by May Gordon
“No turning this one O’Sullivan. He’s been working for me for a very long time,” Murry chuckles.
“Fuck,” I grunt and pull back to pop Shane right in the nose. He recovers quickly, and we begin struggling for his gun. Suddenly a shot rings out and I stop and lift my hands as I turn to look at Murry. He fired in the air.
“That's enough of that now. You’ll be coming with us. I’ve got plans for you.” One of his men gives him another gun and before I know it I’m hit with a dart.
And everything goes black.
Chapter 10
Molly
I watch as Jack spars with a few of the boyos in the ring, I've just spent all day training them, and now they're putting my teaching to use.
“He’s laying into them,” Ryan says beside me.
“I told him to make sure they work up an appetite.” I chuckle.
“I saw you talking to a few boys this afternoon. New members?” He asks walking back to my office with me.
“Yeah, they heard from friends about this place. Seem like it’s catching on.” I sit at my desk and start going through paperwork. It’s been a hectic day, nonstop with training and paperwork.
Ryan sits as well and says, “I got something for you.”
“And what’s that?” I ask with interest.
“The black stuff, the good black stuff.” He cracks a smile.
I roll my eyes at him. “It’s called Guinness. But I'm glad you finally balled up and bought some decent beer for poker night,” I tell him, making him laugh.
Betty sticks her head in. “Hey kids, I'm finishing dinner. Just wanted to let you know.” She smiles brightly.
“I’ll help wrangle the boys for you,” Ryan says as he stands.
“I’ll be out in a bit, start without me. I need to finish some work.” I smile at them.
“Okay, hon, but don’t work too hard.” Betty scolds me. Over the last month, she’s spent more time here cooking than at our place. She was made for her job here, she likes to mother all the young boys.
I pull my phone out of my desk having just realized I stuck it in there this morning. Shit. Quinn might have tried to text me. Turning it on, I see that he hasn’t. It’s weird, but I know he had a busy day, and he did say he might come over for dinner. I’m about to call him when I hear a knock, and a Giant bearded man enters.
He reminds me a lot of Quinn, similar tall and burly build, but his hair and beard are darker, his skin too, which is almost an olive colour. He must have European heritage.
“Hey.” His rumbly voice fills the room.
“Hey,” I say right back to the mysterious stranger.
“Where’s Irish?” The stranger asks as he steps into my office.
“You're looking at her.”
He takes a seat across from me and looks me over, nothing sexual, just pure curiosity.
“Wow, you're really Irish,” he comments, making me laugh. He sounds like my granddad. “I’m looking for your less Irish husband.” He pauses as he glances around the office. “Where is he?”
“Tell me who the bloody hell you are and maybe I will.” He raises an eyebrow. Guess he wasn’t expecting my attitude.
“Foster.” And then it all clicks. I feel like I know him already, I've just never seen him before.
“Molly,” I reply.
“I’ve heard a lot about you.” He grins. “I can see why Irish fell so hard.”
“Probably because I punched him out when we first met.”
He stills for a moment then lets out a deep laugh. “I would’ve paid to see that,” he chuckles.
I smile along with him and say, “That’s what Lawson said too. Quinn’s not here though.”
“Stopped by the house, and the guards suggested I come here. He’s not answering his cell.” That’s not like Quinn.
“Was he expecting you?”
“Yeah.” Bloody weird.
I pick up my phone again and dial his number, but it just rings and rings before going to voicemail. “Quinn, it’s your wife. Call me back.”
“He’s with my uncle. I’ll try him.” I dial Shane’s number and get a recording saying the number has been disconnected. “What the bloody hell?” I try again and the same message comes on. “His phone is disconnected.” I look up at Foster for some explanation. “You’re here for a reason, Quinn called you here for something. Now you bloody fucking tell me why.” I demand.
“Easy Irish.” He puts his hands up. “I’ll tell you everything you need to know.” He sits up a little straighter. “Over the past month there have been some insistences that have concerned him, mostly sabotage, but he had a man killed. It turns out Kevin Murry took responsibility for it all.”
“What the fucking hell?” I explode. “The bloody arse was too busy hiding this shit from me, that you lost track of Murry and now look what happens.”
“God you’re Irish,” he grunts again.
I pick up the stapler and threw at his head, but he easily dodges it. I go to the door and yell for Ryan and Jack while I start pacing. They walk in, worry on their faces.
“Did you arses know too?” I snap out.
“Know what?” Ryan asks, giving Foster a hello head nod.
“About Murry behind all the problems Quinn has been having,” I clarify.
They look shocked. “We know of the problems, but had no idea they were connected to Murry,” Jack tells me.
“Well, they bloody fucking are,” I yell then turn to Foster next. “And I assume he’s made some threats as well, doing all this to get to me.” I narrow my eyes but he just keeps his arms crossed, staring at me with a blank expression.
“You would be correct,” he states simply like it’s no big deal.
Now I'm angry. I walk up to him and punch him in the face. He falls out of his chair, shocked by the action. “Stop with the blank look and calm attitude. My husband is missing, and you knew something about it. He called you for a reason, so I suggest you get up and help me find him or so help me god I will knock your bloody teeth out.”
The room goes silent, and Foster stares up at me, shock still evident on his face. He reaches up and rubs the side of his cheek where I hit him, then stands and dusts himself off. He looks at me again, this time with a determined expression.
“Irish, I’m at your disposal. We’ll find less Irish, don’t worry.”
“We should track his phone,” I suggest, jumping right into it.
He reaches over my desk and takes my iPad, booting it up. “I’m doing it now, even if its off or destroyed I can still see where he was when it was last pinged.”
“Hurry up. I’m going to change while you do.” I turn to Jack and Ryan and say,. “Don’t tell a soul Quinn might be missing. This stays just between us for now.” I walk past them to the locker room, grabbing my bag as I go. I throw on my jeans and top in a flash. When I get back, all three are huddled around the device Foster is holding. Jack and Ryan visibly tense at my presence. “Got something?” I ask.
“A warehouse downtown. Do you know why he’d be there?”
“He was meeting a partner and he’s a very cautious man.”
“Let's check it out,” Foster says.
We pile into my SUV and drive to the warehouse. The coast looks clear, but before we enter I open the trunk and get the gun I keep stashed there.
“Jack, Ryan, you check the perimeter while Foster and I head inside,” I order.
“Yes, ma’am,” they answer, and we go our separate ways.
“Is your aim as good as your left hook?” Foster asks.
“What do you think?” I raise a brow at him.
“I think it is,” he responds.
“You’d be right.”
We get to the door, and I open it, my gun at the ready. Its pitch dark inside and I feel around the wall by the entrance until I find a light switch. I wasn’t prepared for what greets my eyes. Death, everywhere. I rush forward, having to see if Quinn is one of the dead bodies.
�
��Molly,” Foster growls at me.
I start flipping over bodies, most of them are Asian, none of them are Quinn. I breathe easy, knowing he’s not dead. At least not here. I walk further into the room, and spot his phone. I pick it up and discover its functional and see notifications on the screen for missed messages and calls from me and others that are business-related.
“Holy fuck.” I turn to see Jack and Ryan at the door, looking just as horrified as I feel. “Is he here?” Jack asks.
“No,” I say. “These must be Chen's men, that’s who he was meeting.” I unlock his phone and scroll down to Chen’s code name then click call and wait for him to answer.
“You fucked me over,” I hear Chen’s Japanese accent over the line.
“I was going to ask you that. Did you fuck him over? Are you working with Murry or is this related to something else?” I snap out.
There is a pause before he speaks again. “Mrs. Quinn, I suppose.” Another long pause. “I did not fuck him over, and I do not know of this Murry. All I know is that my advance team was wiped out, and I haven't heard from Quinn,” he tells me.
“He wouldn’t have betrayed you, Chen, he values your business,” I assure him trying my best to maintain the relationship.
Again, more silence. “Call me when he’s found. I’m sending a team to clean up my men.” And he hangs up. “Chen knows nothing,” I tell the guys.
“What about Shane?” Jack asks.
“He’s not here either, and his phone is disconnected.”
“Someone got the jump on them. They knew they’d be here and ambushed them and Chen men’s, probably taking both Quinn and Shane to a second location.” Foster says, making me more concerned and confused to how Murry knows so much inside information about Quinn and his organization.
“What the fuck do we do now?” Ryan asks.
Straightening my spine, I look at the three men. “Jack and Ryan, you two head back to the house, take over everything. No one must know Quinn is missing, it would make us look weak. If anyone asks Quinn and I are on our honeymoon. It’s business as usual. Got it.” They both nod ad I turn to Foster next.
“What about us?” He asks.
“What the bloody hell do you think? We’re going to find my husband,” I snap at him, sticking my gun in the back of my jeans. I push through them to get outside and head to the SUV. I stop and turn towards them and see they’re all just standing there gawking at me, speechless. “Well, what the fuck are you waiting for? Let’s go!” I yell at them. They all jump and follow me.
I don’t bloody care how long it takes, but I'm getting my husband and Shane back no matter what. I hope to god they’re alive and safe.
Chapter 11
Quinn~One month later
I rattle my chains against the stones of the old castle wall, the sound almost soothing at this point. I have no idea exactly where I’ve been this last month, but I do know I’m in Ireland. After I woke up from being tranqed I was here, in what looks like a dungeon. I haven't been in Ireland once the O’Sullivans took me with them to America, but I will never forget the fresh air of the wild countryside, even if I'm surrounded by stone.
I haven't seen much of Murry since I woke up. He’s come by once to tell me he sent demands to Molly. Her for me. I knew right away she’d never comply, or at least I hoped so. I don’t want her anywhere near him, or Ireland for that matter. Murry’s men are everywhere, and I heard Connor went into hiding. They’ve been trying to find him but haven’t had any luck.
Fuck I miss her. I think about her every minute of each day. Her wild curly red hair, green eyes, and freckles dusted all over her body, but that’s just her physical appearance. Her sassy Irish mouth is what I miss most, and her laugh, so full of life just like her.
The old wooden door creaks open, ruining my memories of my Molly. Shane walks in with a tin tray of food. Like clockwork this bastard. He comes toward me and places it on the ground, using his foot to push it closer so he can stay out of my reach. Scared fucker. I guess the time I grabbed him and tried to choke the life out of him has made him cautious.
“We got word that Molly is in Ireland.” The first words he’s spoken to me this whole time.
“What?” I growl out. “She agreed to Murry’s terms?”
“No,” he pauses “But she’s here. Not sure what she’s thinking.”
“You can't let her be with him, Shane. The guy is fucking messed up. All he has on his mind is power for Ireland's underworld. Something he will never get. The Dunnes have too much respect and history here to let some thug like him take over. No one will work with him,” I yell at him, but he already knows all this.
“Which is why marriage to Molly will help. Having a Dunne as a wife will fill all those empty holes.” He says, as if it’s all okay and he’s not setting her up to marry someone almost her father’s age.
“She will not go willingly,” I warn him.
“That’s why we have you.” He sighs like I'm trying his patience. “We hope she will in exchange for your safety.
I fucking give up trying to talk to this man. I’m too furious with him to continue. “Did you ever love her?” I ask in a low voice.
“I’m doing all this to fucking protect her,” Shane yells at me. “Everything I've done has been for that same reason.”
I pause at how he uses the word everything. Murry said he’s been working for him a long time. “And what exactly have you done for her so-called protection?”
He takes a deep breath, letting it out again. “Murry has been planning this for quite a while. He’s always played the long game to someday take over the Dunne empire. All I wanted was to protect Molly, keep her out of this and Murry agreed to it.”
“What did you do?”
He looks away, sadness and shame covering his face. “It shouldn’t have been this way, they were just supposed to have an accident, enough to scare them into giving up control to Murry, but something happened, and it all went wrong.”
“You killed Molly’s parents?” I knew he betrayed Molly and Connor, but I had no idea the magnitude of what he’s done. “Why? Why do such a thing! He was your best friend,” I yell.
“I know!” He screams at me. “The plan wasn’t for them to die and I made it so Molly wasn’t in the car. And when they swerved, and it all went to hell. But I did everything in my power to protect her.”
“And let me guess, you never thought Connor would leave retirement to take over again after his son died?” I throw at him, my voice full of anger.
“No, we were not planning on that. We thought that once Brian had passed we’d make our move, but instead Murry told me to stay there and report back to him on Connor’s work. Hell, he even grew the businesses for us, and that also gave me the ability to be close to Molly, but then…” he pauses, but I can already guess what he is going to say.
“Molly grew up and caught Murry’s interest.” Shane nods.
“But that was okay because he’s a good man. Once he’s in charge he’ll give Molly everything she would ever need. Money, power, and so much more. This is the better life for her, here in Ireland, where I can continue to protect her.” I decide then that he’s absolutely fucking insane.
“Have you ever met Molly? She doesn’t care about all that. You don’t even know her, and when she finds out all you’ve done she won’t stand idly by. She’ll never forgive you.”
He shrugs and says, “She’ll get over it, see that this is the way. Murry in charge and her at his side. We can learn to be a family again.”
I jerk against my chains trying to get to him but he stays out of my reach. “You're fucking crazy,” I yell once again. “And when I get out of here I will kill you.” My tone is a deadly promise.
“Don’t worry, you’ll be in Vegas soon, and you’ll forget all about Molly. You can go back to living as you did before you met her.” And with that, he leaves, slamming the door behind him.
He doesn't know me very well if he thinks I could ever f
orget Molly, or that I’ll let him live after everything I learned. I lean against the cold stone wall and close my eyes, thinking about Molly again. I don’t know how the fuck I'm going to get out of this mess, but I must find a way. I need to get back to Molly. I hope to god she’s not doing anything stupid.
Chapter 12
Molly
I walk into the kitchen of my granddad’s cabin. Foster is sitting at the table working on his laptop We arrived a week ago after we finally tracked down Murry. We assumed he’d go back to Ireland, but it’s a big place. We’ve spent the last month following his electronic footprints. Thankfully, he doesn’t cover his tracks very well. We’ve been devising a plan that should work to not only take him out but also dismantle his whole organization. Unfortunately, trying to find Quinn and Shane isn't as easy. We still don’t know their exact location is, but regardless of that it all goes down tomorrow night. Hopefully.
Murry has demanded me for Quinn and I’m assuming Shane as well even though he didn’t mention him. And after a month without Quinn, I’m about ready to lose my mind. We don’t even know if he’s alive or not. Foster has been by my side, keeping me grounded and focused.
“Where’s Connor?” Foster asks as I grab some water.
“He’s resting,” I say, sitting at the table with him. “How’s it going?”
“Good. I have a huge list of accounts where he keeps his money. As soon as we find Quinn and Shane we can destroy them. He’ll be practically broke.”
“We can't do that now?”
He shakes his head. “If we do he could retaliate by killing them.” I nod, agreeing with what he says even as my face drops. I’ve done everything in my power to keep his empire. I’ve kept in close contact with Jack and Ryan, who’ve been managing the day to day business along with some of the other guys staying on top of my gym and the boyos. “Hey, cheer up. It won't be long before less Irish will be back in your arms,” he smirks, trying to make me smile.