Tangled (29 page)

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Authors: Erica O'Rourke

BOOK: Tangled
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C
HAPTER
47
I
f there is any upside at all to watching your bodyguard / potential boyfriend get the crap kicked out of him, it is that he is in no condition to stop you when you go charging off to avenge him. Lena probably weighed 115, but Colin was in enough pain that even she could keep him under control.
I didn’t try to get him to the bedroom—Lena and I managed to move him to the couch, an awkward process made worse by my unwillingness to put down the gun. I showed her where the shoebox of first-aid supplies was. “If anything seems weird, call me. If he gets worse, call 911. I’ll be back soon.”
“You’re leaving with them?” Lena asked, her voice squeaking. “That’s crazy stupid.”
“They work for my uncle. I’m pretty sure they won’t let anything happen to me.”
“What if you get pulled over?” She twirled her ponytail so tightly that it curled back on itself in a glossy black rope.
“Who are the police going to believe? Them or the minor in a school uniform?”
“You are kind of scaring me,” she said.
“I know. Thanks for doing this.” I bent down and kissed Colin on the forehead. “I’ll explain it all later, I swear.”
“You totally will,” Lena replied. “Finish this, okay? I am feeling very uncomfortable right now.”
“Be careful,” Colin rasped, gripping my hand. “Billy’s playing the long game.”
“So am I.”
If there’d been another way, I would have taken it, but what other choice did I have? I needed to make sure the thugs didn’t come back and hurt Colin once I’d left; I needed to see my uncle; I needed someone I trusted to watch over Colin. It was an imperfect plan, but it was all I had. That and the gun, which I hid inside my coat as we walked out to their car.
It was the longest, quietest car ride of my life. My fingers ached from clenching the handgrip so tightly. When we got to Morgan’s, I tucked the gun in my pocket and let Billy’s men enter first.
Morgan’s still wasn’t open for business—not technically, anyway—but a few die-hard regulars clustered around the bar. The repairs were minor, and I didn’t doubt that they’d be back up and running in a week, at most. The Slice would be shut indefinitely, and the thought kicked my anger up another notch.
I watched Billy’s face as he spotted his thugs. Cold expectation—he had given an order, and he was merely waiting for confirmation. When he saw me, shock wiped his features blank. I let my fury propel me forward, feeling as cold as he looked.
“Mo,” he said cautiously. “What are you doing here?”
“Your guys drove me. I don’t think they like me very much.”
“And why would that be?”
“Well.” I set the gun on the table between us. “Probably because I threatened to shoot them.”
“Put that away,” he hissed, rearing back. “Are you mad, child?”
“I’m not a child, but I am mad. Those two troglodytes beat the hell out of Colin tonight, on your order.”
He shot me a look of complete indifference. “He knew what would happen. And I told you not to chase him.”
“I’m almost eighteen. You don’t get to decide who I love.”
“You’re in love with him, are you? It’s a mistake. He’s broken on the inside.”
“I’ll fix him.”
Billy scoffed. “That’s what your mother said about Jack Fitzgerald. Didn’t that turn out nicely? You don’t know what you’re dealing with.”
“I know about Raymond Gaskill,” I said. “Most of it, anyway. He’s dead, right? Colin shot him.”
“He told you?”
I didn’t answer. “What I can’t figure out is how you got involved. They grew up in Denver.”
He settled back, arms folded, his gaze locked on the gun. “Raymond Gaskill was a small-time enforcer. Periodically, our paths crossed. He would have business in Chicago, I would fly out to Denver. You get to know people, after a while. And I knew he was an evil man.”
His eyes cut to me. “I’ll wager you thought I was as bad as they get. But Gaskill was much worse. Always wanted to scrub my skin raw after we shook hands. I knew he was using the boys as punching bags, had my suspicions about what he was doing to the little girl. But he was connected, and useful, so the people above him turned the other way.”
“Until Child Services took the kids.”
“She was new, easily fooled. Any caseworker worth her salt could have proven the man unfit. But when the kids were sent back, he lost his mind. He went after them one last time.” He shrugged. “It was easy enough to cover up. No one wanted an investigation into Gaskill—he had ties to a lot of people who valued anonymity. Donnelly was shell-shocked. The girl—Tess—was still in a coma. There was nothing for them in Denver. They would have been split up. So, I brought them back, sent Colin to military school to learn some discipline. Gave the mother and the younger boy a proper burial, and found a place for Tess.”
“And Colin decided he owed you for the rest of his life.”
“Gratitude.” His eyes narrowed. “His attempt to seduce you does not strike me as particularly grateful.”
“He’s paid his debt to you. He was a kid, and you manipulated him into thinking you saved him.”
“I
did
save him. That’s what I do, Maura Kathleen. I save people who cannot save themselves, and it’s not outrageous to expect some degree of loyalty in return.”
“He’s grateful. But now he’s out.”
“Darling girl, I appreciate your moxie. But you’re hardly in a position to bargain.”
“I think I am.”
“What do you have that’s worth Donnelly’s life? Think carefully before you answer. This is the man you say you love, so you’d do well to price his life accordingly.”
I brushed a finger over the gleaming barrel. “I know you were behind the fire at The Slice. And the break-in.”
“That was the Russians.” But he didn’t try to sell it the way he would have even a week ago.
“Yuri Ekomov wanted to work with me, not terrorize me. But if The Slice burned down, you’d get the insurance money. You could use the construction business to rebuild. And best of all, I’d be motivated to help you. I’m guessing you didn’t tell Mom about your plan.”
“Your mother allows me to handle the complexities of our lives.”
“Maybe. But we both know she wouldn’t allow you to manipulate me into taking on the Russian Mafia.” I felt antsy, anxious to check on Colin. “You’re in the protection business, Uncle Billy. So understand this: The Donnellys are under my protection now.”
“And what do you give me?”
“Silence. I don’t tell Mom.”
Billy snorted. “Is that all? You’re openly defying me for the second time in as many months, and corrupting one of my best men in the process. I love your mother dearly, but I’m less concerned with pleasing her than you might imagine. As long as she gets her restaurant back, the rest will fade away, especially with your father’s return. She’ll forgive me, because she’s a good person, and we’re family, and she appreciates everything I’ve done.” He tsk’d. “You need a better hand to play.”
Understanding dawned, and my heart felt heavier than the gun. This was what he’d wanted all along. I’d underestimated Billy. Again. “Ekomov,” I said quietly.
He smiled. “He wants to work with you. All you’ll have to do is pass along the information we choose.”
If this was the price for Colin’s life, so be it. But I wanted to be clear on the deal.
“You’ll leave the Donnellys alone. Both of them. You pay Tess’s bills, and Colin can pick up and go, any time he wants. Anywhere he wants.”
“He can. You can’t. You’re agreeing to stay in Chicago. Give up your silly plans for New York. There are perfectly good colleges here, and a place for you in the business someday.”
I couldn’t get enough air. It was one thing to stay on my own terms, for a chance with Colin. It was another to shackle myself here as Billy’s pawn. “But ...”
“That’s my price for Donnelly’s life. What do you say?”
There had to be a way out. I’d find a way out. It just wouldn’t be this minute. In this minute, it was Colin’s life that mattered most. I’d pay whatever price Billy set.
“Done.” There was no waver in my voice, no hesitation. I would never show a weakness in front of him again.
“Excellent.” I stood to leave, and he said, “He’ll find out, you know.”
“Not from me,” I said. “And not from you, or our deal is off.”
“Truth has a way of worming its way to the surface. He’ll find out what you’ve done, and you’ll lose him. The man lives to protect the people he loves, and you’ve turned that on its end. He won’t be able to forgive you. You’ll lose him, Mo.”
“Lost is better than dead,” I replied, ignoring the icy nugget of fear that lodged itself in my chest.
C
HAPTER
48
T
he door to Colin’s workshop had been smashed in, the lock ripped out of the frame, so it was easy to get inside. But in case he and Lena had armed themselves against unexpected visitors, I knocked on the door to the apartment. “It’s me.”
I heard the dead bolt scrape, and Lena cracked the door. “You’re okay?”
“I’m cold. Let me in.”
She stepped back, and I went straight to Colin, who was holding a towel full of ice to his cheekbone. The split over his eye sported a butterfly bandage, and there was a glass on the table smelling strongly of Jameson.
“I think they broke your nose,” I said.
He touched it gingerly. “Wouldn’t be the first time. What happened?”
Before I could answer, Lena stood up, shifting from one foot to the other. “I’m bailing. See you tomorrow. Colin ...” She trailed off, slightly green. “Let’s not do this again.”
“Lena ...” I couldn’t find the words to thank her, and she dashed over to give me a quick hug.
“You are so spilling your guts tomorrow,” she said, and took off.
I turned back to Colin. “Do you need anything?”
“Tell me.”
I tucked the blanket around him more securely. “We talked. It was almost civilized.”
“And?” Speaking hurt him. I could see it in the way he tensed up before every sentence, the rasp in his voice.
“The good news is, no one will be showing up at your door again.” Before he could ask why, I hurried on. “The bad news is that you’re still working for Billy.”
It wasn’t entirely bad, I told myself. Tess needed medical care. Colin would live on ramen noodles for the rest of his life to provide for her, but his tie to Billy wasn’t just financial. No matter how monstrous my uncle seemed to me, he’d still rescued Colin and Tess when the rest of the world had ignored them. It was something Colin wouldn’t forget.
“How?”
This is where it got tricky. Billy was right—if Colin found out I’d traded my life for his, he’d never forgive me. He had to believe I’d found some other way to convince my uncle. So I perched on the edge of the couch, looked into eyes as dark and churning as the lake in winter, and lied to the man I loved without a shred of remorse.
“I threatened to tell my mother about the fire. She’s given up a lot for Billy over the years, but everyone has a breaking point. It’s a stalemate. He doesn’t interfere with us, I don’t interfere with him.”
He dropped his head back on the pillow, exhaustion and pain turning his skin a sickly color. There was one spot on his forehead that didn’t seem too bruised, and I kissed it carefully before he drifted into sleep.
“You told Billy’s man he’d hurt someone you love,” he said, the words drowsy.
“I was angry.”
“You’re in love with me?” He touched my leg.
I met his eyes. “Would that be a problem?”
“You should have left,” he said. “It would have been easier.”
“Nothing about this is easy. That’s how I know it’s right.”
I made two phone calls after Colin fell asleep. The first was to Jenny Kowalski. “I have something for you,” I said, envisioning the hard drive still hidden behind my dresser. “I don’t know how useful it will be, but it’s a start.”
“You changed your mind? You’ll help us?”
The long game, I reminded myself. My only shot at beating my uncle. “The deal still holds. Nothing about Colin, and you back off if I tell you to.”
“Whatever you say.”
“After school tomorrow, okay? And don’t bring Nick. Try to blend in.”
“You’re doing the right thing,” she said. “Even my dad would say so.”
Next, I called my house, knowing Mom would be frantic, readying myself for the storm.
It never came.
“Honey! How’s Colin feeling?”
“He’s ... resting? How did you ...”
“Oh, I called your uncle about some insurance questions. He mentioned you’d stopped by and that Colin was sick. Is it the flu? I’ll bet he didn’t get a flu shot, did he?”
“Probably not.”
“Do you want me to bring anything over? I’ve got some soup already made. He might like that, once he’s on the mend.”
“Maybe I’ll drop some off tomorrow,” I said. “After school.”
“That sounds nice. It will give you something to do, since The Slice is closed.”
“Yeah.”
“Your uncle said you could help out at Morgan’s until we were up and running again. Isn’t that sweet? I was a little worried, at first. I’m not sure a bar is really a suitable place for you to work, but it keeps everything in the family. And you know how hard it is to say no to your uncle.”
“I don’t want to work at the bar.” Already, Billy was maneuvering around me. How was it that my mom was so blind to him?
“I know you’re angry with him, but honestly, I think it’s safer.” She paused. “For everyone.”
And for the first time, I heard what she was saying. I don’t know why it had taken me so long. It was the same thing she’d been telling me all along. She wasn’t blind to Billy’s actions. She never had been. She’d been trapped, so she’d built a life she could live with, and learned how to close her eyes to the things she couldn’t.
No wonder she’d been so unbelievably calm at the idea of me and Colin. He was familiar and loyal, and he’d lay down his life to keep me safe. If you could overlook the fact he worked for the Outfit—and my mom was very good at overlooking uncomfortable facts—he was a mother’s dream.
I glanced at Colin, asleep on the couch, and considered telling her I was going to stay overnight. But even magic couldn’t change my mom that much. “I’ll only be here a little bit longer,” I said. “Then I’ll come home.”
“I’ll have dinner ready,” she said. “It will be so nice to have you back, sweetie.”

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