling me back in through the window, knocking me out.
I screamed again.
I knew I was alone in this room. I couldn’t feel another human presence with me. What were they going to do to me? Where was I being held?
Would Keegan ever find me?
I struggled against the ties, but whoever tied me; had done a professionally excellent job. I couldn’t get my hands free, not one degree. I was stuck here, in this cold dark room with the sound of dripping water in the background.
“Please please…what do you want?” I screeched, hoping to get someone’s attention.
At least I was still alive, I reminded myself—but right now, any silver lining appeared too bleak and faded. I trusted Keegan and that he would find me, but when? Was this how my life was going to end? Was that all I was destined to have with Keegan?
One stolen night of being together…and then gone?
I could feel the tears rolling down my cheeks as I sobbed. I couldn’t even sit up properly, I couldn’t lie down…they had me in a torturously uncomfortable position and I had no escape.
“Talk to me! What do you want!” I screamed again, as loud as I could. I was sure that they could hear me. If they had gone to so much trouble of tying me up like this, they were definitely keeping an eye on me too.
Eventually, I heard the sound of a bolted heavy lock being opened. Someone was coming in through the door.
A sudden flash of light appeared and I realized that the door had been opened. Someone had stepped in and then the light disappeared again.
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