Page 68 of Cillian

Twenty-Four

Queenie

All I could sense was the darkness around me. No windows, one door, one I presumed to be heavily watched and guarded. I didn’t have a clue where they’d taken me. Was it out of town, or was I still in Boston? The only thing I could cling to was how I felt. Frightened. Alone. Hopeless, wondering if I was going to die tonight.

Words in foreign tongue muffled outside was the only thing I could make sense of, but with no grasp of the language, it brought out a deeper level of fear in me, as I had no idea what they were discussing.

What have I done, lord? What have I done to deserve this? Haven’t I suffered enough for you to pass your favor on me?

I sought the lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered in shame.

I repeated over and over until I could no longer suppress the negativity of the words said to me back at the salon.

There was no safety in being a Sullivan. Being a wife to a gangster was always going to put me in harm’s way. I had to believe that was a lie because the only way I saw myself leaving this place was through death or some divine act carried out by my husband. The wolf he kept locked up for me, was going to have to break free.

Twenty-Five

Cillian

Pulling up to the abandoned port, we drove as close as our vehicles would allow before learning we'd be rowing the rest of the way. I tried to distract myself, but in this moment, my mind was as one track as a man’s could be. They had taken my wife, isolated her, and was doing God knows what to her.

Queenie was too sweet and good to be in the middle of a feuding family war. She must have been terrified. She probably would never forgive me for putting her through all of this.

Sandwiched between Paddy and a scoundrel, I mindlessly spun the cylinder of my revolver, trying to focus on anything but the worse outcome. But once we left the car, I was finding it challenging to put a hammer to my emotions.

“Seems like they've got everything prepared,” Bellamy gestured, his chin pointing towards the castoff rowboats waiting by the coast.

“Looks like everyone's about to get wet,” Paddy joked, slapping me on the chest before climbing into one of the rowboats. There weren't enough for all of us, which I'm sure was intentional. They didn't want our numbers to match what they had on their end.

Smart.

“Take a bag,” Tadhg instructed, handing off a duffel bag to Bellamy.

“Hopefully we won't have to use them, but it's better than going in unarmed. Cillian, it might be better if you stayed behind.”

“Look, I ain't going nowhere without my wife. My wife’s first image ain't gonna be of one of my brother's getting her out of there, it's gonna be me. I don't fight you on a lot of things, Tadhg. I’m the youngest and you always shoot me down. But you have to give me this, Tadhg. I don’t even feel like a man if I’m not willing to die for my woman.” Tadhg, for all his peculiarities, was still intimidating, standing his ground that I was too much of a liability to bring along because I was impulsive.

“Let the kid go, Tadhg. It's his wife,” Bellamy defended, which appeared to be the only thing that got through to him. Hopping into the back of the rowboat next to Paddy, I whispered,

“Did you bring what I asked?”

“Quiet you eejit! Gonna get us both chewed out,” he said through gritted teeth, as he and others cast the row of the boats into the bay’s murky depths. I let Paddy do all the rowing, because I was saving my strength for something bigger. There had been no set plan of what I’d do, but what I wouldn't do, was nothing.

By the time we did reach Lovell’s Island, many had opted to strip off their coats in response to the time-consuming row. Up ahead were destroyed staircases, much in line with what you’d expect from an abandoned military reserve. Enclaves with fences on top mimicked a Cave of Wonders, as cautiously but eagerly, our group of twelve marched to what may have just been an open tomb.

“Not gonna lie, I don’t like it,” Paddy scoped the place out, his ability to measure risk useful in the moment.

“Tell me what you see, Paddy,” Tadhg asked, reminding us to stay calm and collected meeting face to face with our foe.

“I see stone walls, fortifications. Poor lighting. Goons could be hiding in corners. They likely know the layout better. Sight and prior knowledge are their best advantage,” Paddy stated.

“We stick to the plan and we avoid the bloodshed,” Tadhg reminded.

“Plans go array in the presence of injudicious men in,” Bellamy countered.

“Look who's using ten-pound words all of a sudden,” Paddy joked, before Tadhg advised us keep it all together. We were entering the lion's den, but they didn't know they'd be facing a stag, a raven, and a bear. And last but not least, they’d be confronting a wolf.

It had been a long time long since I encountered a Callahan. It had never been a curiosity of mine to learn the nature of our falling out with them until now. Our fathers had been close, but that was a legacy left behind. Stooping low enough to kidnap a scoundrels’ wife, that made you an enemy for life. A fusion of shrub and stone surrounded us on all sides, as Paddy murmured at the corner of his mouth.

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