by Brynn Myers
"You may have the upper hand and something I want, but watch your tone, Layne."
Her eyes teetered between red, black, and blue before she turned and walked out. "Be ready when I return, Liam, we have much to do." The clicking of her heels ceased and I knew she had flashed out to wherever it was she lived. Layne was very private about where she rested her head, and while I had often wondered the answer to that question, the reality was that the only thing I really cared about was her talent for killing. I walked back over to the bar and refilled my glass, taking great care as I poured. Tonight I will take back what is mine.
Roan entered the room. "Sire, is there anything I can take care of for you?"
"Yes. Take that ridiculous outfit to my room and make sure that I am not disturbed until Layne returns."
"Yes, Sire." The heavy wooden doors to the study closed with a thud as Roan left the room. Once I was alone, I allowed myself a moment to remember the night I used the one thing capable of killing a god, and the one thing that would ensure tonight’s success. Nothing would keep me from bringing her home…nothing.
Chapter Thirteen
I woke to the sound of AC/DC’s Back in Black thumping the walls. I stumbled out of bed, realizing that sometimes naps were a good thing, and at other times they left you feeling even more exhausted. A shower should wake my ass up. I tossed my hair up in a makeshift bun and hopped into a cold shower. The cool droplets began to revive me almost instantly.
I needed this cold shower for more than one reason: the sexy male from my dream this morning returned during my little siesta. His sultry baritone was still fresh in my mind as I waited for the water to heat up. My Gaelic may have been a bit rusty, but from what I could understand, he had planned quite the erotic encounter under a sacred willow tree. I wasn’t sure I understood the reason for the tree, but he was quite adamant about it. Hey–tree or no tree, when he spoke and kissed my neck, I would have found a way to steal the Eiffel Tower if he had asked.
The water began to turn from cold to hot along with my libido. The kiss that followed his words was beyond intoxicating, and I found myself imagining his hands washing my body, his touch lingering as he reached my inner thigh. Oh, good lord, if I ever met this man in person, I was certain I would have an orgasm on the spot. The water wasn’t going to allow me the few more minutes I wanted…hell, needed, because it once again turned cold. I turned off the faucet and heard a sound in my bedroom.
"Knock-knock! Sorry to interrupt you, Ky, but I need to borrow your curling iron." Vivi laughed as she walked into the bathroom. "Because let’s face it, no 80s prom queen look is complete without big curly hair frozen with a ton of Aqua Net."
"No worries, Vivi. It’s in the bottom drawer next to the sink, and I think there may be a can of Aqua Net in the cabinet from last year’s Halloween costume."
I wrapped the towel around me before I stepped out of the shower, grateful that the water had turned cold when it did. Vivi and I were close, but had she came in a minute sooner, things could have been a bit awkward.
"I’ll get this back to you as soon as I’m done."
"No need, I’m putting all this red under a wig tonight, so I won’t need anything but that wig cap over there."
Vivi smiled. "I cannot wait to see what you are gonna be. I bet you will be stunning." She held up the hairspray and the curling iron as she headed for the door. "Thanks again…see you in a bit."
Vivi had been in our lives for so long now that I didn’t look at her as my sister-in-law but as my sister. With the boys as my "caretakers," it was nice to have her to talk to–nice for someone to have my back when my brothers got into one of their we-are-doing-this-to-protect-you campaigns. I couldn’t love Vivi any more than I did. I would give my life to protect her if need be. I slipped on a tank and some yoga pants, and added the first phase of makeup…moisturizer and under eye concealer. As I stared into the mirror, I was surprised at how tired I looked, but quickly dismissed it because that was what theatrical makeup was for. I let my hair down as I headed to open the curtains again; now I needed the late day sun to fill the room.
Ty must have turned the stereo up again when Highway to Hell came on. It was his favorite song. There were two things you needed when you got ready for a night on the town: loud music, and it was evident Ty had that covered. Number two was a cold beverage, something I was lacking at the moment, so I headed to the kitchen to remedy that. I opened up the fridge and grabbed one of the craft beers from the shelf.
"Hey, can I have one of those?" I smiled when I heard Dillon come up behind me.
"But of course." I grabbed a second beer and pulled the opener from the drawer, popping the top and passing it to Dillon. "I feel like it’s been forever since I have seen you, young man." Dillon grinned as he took a sip of his Harpoon.
He walked over to the stereo and turned the music down to a manageable level. "So I hear your costume is gonna knock my socks off?"
"Yeah, well I wasn’t really going for knock your socks off, I was actually shooting for a different reaction." I flashed a smile that hopefully displayed confidence and not insecurity.
"I’m sure it will be great, Kylah, and thank you for not bucking my choice to have Syd watch over you today. There’s been a lot going on, and I just need to make sure you are safe." He took another sip of his beer and tipped the end at me. "By the way, I got a text from Evan today. It seems he decided to follow Tynan and Vivi back here to New York. He’s coming to the party tonight. He told me to tell you he can’t wait to see you."
"Oh great, another set of eyes to keep track of me." I smiled as I said that because my cousin Evan was a lot like my brothers: built like a friggin oak tree and Irish to the core. It ran in our family for all the men to be fiercely over protective and very family oriented. Evan always put family above anything else. Growing up, Evan and Dillon were really close; they only separated when our parents left Ireland and moved here to the states. These days, they didn’t get to see each other that often, but they talked on the phone all the time.
"I am excited to see him too, Dillon. Maybe he can help take some of the pressure off you tonight."
"I told him if he was coming, I was gonna put his ass to work, so yeah, it will be a help."
"Hey! Who turned down the music?" Tynan came into the room with a towel wrapped around his waist. "What…I go out of town for a week and now I don’t get offered a beer during Keenan happy hour?"
Dillon laughed. "It has been awhile since we stood in this kitchen sharing a beer."
I slid an open bottle over the counter to Tynan, watching as he caught it before it headed over the edge. "Nice catch."
"I’ve got skills, Kylah, what can I say?"
I shook my head and walked past my brothers on my way out of the kitchen. "I will catch you two later. I really need to go get my makeup on, or I am never gonna be ready when Syd arrives."
"See, Dillon’s plan was actually a decent one. You are actually looking forward to Syd picking you up for your date." Ty chuckled.
"DATE! What the hell are you talking about? I sent him to watch over her not to date her."
The look on Dillon’s face was classic, and certainly one I had seen many times before. "Oh, that wasn’t your plan, Dillon? Well shit, I’ll have to change my whole seduction plan for tonight and wear underwear after all," I teased. "I am a woman you know…with needs."
Dillon growled at my words. "Dammit, Kylah."
"Hey, you sent him over." I grinned and batted my eyelashes, taunting him.
Tynan’s burst of laughter permeated the tension in the room as he hit the volume button on the stereo again. Billy Squier’s Stroke was now filling the room as Tynan passed by Dillon.
"Tynan, turn that shit down before Olivia starts banging on the door, hoping to join the party early." He took another swig of his beer. "That is all I need right now."
"Hell no! It's rule number three on Kylah’s getting ready to go out to-do list. Music you can shake your ass to." He
winked at me as he left the room.
"What the hell am I gonna do with the two of you? I swear, Genevieve is the only sane one besides me."
"I don’t know about that, Dillon," I said teasingly, "she may be rooting for my team this time." I kissed Dillon on the check and headed back to my room to finish getting ready. "Best laid plans, brother," I called out just as I closed my bedroom door.
I heard him slam his beer on the counter–not hard enough to break it but hard enough. I sat down at my makeup table and took a swig of beer as I tried to remember Frank’s make-up lesson. I was certainly going to need all the tips I could get to transform this tired face into one belonging to a mega hottie.
Chapter Fourteen
I looked at the clock and realized I had better speed up this process. It was 5:40 p.m. and Syd would be here in twenty minutes. I went to take another sip of my beer and realized the bottle was empty. Not good. I was gonna need an extra dose of liquid courage to get through my big reveal. As I headed out to the kitchen, Do You Wanna Touch Me came on.
"Oh my god, I love this song!" I grabbed a beer as I danced with the handle on the fridge. I shut the door and used my beer as my microphone while I danced around the room. "Do you wanna touch…yeah, do you wanna touch…yeah, do you wanna touch me there…WHERE!" Just as I turned around to shake my ass and finish the chorus, I stopped dead in my tracks. My cheeks began to blush immediately because there in the doorway was Syd staring at me with a huge grin on his face.
"I guess you didn’t hear me knocking over the music."
I pressed my lips together, trying to compose myself before I spoke. "Yeah, I guess not."
"I knocked, I swear. I even called out, but when I didn’t get an answer, I just came in."
"You’re early. It’s only 5:45."
"I figured I should get here early just in case you needed to make any adjustments."
Just then, the phone rang and I went to grab it. "Hello? Okay cool, I will send the gentleman you saw me with earlier downstairs to pick it up." I hung up the phone and turned to Syd, who was now on the other side of the counter. "That was George. The garment bag Frank sent over just arrived. Would you mind going downstairs to get it?"
"No problem. Will you still be singing that song when I return?" He shot me one of his devilish grins.
I shook my head and smiled. "Just go, will you?"
"Okay, but you were doing a great job as Joan Jett."
He closed the door and I ran to my room to put on more clothes. Here I was, boobs hanging out in a tight tank top and singing "Do you wanna touch me." Shit. If this was any indication of how this evening was going to go, I was so screwed. It seemed that between Syd and my dream man, I was completely flustered. I grabbed the hoodie from behind my door and walked out just as Syd was coming back through the front door.
"Okay, bathroom is right over there. Go try this on and let’s see what alterations we need to do."
Syd took the bag into the guest bath and came out half-dressed a few moments later. Oh sweet heavenly day, this man cannot be for real. His abs looked like they are chiseled marble. The dark thin goatee was a little more filled in since this morning, and those indention marks on his hips just above the waistline of his jeans…I bit my bottom lip and took a deep breath.
"What’s wrong? Why aren’t you wearing the costume?"
"I don’t know how to put it on. Where the hell does this go?"
I chuckled as I took the linen tunic from him. "This goes on first, then you need to put these on." I held up the woolen stockings and he grimaced.
"Please don’t make me wear those. Can’t this costume be pulled off with jeans underneath all this other crap?" He gave me a cheeky grin.
I shoved the shirt at him. "Yes, we will make that work because honestly wool tights are gonna suck in about an hour." Syd pulled the shirt over his head and waited for me to hand him the pieces to put on in order of how they needed to be layered. Fifteen minutes later, Syd was a modern version of a medieval knight, decked out in low-slung jeans and black combat boots.
"Hey, Syd!" We both turned around in unison and saw Tynan in his pale blue tuxedo, complete with a white ruffled shirt and shiny white shoes. Ty gave his best Saturday Night Fever move and grinned.
"Nice makeup, bro."
"Hey, Vivi did a great job of making me look dead." It was true; you could see the detail from over here. His sunken cheeks and the fake blood dripping down his lip…he looked fantastic. Vivi walked out a moment later also decked out in similar makeup, except she had added a little glamour to her look, but it still had that zombie feel. Her hair was all teased out and the princess crown was tinged with blood. Even the ruffles in her dress were tattered as if she had clawed her way out of a grave.
"You two look amazing! You were right, Ty. You are gonna be a hit."
"Hey Syd, you look nice. Not going for the authentic look, eh?" Vivi grinned and then turned her attention to me. "Why aren’t you ready, girl? We’ve got to leave here in ten."
I handed Syd the belt and the sword Frank had given him and waved goodbye to everyone without a word. This was it, the moment of truth. I slid on the black pants over my bare ass. I knew I had told Dillon I was gonna wear undies tonight, but with how tight these pants fit, that was just not gonna be an option. After I put on the shirt and jacket, I pulled on the socks and slipped on my black knee-high Christian Louboutin boots and stared at myself in the full-length mirror. Almost complete. I walked into the bathroom and pulled my hair up, tucking it into the cap and gently placing the wig on my head. I added the muted crimson lipstick, and grabbed the ring Frank had given me, and again it tingled when I slid it over my finger.
Okay one last look. I stood in front of the mirror and was shocked by how much I looked like my mother. God, I hope the boys don’t freak out. I held on to the doorknob a moment longer than I needed to, but finally worked up the courage to open the door and walk out into the living room. Tynan, Vivi, Syd, and now Dillon were all waiting by the fireplace, drinks in hand. I was barely able to control my nerves; my hands shook as I stood there waiting for them to realize I had entered the room. Syd was the first to notice and then everyone else quickly turned. Vivi’s eyes filled with tears, and Ty and Dillon stumbled back a step. Even Syd, who had seen me earlier, stared as if he were seeing a ghost.
I breathed a heavy sigh. "Is anyone gonna say anything, because I am really freaking out over here."
Tynan was the brave one. "Wow, you look…great. It’s been a long time since…well Mom and Dad would be so proud of you, Ky."
"Viv, is it that bad? You’re crying."
"It’s just been a long time, Kylah, and the reality is that some wounds take longer to heal than others. But you look great."
"Dillon, are you gonna say anything? You have that look on your face that usually means you are about to blow."
He stood there silently for a few more seconds. "Syd, if you leave her side, I will kill you myself. We clear?"
Syd smirked. "Understood."
"Alright then. Are we ready to go?" Dillon tossed back the last of his drink and set it on the counter before he walked over to me and leaned down to kiss my cheek. "You look beautiful, Deifiúr. I am very proud of you." He grabbed my hand and we walked to the door. "You know you just made Syd’s job tonight increasingly more difficult."
Syd walked up behind me and put his hand on the small of my back. "I don’t mind." Dillon grumbled but Syd didn’t seem to care as he opened the door and winked at me.
"OH. MY. GOD!!! Look at you guys!" Olivia shrieked as she came out her front door with Joe following right behind her. "Dillon, baby, look at you. I have never seen a sexier 1930s gangster. Did you dress like this for me?"
Olivia exaggerated her walk for effect, but in the outfit she was wearing, it wasn’t really necessary. From the waist up, Olivia was a perfect version of Snow White, but from the waist down, she was all sexpot. She wore white thigh-high stockings with matching garters, and French lace pant
ies you could see when she walked. Her black heels made her taller than usual, but she still only came up to Dillon’s chest.
"And you thought Syd was gonna have his hands full." I pursed my lips together, stifling a laugh.
"Kylah, you look like a different person with that black hair, but what exactly are you supposed to be? I don’t get it."
Dillon smiled and proudly announced. "She wanted to honor our mother this evening and not some fairytale character." The look of shock on Olivia’s face was nothing short of humorous. No one ever spoke to her like that, much less a male. Olivia huffed and stomped towards the elevator, her skirt swishing as she walked.
"One of these days, Dillon Keenan, you are gonna wish you had paid attention to me. But by then, it’ll be too fucking late." She flipped him the bird as she rounded the corner.
Dillon shook his head as Ty slapped him on the back. "Nice going, Dillon, pissing off a mob boss’s daughter…smart move."
We all headed for the elevator, but when we got there, Olivia had already hit the down button, so while we waited, Ty grabbed Vivi and twirled, dipped, and kissed her in the hallway.
"Oh god you two…get a room."
Ty looked at me, flipped me off then went back to kissing Vivi, this time with even more passion.
Chapter Fifteen
We ended up taking two cabs because with Vivi’s dress and the size of the boys, there was no way we were all getting into one car. The two love birds went in one and I sat in between Syd and Dillon in the other. We arrived in record time, and not because the bar was close, but because our cabbie seemed to think he was driving on the autobahn.
"I think I’m gonna hurl." Both boys looked at me, hoping I was kidding. I smiled. "What? He drove like a crazy person."
As Ty helped Vivi out of the cab, he had a confused look on his face. "How’d you get here before us?"