Page 5 of Redemption

The truck falls into an uneasy silence as we sway in the back. I put my head against the steel wall and let my mind drift to the life I almost had. Carys. Lucas. Cape Verde. Can I reclaim it?

The facility is a vacation resort compared to the high-security prison we came from. No cuffs from place to place. Trips to the yard. No one tries to fight me or intimidate me in the first few hours. In fact, unlike the other facility, no one here seems to know who I am. I’ve never been much for anonymity, but the reprieve from constant vigilance is nice.

So when Billy comes toward me in the showers a few days after we arrive, my guard is low. In his hand is a shank, and I catch a glimpse of it just before he reaches me. On instinct, I rotate on my toe and aim a right under his jaw. He crumples to the floor, dropping the homemade knife in favor of rubbing his face.

“What the hell?” Billy mutters. Everyone else in the showers has scattered.

We’ve probably got two minutes before the guards burst in here. I pick up the shank and stand over him. “What the fuck is this? You coming for me?”

“Hell, no.” He shakes his head. “Hagen wanted me to deliver a message.”

“With a shank?” I keep my face neutral, but inside confusion swirls. Sure, I owe Hagen a few favors, but if the guy has me killed, he’s never cashing them in.

“You’re indebted to him. He wants Murray dead. I was to give you the weapon.” Billy presses on the bruise blooming along his jaw.

I chuckle. “He thinks I’ll turn into his errand boy? I’m keeping this.” I wag the knife at him. “I’m not killing anyone for Hagen Volkov.”

“He’s not going to be happy.” Billy props his back against the shower wall. “You owe him one.”

“I actually owe him a couple, but he screwed me over once, so I’m knocking a favor off. As for the other, you can tell him I’ll decide when I’m willing to pay up and what I’ll do. He might be your boss, but he sure as shit ain’t mine.”

“He—he knows a lot of people in here. He’ll make your life difficult.”

“That might be true, but I’ve gone from a maximum-security prison to this rinky-dink place in the middle of Michigan. I’m not risking my cushy station for anything. He wants to ask me for other things, I’ll consider each on a case-by-case basis. Murder isn’t on the table.” Carys needs me here, and I’m not making a single move to cause my chance at freedom to leak down the drain.

I riffle through my stuff on the bench. Do I take the shank or hide it in here somewhere? Safest to hide it. No need to get caught with contraband. None of the guards came, even though everyone must have poured out of the shower area like the place was on fire. Wonder how much he paid for this service?

“We’re done here,” I tell the kid.

“For now.” Billy rises. The bump on his chin looks like a rounded egg.

“You don’t want to cross me, kid.”

“I got bigger problems than you.”

“I’minhere, so the way I see it, there’s no bigger problem than me.”

“Yeah, well…” He runs his knuckles over his bruise. “Hagen’s out there, and I got people I give a shit about out there. So you can do your worst to me. But I’m not letting him do shit to them.” He punches the shower door when he leaves.

How many times have I heard someone begging for another person to be spared or for me to go easy on their family? Never moved me. You get into this business, and you know what you’re in for. Danger. Murder. Life on the line. And if you’re doing it right, a shit ton of money. Other than my younger brother, Lorcan, who could take care of himself, I never had anyone in my life to be dangled over the edge of a building as leverage.

I’m not stupid enough to believe I’m invincible anymore. Billy and I aren’t so different. We’ve both got people on the outside we won’t sacrifice. The question is: What’ll we do on the inside to keep them safe?

Chapter Four

Carys

Lucasisinfrontof the big ocean-view windows on a play mat, and I’m on the floor with him. He’s finally starting to sleep in longer stretches, so when he’s awake, I’m not feeling like such a sleep-deprived zombie. Jay’s daughter, Rosa, is beside me, rattling a baby toy to get his attention.

“Come on, Lucas. Roll over,” she coaxes.

At six, she’s baby obsessed. Her four-year-old sister, Luciana, is in the kitchen making lunch with Lena. Jay is at the casino, Dominic is at the door, and Sofia is reading a book on the couch behind me. The hustle and bustle of the house is a level of domestic bliss I never expected to achieve. There’s just one person missing.

When Lucas rocks and falls onto his back again, Rosa does a cheer. “So close. Try again.” Using the toy, she leads him toward his stomach. When he tries to grab it and flips onto his tummy, his giggle squeezes my heart.

“Oh my god. He rolled over from his back to his front.” I glance over my shoulder at Sofia.

She grins. Her long dark hair is in a ponytail, and her curvy frame is encased in a tank top and shorts. She peers over the top of her book. “Now the fun begins. Diaper changes go from a relatively quiet affair to a progressively bigger battle. Who wants to be on their back when they can be on their front?”

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