Chapter 45

Nessa doesn’t know it yet, but while she has been setting up her little plan, Damien and I have been executing one of our own. Thanks to the message Ronan sent about a week ago, the last piece of our puzzle fell into place. Now, it’s just a matter of days before everything Ronan has built should come crumbling down around him.

I must say, this is the most excited I’ve seen Nessa in a while .

She knew the mark she wanted and she went for it. There are very few things in Ronan’s life that he holds dear.

The first is power, and the second is the man we’re filming right now in the basement of Kray.

“Hey there, Sully,” Nessa says to the one man who helps Ronan run his little empire.

I’ve never liked the guy much, but now he just looks pathetic strung up in front of us with his Oxford shoes polished to perfection, Armani pants sitting two inches too high above his ankle, and his bright green pinstripe suit jacket bunched up around his neck while his arms strain above his head.

The sight is only made more entertaining by the look of shock on his face.

“Nessa,” he gasps as he tries to wiggle free. “Oh no, this is just grande. Fan-feckin-tastic, ain’t it? Serves me right, huh? You would be the one. I thought for sure it would be Ronan, but no, of course it’s you.”

Nessa crosses her arms as she takes a seat in front of him and leans back. “I am really surprised he kept you around for this long. What is it exactly that made you so special to him?”

Sullivan rolls his eyes, looking cool as a cucumber dangling there from a few chains with a table of tools to make him bleed at his side. He must have a severe mental disability not to take any of this seriously right now. Either that, or he’s in denial.

“Oh please, we both know that man loves me. But it has nothing to do with the fact that I keep most of his programs running smoothly and everything to do with me being even more OCD than him.”

The man continues to babble on as Nessa sits there. He tells her all about how Ronan can’t function without order and how he has been the only one competent enough to bring him what he needs. They laugh when Sullivan talks about the chipped floorboards in his office and how it’s driving him crazy, but he can’t find a replacement.

It’s all very…odd. They talk like they’ve been friends for years and are just chatting at a slumber party. Not at all like Nessa is about to chop his head off and send it back to her mortal enemy with a note stapled to his forehead.

When Nessa stands, Sullivan finally seems to take in his fate.

“I’m going to ask you one question and that will determine how you die. Are you going to tell me the truth?”

Nessa looks him in the eye and he holds it.

“I will.”

“Did you know I wasn’t dead?”

Sullivan hangs his head, and when he glances up, he’s biting his lip. “You know I loved your sister, right?”

My eyes nearly bug out of my head, but Nessa nods as if she knew all along.

“I didn’t love her in the way that I wanted to marry her, but I loved her like a sister. We grew up together just like you did with Cillian. She was the one I ran to when my parents said I would never be enough.”

He shakes his head. “Seeing her blood on that floor reminded me that none of us are good people. Ronan knew I cared for her, which meant I never would have allowed him to hurt her. He wasn’t just punishing you with her death. When he killed her and made me scrub the floor after, it was a warning to me too.”

Nessa doesn’t move, she just watches him as he takes a deep breath. “I never had the balls to do anything about my anger towards him. Always the coward, just like my parents would say. I had all of the flooring replaced so that I didn’t have to stare at the stain her blood left behind, and Ronan was none the wiser.”

Nessa grits her teeth, seeming to swallow past a lump in her throat as she grinds out the words, “Get to the point, Sully.”

He sighs, and I watch Nessa’s shoulders sink a little. “I knew you were alive,” he murmurs. “Your father was an idiot, always spouting off to the wrong people. I overheard that he was keeping it from Ronan, and I did the same.”

Nessa nods, going over to the table to pick up the new, sleek black gun that matches the one she gave Kai.

“Don’t make it quick,” Sullivan says firmly, causing Nessa to spin on her heels.

“Why?” Her tone is harsh, but I can see the crack in her armor. As much as Nessa loves to deal out retribution, she also craves the moment to show small mercies. She wants people to be good under the hate, even if she knows their hearts are black.

“Once he knew you were alive, I panicked. I thought for sure he would find out that I knew. In order to keep him off of my back, I gave him everything. He knows about Kai and the adoption because of me. He knows how to hurt you because of me.”

Nessa looks at me then, a mix of panic and worry on her face. She wanted to make this quick, and he asked for her not to in exchange for the truth. But I can see she doesn’t have the strength to make him hurt and bleed the way he is asking.

“I’ve got this one, Sweetheart,” I say, stepping forward. A knock sounds at the door right before Boris comes strolling in.

It’s our week to be back in Russia again, and Boris got a special room for them in the club while Damien is supposed to teach me some of the managing behind-the-scenes work. Sullivan was a last-minute surprise, brought here by Kia and Lyra, who are now occupying a room of their own.

“Go have some fun,” I tell Nessa before kissing her forehead. She stands on her toes to graze my lips.

“Thank you,” she breathes.

Without a backward glance, she leaves the room, and I turn to Sullivan. Nessa isn’t the only one who knows him; his family has played a big part in Ronan’s gang for decades. They’re silent partners, feeding him money to ensure their business stays on top in the community.

Nessa said she wanted to make Ronan bleed, and I plan to do just that. Starting with this man.

“Tell me how to take out your family and their businesses,” I demand, picking up one of my favorite obsidian knives that lies next to Damien’s mini sword collection.

Sullivan sighs, and I already know I don’t need to mark him up to get my answers. This is his last opportunity to hurt Ronan; he’ll give me everything because of that alone.

“There is a gala coming up in two weeks. Everyone who silently supports them and their cause will be there. I’m sure you can come up with something.”

I tap the onyx blade to my chin. “If it’s a gala, there will be innocents there. Not really my style.”

He shrugs, as much as he can with his hands bound above his head. “I think the only people there that aren’t actively involved would be the catering staff. Get them out, then blow up the place.”

I eye him skeptically because that is a good plan. Most of the staff would take a break when speeches are being given, and we could send someone in to get them out quietly.

“Why are you helping us?” I ask.

He laughs. “You guys found a way to get out. Do you think I wanted to be there? To be part of all of the shit Ronan and his little gang of perfectionists use to bring fear and poverty to our land? No. But I couldn’t find a way out. So I did what any logical person would do. I made the best of it. I did the best I could at my job so I could live another day.”

He laughs again, but this time it’s more solemn. “Another meaningless day.”

Well, feck a pickle. I have an insane idea. I know, right? So unlike me. But here I am, bringing all the genius plans and making them happen.

“I think I have a plan,” I say, bringing the blade to Sullivan’s face. “But I will need you to hold very still in the process.”

=====

“Is everything in order?” Damien asks me, stepping into the room that Lev and I have been using to craft our little plan. We arrived back to Norway a day after Sully and I had our little chat, just in time for me to begin executing all of my ideas. Without telling the others, of course. Surprises are my expertise after all.

Lev is on the computer, doing his thing and typing away.

“Almost,” I say. “We have just under two weeks to make it all happen. If we pull this off, we are going to need an award of some kind.”

A red light pops up at the top of the screen, and Lev spins in his chair. “Shit, shit, shit. Someone’s on the property.”

“How many?” I ask, pulling the gun from behind my back and flicking off the safety. “Which quadrant was breached?”

A round of furious typing as Damien arms his weapon beside me.

“Quadrant two. Two men.”

Before he can even finish his sentence, I’m out the door. Everyone would have received a message on their phone, but Nessa was taking a nap, and Boris was out on a supply run with Alexi. I meet Evie in the hallway, armed to perfection.

“Where’s Ness?” she asks immediately.

“In the bedroom. She wanted to take a nap.”

She nods. “You go to her, Damien and I will circle the perimeter. We will protect the kids at all costs.”

I nod, turning toward the room when I hear a door being kicked open. My feet carry me faster than ever before, and the moment I step through the broken-down door, I see two bodies on the floor.

My chest constricts until I see Kai poised perfectly with two knives in one hand and a flaming red gun in the other.

“What the actual feck, Kai?” Nessa nearly screams as she jumps out of the bed. He drops the weapons quickly, his face going red. “Who taught you to throw like that? And who in the hell gave you back that gun? It’s supposed to be in the safe!”

He hangs his head as I bring my phone to my ear, telling Evie where the bodies are before hanging up and going over to the pissed-off mother in the room.

“Ness, he saved you.” It’s only then that she pauses, turning her fuming gaze on me.

Feck, I’m an eejit, I should have let the kid just take the wrath. I don’t want it.

“And just how did he save me, Killer?”

I guess the jig is up.

“We may have helped him dabble in some training of sorts,” I admit when Boris comes running into the room.

“I got the message and came straight here. What happened?”

Nessa doesn’t even pay the bodies on the floor any attention as she swings her angry gaze at him. “Did you know about this?” she asks.

Boris’ eyes pinch together as he stares around the room. “That someone was going to attack?”

“No,” Nessa rolls her eyes as if the poor old fella is supposed to read her mind. For once I feel bad for him. Not like a lot or anything, but it’s clear he is only trying to catch up . “Were you aware Kai has been training with weapons this whole time?”

He rolls his lips into a thin line, which is all the answer she needs. But apparently, she isn’t done yet when she turns her attention back to me.

“Was this your idea? We agreed! I allowed the guns, but I wanted to be the one to teach him! How the feck did he learn to throw a knife like that?”

“Actually, Lisichka ,” Boris says, “this was all my idea. My deal.”

Her jaw drops almost as dramatically as the ones in the cartoons as she stares at him in disbelief.

“If you want to be mad at anyone, be mad at me.”

Throwing her hands in the air, she screams under her breath. “I’m mad at all of you!”

“Then be mad,” Kai yells back, stunning us all into silence. “You can be mad all you want, Mom. But I want to know this stuff. I need to know it. Case in point, the fact that you’re still alive and breathing, and the two people who thought they could break in are dead.”

He steps closer to her. “Did you know they came to my room first? I was hiding, but I followed them here after taking my gun out of my nightstand where I keep it to protect me and the others. We both know there’s no way you would have woken up to respond in time. So be angry, but I don’t regret a thing.”

Kai meets her toe to toe, even if he’s nearly a foot shorter than her. A pained expression crosses Nessa’s face as tears well in her eyes. But she doesn't let them fall. Instead, she stares at Kai with her jaw clenched.

“I agreed to teach you to shoot,” she tries but he rolls his eyes, sliding the knives into his pocket and placing the gun behind his back.

“Yeah, and you have made an excuse not to every time I’ve asked.”

Blowing out a breath, she looks back at Boris and me.

“Who all is working with him?”

“Everyone,” I answer honestly.

The cat’s already out of the bag, might as well admit it has kittens too.

“Oh for the love of feck,” Nessa groans, rubbing a hand over her face. “What exactly have you learned? Other than knife throwing from Evie?”

She no longer looks angry when she asks Kai about the training, but I don’t know where she’s going with this.

“Damien and Alexi have taught me some hand-to-hand combat and wrestling. Lev and I have talked about computers, and Pops helped me learn a lot of legal and illegal business trade information. Daddio showed me how to wield obsidian blades and let me use your long-range rifle in Russia.”

“ What ?” Nessa whips her head towards me, and I sheepishly shrug before staring at Kai.

“Last time I agree to train your ass,” I mumble, but the kid only chuckles like I’m joking. I mean, I totally am, but he should take me more seriously. Aren’t sons supposed to respect their fathers or some shite?

“I’ve worked with Akio and Adrian too. Laney and Havoc. Arrow taught me about poisons during this last trip, and Damien let me blow something up.”

Nessa sits down on the bed, her hands pressed together as she likely prays for patience.

“I want to talk to Dr. K about this,” she says finally.

“We already have,” Boris states like that should make her feel better. “We work with Kai only in ways that Dr. K believes he is ready for. And we always give him the choice as we all agreed. He is aware that he is never expected to do anything he does not wish to do and will always be given a choice. But right now, he is choosing to learn from us. If anyone understands what making their own choices means to them, it would be you. Please let us continue to do this for him.”

She shakes her head as I’m preparing the speech of a lifetime in mine, but her next words stop me from spewing it.

“No. if you’re going to do this for him, and it seems I am clearly outnumbered, then I want to be part of that too. Not just you.”

Standing, she walks over to Kai and pulls him into a tight embrace.

“I love you, and if this is what you need, I want to be able to give it to you.”

He hugs her back just as fiercely. “I love you too, Mom. This is what I want. This is who I want to be. And I want you to help me be one of the best.”

With a heavy sigh, she pulls back, looking him in the eye. “Then let’s go practice.”

They step over the bodies in the doorway as if they’re just a mild inconvenience as the rest of the family makes their way here.

“Where are you two going?” Damien asks, his gaze staring at the man on the floor with a knife embedded in his jugular.

“He said he wants to be the best,” Nessa hollers back. “Clearly that means I need to be the one teaching him.”

As if that were a challenge, we all follow behind, determined to be the one who shows our kid the best skills to have in this world.

Some might think that bonding with your child shouldn’t be done with weapons and tactical fighting skills, but those people would be boring .