Page 55 of Hostile Bond
My eyes scan the shadows as I fish out the key fob from my pocket and tug my hood over my head. Orange lights blink on the Aston Martin from across the road when I unlock it.
“Nice car. You’ve slipped into the mafia lifestyle already.” His chuckle competes with the harsh wind.
I look back over my shoulder to make a face at him, but the second I do, a red laser dot wavers on his forehead. In the seconds it takes me to scream his name, a bullet penetrates its target and Liam’s body slumps to the wet ground.
Mammy freezes.
My blood runs ice cold. Without hesitation, I reach for my gun, watching the same red light settling over my heart.
Heavy footfall thumps at the same pace as my panic just before a familiar voice from my past slips out from the darkness.
“Ladies.” I curse the coldness in Sean Hennessy’s tone. “Put your weapon down, little viper. I wasn’t expecting to see you both again. Yet here we are––and apparently, we’re family now.”
21
SINÉAD
My head wrenches up, my eyelids springing open for the hundredth time.
A coffee aroma invades my nostrils and a rush of goosebumps scurries over me. I recognize the interior of The Rusty Shamrock, where glowing embers die in the aged stove and a flicker of gray daylight catches shiny beer taps, offering a glimmer of hope in the infinite darkness.
When I glance at Mammy, my heart fists. Her face is sallow from exhaustion, the lines around her pensive eyes are deeper and harsher as she tries to offer me a comforting smile. It doesn’t work. There’s no consolation to be had at the hand of this monster.
Liam didn’t stand a chance against him. He had no opportunity to run, hide, or even defend himself. One bullet. One snap of the trigger. That’s all it took to wipe his soul from the Earth.
After Sean had stolen his life, four men dressed in combat gear dragged his limp body indoors, on the hunt for somewhere discreet to dispose of him.
Shock had reduced Mammy and me to silence. Since then, we’ve been huddled on the cold stone floor under a bunch of wall mounted picture frames, enduring a wintry draft.
I’d fought the lure of sleep countless times, reluctantly slipping in and out of the nightmare I should have been more prepared for. Sickly dizziness comes and goes when I move my head too quickly.
Unfortunately, my gun was confiscated by a shaggy-haired asshole called Jack, who lives in Sean’s creeping shadow.
I scrub my eyes and assess the armed men dotted around the room. One man casually slurps coffee from a mug and another stares at his phone, thumbing the screen. While the third guy sits by the exit with his rifle on the table, his dull eyes cut to mine when I shift.
Voices echo from the office where Sean had spent the last few hours of nightfall.
Bastard.
The door handle thuds against the wall and out he strolls. Confidence ripples from his nefarious aura. Broad shoulders are pushed back, straightening his lean physique and a neat buzz cut is snug to his scalp. But it’s the cocky grin tugging at the corners of his mouth that unravels the years of hatred I have for this man.
“Little viper… I was wondering why you ran away from my nephew?” He takes a zippo out of his designer jeans’ pocket and grabs a packet of cigarettes from the bar. “Wasn’t he treating you right?” His low chuckle makes my stomach burn. “Pour her a coffee, Jack. It’s been a long night.”
The shorter man who follows him out of the office nods obediently and moves behind the bar to fetch a clean mug. Sean doesn’t say another word as Jack tips the glass jug so trickling brown liquid fills the silence.
“It must be very uncomfortable on the floor. Why don’t you take a seat and enjoy your morning coffee with me? We’re family now, aren’t we?”
I shake my head and scowl at him. He hums in amusement and sparks the tip of his cigarette. My pulse flutters when a familiar smokiness swirls around him. That particular brand—my husband's choice of tobacco.
“Get the fuck up.” Nipping the butt between his lips, he unholsters the gun at his hip and casually waves it in our direction. “I’d rather my nephew didn’t walk into a bloodbath. You’re more valuable to me alive, but she’d easily be… collateral damage.” I ball my hands and refuse to speak. “Dré sent me a text message a few hours ago. Told me his wife would likely show up here. He also said he was on his way to take you home.” He shrugs.
I clamber to my feet, ignoring the stiffness in my legs and the ache in my back. Mammy stays on the floor, knowing from experience not to taunt the fucker. Fighting my impulse to gouge his eyeballs out with my nails, I take a seat at the wobbly round table where a freshly poured coffee waits on a coaster.
I want this man dead.
Sean sits opposite me and props his elbows on the tabletop, exhaling a lungful of smoke so it rushes into my mouth and clouds my eyes. I hold my breath and wait for it to disperse.
“So… little viper… after all these years, my nephew found you.” His attention flickers to the black heart on my wedding finger. “I remember how he’d begged me to find out where you’d run off to. I told him I’d organize a search party. I didn’t bother. To be honest, I’d grown bored of her pussy.” He glances down at Mammy and winks. “Besides, I needed to teach my nephew a lesson. He’s the one with the power, good looks, and wealth. People like us don’t need stray dogs… bitches.” He thumbs his lower lip and trails his cold gaze over the hoodie I’m wearing.
