Alistair Chapter 20

I didn’t want to spread the mess around and drag Beck and Danvers to the warehouse back home to kill them and then have to dispose of them there. We had a team coming in with a boat under the cover of darkness. They’d clear out the bodies. Another crew would clean everything so it was back to pristine condition and ensure any prints and DNA were cleaned away and spent brass from our guns was picked up and policed, as we called it. In no time, it would be perfect again. We were lucky they used silencers on their weapons, and we’d done the same. The last thing we wanted was to attract the police. Most of the bystanders and paparazzi had left for the night, but you couldn’t guarantee that a few stragglers or neighbors hadn’t heard anything. Lucky for us, the houses weren’t right on top of each other.

It was the cleanup crew who changed my plans. The others we’d killed as we found them. I wanted to take my ire out on one of them, and Danvers was the prime target, but I wouldn’t have time to torture him, which had been my plan. After a quick conference with Aisling, I came up with an alternate plan. It was her idea. While we talked, the others were busy rounding up the bodies or watching Beck sweat. Danvers kept muttering under his breath.

Turning to face them, I ignored the flunky and began to talk to Danvers again. I wanted to hear all the bullshit he had to say, but I knew a couple of people who wanted to hear it more. I placed the secure call. It was picked up quickly. On the other end were Patrick, Sean, Cormac, Darragh, and several other of the O’Sheeran men. I’d had a message sent, telling them that everyone was safe and the threat was contained.

“I wanted you all to have a chance to hear this and to ask questions. First, Danvers, tell us why you think Aisling is to blame for your misfortune or whatever it is?”

“You know why! My bitch of a half-sister put her up to it. She knew our dad had moved on and got a new family, a better one. She was jealous, and to hurt him, she had her rich gangster husband threaten him and buy her a winery in the same area as the one my mom’s family owned. They wanted to run us out of business, but Dad was too smart for them. He kept it from happening. So what did Maeve do? She had one of her nieces take over after he died, and somehow, she bribed and fooled people to make them think their winery was way better than ours. They gave her all these kudos and awards for what? Those wines aren’t better than ours. It was all pay-offs and threats. I knew if I didn’t put a stop to this one and Maeve, my bitch of a sister, would find another way to ruin us.”

I saw Patrick and his sons biting their lips, trying not to say anything, but you could tell they were beyond angry. Cormac and Sean were livid, too. I kept going. “Why did you have men go after Aisling with cars? What was your objective, or did you have one?”

“Of course I did! I was gonna kidnap her ass and use her to get them to sell their winery and never step foot in California again, and they’d have to never be in the winemaking business either, no matter where it was in the world. They would’ve done it, too, if it wasn’t for her bodyguard chasing off the guys I hired,” he said in disgust.

“Was it this guy and his crew who did it?”

“No, it wasn’t us,” was Beck’s immediate reply.

“No, it was another group. I gave them another chance, and they blew it. They didn’t want to after they found out who she was, but I wouldn’t pay them if they left the job undone.”

“You thought up the fire at the winery,” Aisling stated.

He sneered at her. “Yeah, too bad some nosy neighbor put it out so fast. If we’d burned it to the ground, you would’ve left with your tail between your legs. It was after that I knew I needed new men. Men used to doing the big jobs. It took me a bit, but I thought I’d found them with his crew,” he jerked his head toward Beck but gave him a look of contempt.

“You lied to us. You said they were the ones who ruined your life, stole money and land from you, were threatening you, and you needed to get them before they got you. We had no idea of the true story until minutes ago. You went after not only a mafia family but the woman who belongs to the leader of the Hounds of Justice! You’re not only crazy but suicidal. I wish I’d never met you!” he yelled.

“Who the fuck are the Hounds of Justice!? Who are they to make you shake in your boots like a pussy?” Danvers snarled.

“We’re the men and women who’ll hunt for justice to the ends of the earth if we have to. We’re the ones you won’t know are there until you wake up to find us standing over you. We don’t go after innocent men, women, and children. We do our research and only eliminate the scum of the world. You had no idea the O’Sheeran family you accuse of so much is the creators of the Hounds, and I’m the man lucky enough to be appointed their head as well as the man who won this beautiful woman’s heart. The woman you came after with the intention to kidnap and now to kill,” I snapped back.

“I didn’t say I planned to kill her,” he protested. I think the reality of who we were and what was to happen was settling in.

“Bullshit! Don’t lie now. They’re not gonna let us go. He’s full of it. He said he wanted her dead and whoever else got in our way. We’d earn a bonus if she died in an extra gruesome way,” Beck outed him spitefully. No honor among thieves and killers, I guess.

Protests of anger came through the screen, but it was nothing compared to what I’d let rip out of me. I roared as I grabbed him and threw Danvers across the room. He landed in a heap on the floor. He was no longer tied up, and neither was Beck. I had no fear they’d overpower any of us or run away. If he wanted to fight back, let him.

He was a man still in his prime. From what we knew about him, he was in his early forties. He came bounding to his feet and flew at me. Beck stayed seated. It was a flurry of fists as we went head-to-head. He was no match for me, and that was with me sticking purely to punching and none of the other moves I knew. It wasn’t long until he was a bloody heap on the floor. I wanted to keep at him until he was dead, but Aisling’s hand on my arm stopped me.

“ Mo gra , enough for now. Daid , do you or my brothers want to ask him anything before we have him disposed of along with the others?”

Her saying daid had Danvers lifting his head to look at her and then the monitor screen. We’d called them using a laptop that I sat on a nearby table. “ Daid , that’s rich. You drove mine to the grave while Maeve and her husband lived happily. Patrick, where are you? Where’s my useless waste of a sister,” he mumbled. He was in no shape to yell.

I figured Patrick would have no problem speaking his mind. What stunned me was when he moved to the front of their group, he wasn’t alone. Maeve was with him, tucked under his protective arm. I saw sadness on her face as she saw her brother for the first and last time.

“There you are,” he said before he spit at the screen.

“I want you to know something, Danvers, before you die. No one ruined your daid . He did that all on his own. Yes, I told him never to come near Maeve or her mam, or he’d wish he hadn’t. I didn’t make him leave Florida. When I bought that winery in Temecula, I had no clue he’d ended up there and had remarried or had anything to do with a winery. Once he left Florida, he was no longer our concern. If we were competing with your winery, it would be the same competition we are to every other one in Temecula and the world. We put in hard work. Period. It wasn’t personal,” Patrick told him.

“And because of it, I had no idea I had a brother. There was nothing stopping you when you turned eighteen from contacting me. I would’ve welcomed having a brother, but you chose not to. In fact, I heard you turned into an abusive man just like our daid was. Going after those weaker than you or of the opposite sex is cowardly. Aisling took over the winery when she showed a love for it. She’s done a tremendous job, and she’ll keep it growing. You had no right to try and use her to force us to do anything. And to go after her with the intention of killing her because of this twisted tale you were fed all your life is beyond ridiculous. I’m sorry you never had a chance or knew love, Danvers. If you’d come to me, I would’ve shown you what true family love was,” Maeve told him, getting misty-eyed by the end.

“Our daid was a great man! He couldn’t help the women in his life. Your whore of a mam , you, and my mam were all weak and not worthy of him or me. You never stayed in your place,” he partially shouted.

I’d heard enough. It was time to end this farce. “Darragh, sirs, it’s time for us to go. Our ride is here. We’ll be home as soon as we make sure everything is taken care of.”

“Do what you need to do, Mac . We’ll be here,” Cormac said.

Patrick had walked off with a weeping Maeve. Aisling shut off the laptop after saying goodbye. She was glaring daggers at Danvers. No one blamed her.

“Alright, let’s get these two out to the boat. I’ll leave some men here and come back to get you when it’s done,” I told her.

“No, I want to go too.”

Seeing the expression on her face, I knew she was in an arguing mood. “You guys take them to the boat. I’ll be there soon.” They nodded and hauled both men to their feet, then out of the room. Aisling faced off with me.

“I know what you’re about to say, and it’s bull. There’s no reason I can’t go. It’s not dangerous.”

“It might be. What if we get pulled over by the Coast Guard with a bunch of dead bodies? We’ll all be headed to prison for the rest of our lives. I don’t want it to happen to you. If I end up behind bars, I need to know you’re safe and free and, God willing, raising our child. No, I’m sorry, but no. And I’m not forgetting you disobeyed me and left the safety of the panic room. You were to stay there, Ais.”

“I went into the room. The reason I left was you didn’t tell me how many men were really there. You lied. I didn’t know if one might get by you or sneak up on you. And it was a good thing I did. The guy in the bedroom knew about the wall. I don’t know how, but he did. Then we found Danvers and Beck. That’s three. As for you getting caught, how do you think it’ll make me feel to know you did, and it’s all my fault? These men were after me.”

We argued back and forth without either of us giving in. Several minutes later, Kendric interrupted us when he knocked on the door. “I hate to interrupt, but we’ve gotta go if we’re doing this. It’ll be sunrise soon.”

She gave me a determined look, and I gave her the same. We were at a stalemate. I was taken back when Kendric said more. “I get you don’t want her to come, and I know she wants to, not because I was listening but because I know her. There is a risk, but it’s slight. Aisling, would you stay behind if Alistair stayed, or is it the fact you have to see them all dead that has you insisting on coming with us?”

She started to speak, then paused and thought it over. When she was done, she answered him calmly. “While a part of me would like to see them all gone, it’s more I don’t want Alistair to go. Why? I don’t know. That’s not to say I want any of you taking a risk with the Coast Guard, either. I-it’s just…” She faded away, and I saw tears.

Taking her in my arms, I saw regret and guilt there. That’s when it dawned on me why she was fighting me. She’d killed someone. It was a shock even if you’d been trained to expect it as I was. For her, it had to be twice as traumatic, and she hadn’t had a moment to deal with it. She needed me to be with her. I made my choice.

“Kendric, tell my men to go without me. I need to stay with Ais. If they have any questions, let me know. The rest of you don’t need to go with them. They can handle this.”

“I’ll let them know,” was all he said before disappearing.

As he did, she dissolved into tears. Murmuring comforting words in her ear, I picked her up and carried her to one of the other bedrooms. The master still needed to be cleaned, and she didn’t need a reminder of what occurred there. I curled up on the bed with her in my arms. She sobbed for a long time before she was able to stop. When she did, she gave me an apologetic smile.

“Sorry for turning into a leaky faucet and soaking your shirt. I don’t know what came over me. And I apologize for keeping you behind. I know how important your job is, and being with your men is your job.”

“My job and men are important to me, but nothing is more important than you. You watched a man die, and it was at your hand. It takes time to get over it. You can cry on me anytime. And I need to apologize to you for not telling you how many men were coming for us. I just don’t want you in danger. As for how the guy knew about the room, we may never know, but it’ll be taken into consideration. Before the family vacations here again, we’ll be making a new one.”

“I’m all for that. How long do you think before we know if they’re done and safe?”

“They’ll let me know. Soon. For now, why don’t you and I rest? If you can take a nap, do it. When they get back, we’re heading home.”

“I’ll try. I wish, in one way, we’d gotten to stay longer, but I need to be home with the family, and I want to check on Maeve. She has to be devastated. He was her brother, even if she never knew him. He made her cry, Stair.”

“I know he did, leanabh . We’ll make sure she has all the support she needs.”

The tender kiss she gave me melted my hardened heart. I snuggled her closer and closed my eyes. I wouldn’t sleep, but I would rest.

???

In the end, it wasn’t until late morning that we were on our way home. It wasn’t a long flight back. The family swarmed us when we returned. We’d been hugged and kissed and finally settled in the family room together. Maeve wasn’t crying, but she did appear sad, and her eyes were still red. She almost cried when Aisling hugged her and whispered in her ear for a long time.

“Alright, we’ve welcomed them back. It’s time to get things on track. We’ll give you a break on the fight ring, but we’re scheduling it within the next week. I mean, it’ll make you look like an asshole after announcing an engagement, and then we have to announce you were too weak to take our initiation and therefore had to give her back but oh well,” Shane teased him.

“Hey, you can talk out of your ass all day and night, but there’s no giving her back, and I can handle you. Anytime,” I challenged back.

I enjoyed the heckling from them, and then the women made me laugh when they sided with me and against their men. We were laughing and enjoying family night, as they called it. They’d brought in pizza and wings. I knew they were comforting Maeve and Aisling. They knew she’d taken a life, and it was weighing on her.

We were sitting there enjoying the food and conversations when Darragh took out his phone. It must have vibrated since I hadn’t heard it ring. He read the message, then looked over at me.

“I hate to interrupt the fun, but I need Alistair, Daid, and the uncaili in the Center for a quick meeting. Cody has an update for us.”

I knew what it was about. It had to be about the Bragan and Brynes investigation. The way Aisling was looking at me, she did, too. I would be glad to know one way or another. The Hounds and I should be able to move forward if this was the complete investigation.

Excusing ourselves, we went down to the Center. Since it was officially Hounds’ business, the others stayed behind. We’d update them with what they needed to know. Arriving, I found Cody was already there. I swear he crept around like a ninja himself. We didn’t waste time. We sat, and he started right in.

“I hated to disrupt your evening, but I knew you’d want to know this right away. I’ve got information on the Bragan family’s request. There is proof the women and girls aren’t runaways or their disappearances are false reports. They’re missing, and it has been happening for well over a year. It seems to be concentrated in the Bragan territory but not exclusive to them. They have a problem without a doubt,” he paused to let us absorb this.

“Any chance the Brynes are responsible like the Bragans accused them?” Sean asked.

Cody sighed as he nodded. “There was reason to suspect them. However, I don’t know yet if Christopher Brynes is involved. I can say there are people in his organization and even in the family with suspicious income and activities, which led me to dig, and they appear to be involved. We have enough to warrant going after them. Nothing makes the Bragans appear to be more than concerned, and they’re making changes to get out of the illegal activities they’ve been involved in for years, for decades. I wanted to know what you want me to do. Dig more or go after the ones we know are involved. If we do the latter, we risk not getting them all or the head of it.”

Anger and distaste filled me. The thought of anyone being involved in that kind of thing was bad enough, let alone someone we know. I had my thoughts, but the ultimate decision rested with Darragh. All eyes were on him. He took his time before he answered.

“I want to hear your thoughts before I tell you mine. This is a touchy and personal subject for us. We know Chris and his family as well as the others, even though the Bragans less so.”

“I feel we should work on getting more information so we know for sure who all is involved. We don’t want any to slip through,” Patrick said first.

“I agree,” Sean added.

“As much as I want to find those girls and women and prevent others from being taken, the thought of it continuing if we don’t get them all at once holds me back from saying go now,” Cormac stated. Dar turned his gaze to me.

“Dar, I want to nail Chris’s ass to the wall, but if it’s not his fault, that’s not fair. My personal dislike can’t be a factor here. I agree with Cormac about wanting to rescue them and prevent more from being taken, but we all have a great point. We can’t risk missing even one person involved. We want to take out the whole dirty bunch. My vote is to wait.”

He sagged. “Good. It was mine, too. I want this done, but not before we can ensure it’ll be one hundred percent cleaned up. Cody, let the Bragans know the Hounds will take the job, but we’re still gathering proof and information. They have to agree to let us do our work without interference, and they can’t make a move against anyone. If they do, they’ll be on the wrong end of it with us. Bring in as much help as you need to get this done.”

“I’m on it. I’ll let them know tonight. Thanks, that’s all I needed to know. As I get names, I’ll let you and Alistair know so you can fill in the others.”

“Thanks,” we told him. After handshakes all around, he left. I knew none of us wanted to tell the women and the others what we’d learned, but it had to happen. It involved two families they knew, and they’d have to be careful what they said if they had any contact with them, especially the Brynes. It would happen, at least on the social level. They moved in the same circles and supported some of the same charities and such.

“Are you ready?” Darragh asked us. We all nodded before leaving to tell the rest of the family the news. It would bring down the mood. I was ready for a solid run of peace and only good news. I guess it would have to wait a while longer.