29. Chapter Twenty-Nine

29

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Phoenix

M y sweet, sweet boy climbed in bed with me hours ago. His Uncle Kie isn’t back from whatever he’s doing with his brothers yet. But that just means I don’t have to share these snuggles with the big oaf yet. I’ve tried to close my eyes, tried letting Rhett’s soft snores lull me into the sleep that my body is begging for, but it just doesn’t come. I know I’m safe here, Kieran wouldn’t have left me alone if I wasn’t, but I still don’t feel it.

Knowing my privacy was violated once again makes my stomach churn and my eyes water. I don’t want to worry my mom but I haven’t gotten this far by not sending up our signals. Pulling my phone out I shoot her a text. We talk in code a lot. It’s what makes us both feel safest.

Nix: How was the park today? (Are you able to talk?)

Mom: Empty, it made for a nice walk. How was the meeting? Did you close the deal? (I’m alone, are you okay? Are you safe?)

Nix: It was tough. I think I did but only time will tell. (I don’t know. I think I am, but I’m scared.)

My mom and I have sent varying versions of these texts since I got my first phone at fourteen. When you piss off as many powerful men as I did you can never be too careful. My phone rings in my hand just seconds later.

“Mom…” My voice cracks as the word leaves my lips.

“Oh, baby. What’s wrong?”

I know the lines are secured on my end because Kieran had Mac do it earlier, and I know hers are because she’s never played about my safety and Lee had hers secured forever ago. She checks it twice a week to make sure no one has gotten in so I know I’m safe to tell her the truth.

“They found me. David broke into my apartment and left me a note. I don’t know what to do.”

“Phoenix, listen to me. where are you right now? I’m coming to you.”

“I’m at Kieran’s, I’m in bed with Rhett. I’m safe right now but I don’t feel safe, mom. I feel like he’s behind the closet door or in the shower. He’s going to grab me. He said ‘come out, come out, wherever you are.’ I’m right in his grasp.”

“Phoenix, breathe with me. In…..Out…” She takes deep breaths with me until my heart rate begins to calm down. “Okay, let’s think about this with a clear mind. Do you really feel or believe that David or one of the others are in that house?”

I know before she finishes the question that I don’t. Kieran would never let that happen. “No, I don’t. I guess I just feel violated. He was in my space. I could have easily been there. ”

“I know you’re going to hate this suggestion, but have you thought about getting a security detail? Just until we track them down and put them back behind bars for violating parole.”

“You’re going to be shocked but I actually already have a detail, plus Kieran.” Her laugh rings through the line making my heart feel a little lighter.

“I should have known. Nix, I know all about Kieran Byrne, just because I’m an Ohio cop doesn’t mean we haven’t heard about the Byrne men.”

“If you know about him, why aren’t you freaking out about it?”

“Because, my darling, out of all the things we’ve heard about the Byrne men, and we’ve heard a lot, they aren’t really on the up and up. We’ve never heard anything about them in the women and children world with the exception of how they’re on the hunt for one specific person and they’ve been looking for her for fourteen years. These aren’t men who hurt women and children, and I think you know that by the little boy you’re holding in your arms right now.”

“I do. I’m sure they have their faults, scratch that, I know they have their faults. Hurting women and children isn’t one of them.”

“No baby, it isn’t.” The line goes quiet for a long minute until I work up the nerve to ask what I want to.

“Will you stay on the phone with me until Kieran comes up? He’s talking to his brothers about all of this.”

“Sleep, sweet girl. You’re safe.”

I talk to my mom for a little while longer until I think I fall asleep. I must have because the next thing I know a warm strong body slides in bed behind me. As his arm wraps around me so does the feeling of safety that I’ve been missing. Before I let sleep take me I whisper the same word that one of us says every night.

“Stay?”

Kieran’s face is buried in my hair when I hear his sleepy, gravely voice reply in the same way we always do.

“Swear.”

* * *

The next few days have flown by in a tangle of research, orgasms, making plans, spending time with his family, and now this. I’m standing in Kieran’s closet; pulling on a black three quarter zip, my hair is pulled up in a high and sleek bun, matching black leggings covering my legs, and my black combat boots finishing off the look. I look like a bad ass, ready to take down the scum of the Earth. Which is truly ironic considering that I’m about to do exactly that.

Walking out of the closet I look around the room, there’s no Kie to be found. It’s extremely early. Where could he have gone at three-thirty in the morning? Deciding to go look for him, my feet carry me to the room I assume he’s found himself in. My ears perk as his voice filters through the open doorway and into the hallway. Sneaking up to the door frame, I peer in on the sweetest sight I’ve probably ever seen before.

Kieran in his all black attire sits in the glider that’s positioned in the corner of Rhett’s room. He has Rhett in his arms with his little head buried into the crook of Kie’s neck, gently rocking him. But what has tears springing to my eyes is that Kie’s softly singing to him. Rhett’s body goes slack before my eyes as Kie sings about loving someone so big that he’ll spend the rest of his life explaining what can’t be put into words. Kie’s eyes lift to mine and a grin takes over his face as he continues his song.

Once he’s finished, he gently lays Rhett back down and silently makes his way out of the room pulling the door shut with a quiet click. “Hey, Brave Girl. Enjoy the concert?” He’s teasing me, it’s apparent by the huge smile taking over his face.

“His processors were out, why were you singing to him?” I ask with no judgment in my voice, just curiosity.

“He can feel the vibrations in my chest and throat. He likes it, so a lot of times he comes to find me in the middle of the night if he wakes up and I sing him back to sleep. Always that song.” His expression changes into one of adoration as he speaks of his and Bear’s special time together.

“I never took you as a country music guy.” I playfully tease.

“I’m not. Rhett heard it somewhere and would sing it constantly. It got stuck in my head and somehow became our thing.” He presses a kiss to my head before asking, “You ready?”

I shrug, “As ready as I’ll ever be, if nothing else I feel pretty badass.”

His eyes slowly rake over my body before a filthy grin takes over his face, “On second thought, we don’t need to do this. Let’s stay here. I mean it’s early, and I’d just love to go back to bed.” His greedy hands grab my hips and pull me flush to his hard body. Laughing, I push his hands away.

“If we go now we’ll make it back in just enough time for me to suck your dick before we have to meet with Lee. ”

Kieran gives me a no nonsense nod, his eyes fill with determination, “Deal.” He smacks my ass and calls over his shoulder, “Get that fine ass moving, baby. We’re on a time crunch.”

We’re not, he’s just ridiculous. I watch him walk down the hall looking so effortlessly sexy in his black sweatpants and hoodie which are accompanied by all black shoes. Deciding I’m as ready as I’ll ever be to come face to face with one of my nightmares I follow behind him to an all black Escalade. He helps me inside and buckles my seat belt before shutting the door and rounding the front to get in the driver’s seat. Before he pulls off he takes my hand in his. A subtle reminder that he’s staying and I’m not in danger with him.

The ride over is fairly quiet as I stay lost in my own head. Pulling up to the abandoned warehouse in a run down area of town I scan the tree lines surrounding it. I can’t see anything, but the sun hasn’t risen yet either. Kieran gets out, scans his surroundings, then comes over to my door and opens it, helping me out before wrapping his hand around my waist anchoring me to his side.

“You okay, Brave Girl? You don’t have to do this.”

“I do. And I can with you here with me.” He presses his lips to my temple in a show of silent support as we make our way inside.

The warehouse is huge, bare, and dingy with a cement floor. It’s chilly and the lighting is dim to say the least. But the five large men who stand in a circle in the middle of the room stand out like a lighthouse in a storm. I know without seeing their faces that it’s Kieran’s brothers. I didn’t know that they were coming nor did I expect them to be here.

“What’s going on?” I ask with a hint of skepticism as we approach them. Rowan, ever the leader, is the one who speaks up first.

“You think we’d let you go through this alone, Nix?”

“Well, kind of, I didn’t know I was ‘inner circle’ yet.”

He chuckles and kisses the top of my head, “You’ve been inner circle since the day you told Clara to give me a chance. You’re sister status because my brother loves you.”

Kieran tips his head to the side drawing my eyes in the direction of the back corner of the warehouse where one of the men who owned me is hanging from a butcher’s hook. His feet barely touch the storm drain under him. He looks like he’s already been pretty beaten. Stripped down to only a pair of boxers I notice bruises littering his face and body. He’s still alive but he’s unconscious. Mac moves to the spot beside me as I come to a stop just ten or so feet away from Jerry. He was the cruelest of the men who owned me, don’t get me wrong, none of them were nice, but he is a person who would make Lucifer look like a saint.

“You ask him whatever you need to. Whatever you want to for closure. If you want to end him, you can. If you don’t, I’ll gladly do it for you.” Mac gives me a reassuring squeeze before backing up so that the only Byrne brother that surrounds me is Kie.

His front pressed against my back, he dips his head so that he’s able to speak into my ear, “This show is yours there’s no expectations or judgments here. You do whatever you need to for closure.”

Walking over to the wooden work bench I take note of all the tools laid out in front of me. Tools that in any other situation look like they’d belong in a garage. Torches, wrenches, pliers, and cable cutters. The only thing standing out from the fray is a black case, laying open. Knives are neatly laid across the soft cloth lining the inside. These knives look like they belong in a Michelin star kitchen. A smaller blade catches my eye, as the light hits it just right, causing a glint that draws me in like a moth to a flame. I grab it without hesitation and make my way back in front of Jerry. I hear the boys stifle a chuckle behind me, causing me to jerk my head over to them.

“Care to explain what’s funny about this situation, Declan?” I ask, staring down the second oldest Byrne.

“Yeah, that’s just every Byrne’s favorite knife. It’s funny you picked it up because it’s what we all grab first. Guess you really are one of us, huh?”

The smirk that tipped the corner of my lips disappears as quickly as it showed up when I notice dark evil eyes staring at me from my peripheral vision. Jerry stares me down like I’m familiar to him but he can’t place me. After a few minutes recognition covers his features and he laughs loud, making me flinch.

“Oh, this is good.” I steel my spine. I’m not his property anymore, he can’t hurt me, but his next words still throw me back to the fourteen year old that I was when he knew me. In the commanding voice he always used, the one I was forced to obey he grinds out, “Twenty-Seven, drop the knife, now.”

The knife clatters to the floor less than a second later, my eyes meet the floor, and my head bows low. Before I can process what I’ve done Kieran is back, his hands secured on my hips and his voice in my ear, “You’re not there anymore. He can’t hurt you. He can’t get out of those restraints, and even if he could you have an army of Byrne men behind you. You, my Brave Girl, are the most powerful person in this warehouse. Everyone here follows your commands or deals with the fallout.”

The handle of the knife presses into my palm and I look up to see Rowan giving me a reassuring smile, “You’ve got this, little sister.” Looking back, I see the other four men giving me smiles and nods of encouragement but it’s Mac who speaks up.

“You say the word and I’ll take over, but you won’t need to, you’ve got this.”

With a renewed sense of confidence, my hand grips around the handle of the knife, as Roe steps back. Kieran drops his hands and before I can stop myself my heart rate spikes with panic, and I rush out the one word I know will keep him right here with me, “Stay.” His hands are back on my hips and his chest pressed to my back in an instant, “Swear, Mo Stóirín.”

Turning my attention back to Jerry who’s watching this all unfold like he’s watching the world’s most entertaining telenovela, I try this again. “Hello, Jerry.”

“Twenty-Seven, you dare to disobey me?” He clicks his tongue in a disapproving way. “You always were the one who had to be broken before you’d listen.”

My hands shake slightly but Kieran’s strong grip on my hips settles me, I’m protected and he’s staying. “I see you’ve missed the memo, Jerry. I’m not surprised, you were the most stupid out of all the men. I’m no longer Twenty-Seven. I’m not the broken child you hurt for years on end with your sick friends. See, I’m the one who brought you all to your knees. Robert and David spent nine years in prison because of me, and make no mistake, I will find them and send them straight to the seventh circle of hell by the end of this. Until I can get my hands on them I’ll just have to practice my skills on you.” I shrug and move towards him, the guys mimic my movements. Kieran stays plastered to my back as the others take steps to stay the same distance behind me as I move. Jerry starts thrashing around on his butcher’s hook screaming and hurling every insult my way.

I turn to the twins who are practically vibrating with rage and waiting for the command from me. “Can you guys hold him still?”

Both boys nod and move to Jerry’s sides, holding him as still as possible. “What now, Boss lady?”

“Just hold him still while I work.” A calmness takes over me, from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. Letting out a deep breath I take the knife and start on my work. Carving across his chest deep enough for the tip of the knife to scrape against his breast bone as I work my concentration is solely on my task. Jerry passes out fairly quickly, but I don’t care, my hand keeps working the knife. Once I’m done I stand back and admire my handiwork, “Wake him up, please.”

Flynn smacks the side of his face while Sully sing-songs, “Wakey, wakey, Jerry-boy. We have a surprise for you.” Jerry’s eyes open and a snarl rips from his chest. Too bad for him, I don’t care.

“I just thought you’d like to see the present I made for you. And I wanted to tell you, when the others meet you in hell, just know I sent every last one of you there, motherfucker.”

His eyes widen and I notice the tremble taking over his body. As he looks at himself in the mirror that Mac just handed me.

“One last thing, my name isn’t Twenty-Seven you sick bastard, it’s Phoenix.”

My hand swipes out and slices his neck from ear to ear in the next second. Blood sprays everywhere, but I just stand there watching him bleed out until all his life is drained from his eyes. A smile tugs at my lips. I’m sure I look like a serial killer, but I guess that makes sense seeing as by the end of this I will be one. Pulling my foot up, with all my might I kick him straight in the chest where three letters are carved. ‘Nix.’