Blackness Takes Over & Blackness Awaits (47 page)

“Quite a crowd ya brought with ya Bry,” Kieran says to O’Sullivan in his gruff whiskey and tar voice.

“Needed to get some air,” O’Sullivan says taking a seat across from his cousin. The rest of us take seats around two tables on either side of them and wait. We sit in silence waiting for Kieran to give us some glowing piece of information that will lead us to Kid.

“Shannon still look as good as she did ten years ago?” Kieran asks throwing back two fingers of whiskey. Kellerman tenses across the table from me but keeps his shit together (barely).

“Better,” O’Sullivan states plainly (he’s not lying). “Tell us you got somethin’.”

“Made some calls. This shit’s buttoned up tight. Not Mancini’s usual.”

“We’ve figured that out the last two days, not findin’ shit that’ll help us,” O’Sullivan huffs.

“His nephew, Nick…been gone a few days. Guy’s always around, nasty motherfucker. Somethin’ of an enforcer for the family.” Kieran’s face has grown dark and serious. This can’t be a good sign. “His reputation…she’s not good if he’s got her. You’ll be lucky to find her whole much less alive.” The table is shaking and I cut my eyes to Kellerman to make him stop only to realize it’s my hands that are quaking. I pull them off the table and scrub them over my face vigorously.

“Do you know where he’d have her?” O’Sullivan growls.

“There’s an old warehouse up on Ashland that Mancini runs shit from, but it’s not where he’d have her. Got a guy checkin’ some places outside Chicago for me. You know why they took her?” Kieran questions, signaling the waitress for another drink.

“No,” O’Sullivan moans.

“How’d they get her?”

“Took her from our house.”

“From your house?” Kieran scoffs. “How the fuck that happen?”

“Quick grab while we were busy,” O’Sullivan says under his breath glancing at Kellerman who’s staring at the table like it’s the map to Kid.

“Grabbed her while you were fuckin’ your boy up?” Kieran asks studying Kellerman’s stitches and bruises. O’Sullivan nods.

“Convenient.” Kieran turns toward Kellerman and I see the mask of a fighter slip over his features.

“You distract ’em so they could grab my cousin’s girl?” Kieran snarls. Slowly Kellerman lifts his head and turns his gaze to meet Kieran. Kellerman’s eyes are boiling with fury.

“No,” he growls in the lowest timber I’ve ever heard, “she’s
mine
.”

“Yours?” Kieran laughs. “Last I knew Shannon she didn’t belong to anybody.” I look around our group and see all my friends and brothers tensing wanting to defend Kellerman. He’s our family now; we have each other’s backs.

“Kellerman’s her boyfriend. Didn’t have shit to do with this,” O’Sullivan explains hotly.

Turning his gaze back to his cousin Kieran continues to question, “How’d you all end up kickin’ his ass while she’s gettin’ grabbed? Shit like that doesn’t just happen, cousin.”

“Her bodyguard wrongly informed us Kellerman cheated on her. We offered retribution.”

“Okay and where was the fuckin’ world’s shittiest
bodyguard
when she got grabbed?” Kieran’s getting pissed and his hands are pumping. He hasn’t seen Kid in a decade yet she still has an effect on him. That’s how she works. She touches you once and it marks you for a lifetime.

“Bathroom,” Kellerman mocks. Kieran’s gaze snaps to him and a knowing exchange occurs that I hadn’t put together yet. Taylor.

“
Bodyguard
played you dumb motherfuckers. String his ass up…you’ll find her.” Kieran pauses and watches all of our faces cloud, except Aidan and Kellerman’s. They always suspected Taylor. “Bring him to me. I’ll get it outta him…free of charge.”

O’Sullivan shakes his head.

“It’s not Taylor. He’s in love with her,” O’Sullivan winces glancing at Kellerman. “Sorry, man. It’s true though. He made a play for her right before she got grabbed.”

“For a lawyer you got shit for brains,” Kieran says harshly. “Kidnappin’ a woman from her house that can shoot the tits off an ant while kickin’ the shit outta ten men at the same time, has a bodyguard, lives with you three, is connected to some powerful families in Chicago, and is datin’ this motherfucker,” he jerks his thumb in Kellerman’s direction, “that’s ready to rip my fuckin’ head off for askin’ if she still looks good…that takes inside information. That shit doesn’t just happen.”

O’Sullivan snaps his head over to Finn. “He get one over on you?” he asks coldly.

“Taylor passed all the checks guys. You know I wouldn’t let anyone near her that didn’t. There was nothin’ on him, not even a question,” Finn fumes at the accusation of wrongdoing.

“Then he’s connected. Played you,” Kieran says pointedly throwing back another two fingers of whiskey. “What’s his name? I’ll find out for sure, but I’d bet my left nut he served her up on a fuckin’ platter for Nick Scarso to carve up like a Thanksgiving turkey.”

“Shut the fuck up with that shit,” O’Sullivan threatens. A fight between these two would be epic but we don’t have time for that. They stare each other down for a few moments before Kieran lifts his head at O’Sullivan signaling a truce.

“Andrew Taylor. Used to be a cop,” Finn informs Kieran. “How long to find out?”

“It’ll probably be tomorrow at this point. I still say bring him here and I’ll go to work on him, but if you wanna know for sure it’ll take a little time. Go home and I’ll call when I know,” Kieran says with distaste in his mouth. He’s a man of action…I like that.

“You put me in a house with Taylor, I’m gonna end up in prison,” Kellerman seethes.

Kieran watches as Kellerman pumps his fists and clenches his jaw just at the thought of being in the same house as Taylor. “You can stay with me,” Kieran offers, shocking the group.

“Thanks,” Kellerman agrees without thought. I don’t want to leave Kellerman with Kieran, but I really don’t want Kellerman to murder Taylor and the look on his face tells me that’s the likely outcome. The rest of us stand and offer Kellerman and Kieran fist bumps as we turn to leave.

“You good?” I ask Kellerman before I’m the last to leave.

“Fuck no,” he replies angrily. I nod in understanding. He wanted Taylor gone weeks ago and now maybe because we allowed him to stay, Kid’s gone. If Taylor was behind this he’s a walking dead man…it’ll be a race to see who wins the spot of executioner.

“Call if you need somethin’,” I say evenly. I leave after he offers me a chin lift.

We all climb in the cars and head back to the Callaghans’. This ride won’t be silent. We need a plan.

Kellerman

“How long’ve ya known?” Kieran asks me finishing a text then shoving his phone in his pocket after Kav leaves.

“Since the moment she was gone,” I say gruffly. “Haven’t said shit because I needed to find her and Taylor’s been workin’ his ass off to help. Shoulda trusted my gut.”

“Always, man.” He pauses for a long while studying his empty glass. “I saw Shannon the day after I cleaned up that mess. Came over to check on my cousin…nah that’s a fuckin’ lie, I wanted to see her.” He lifts his gaze to mine showing he means no disrespect. I give him a flick of two fingers letting him know I’m good with his storytelling.

“Bry was always like a little brother to me. We weren’t around each other a lot…family differences, but I was protective of him. When he called me that night, I’d never heard the dude so furious. I could hear the phone shakin’ in his hand. The mess wasn’t his issue, it was the girl. Never fuckin’ thought he’d be that fucked up over a chick. So I wanted to see.

“I came over the next afternoon sometime. When Brian answered the door he looked sick. He didn’t say anything to me just walked to a bedroom. I followed behind him thinkin’ he wanted privacy. Walked in the room and there she was, Kavanagh wrapped around her back and Callaghan wrapped around her legs. I could see Brian had been in front of her and was anxious to get back.” He stops telling his story to signal for another drink. I could use a fucking drink, but I won’t do that right now. Kieran gets his whiskey and quickly throws it down his throat not reacting to the burn. He puts the glass back on the table and studies it hard for a few minutes.

“I’ve been a fighter as long as I can remember. Brian’s been a fighter as long as I can remember too. We’ve both kicked the shit outta a lot of people, never fazed me. I can walk away from a fight and never look back at the man I’ve beaten bloody or worse. But when I saw her face swollen and disfigured, her fingers and knuckles scabbed from fightin’, her body bruised and broken…that shit fazed me. There she was surrounded by these giant ass kickin’ dudes sleepin’ peacefully givin’ them as much comfort as they were givin’ her. Shit rocked my blackened soul to the core.

“I just stood there for a few minutes starin’ at Shannon before Brian crawled back in bed with her. His body had been tense and agitated, but he slid in bed with her and she reached for him in her sleep. She fuckin’ reached out and pulled him into her chest like he was a child. Never seen anything like it, man. All his tension faded away in an instant. I watched the four of ’em from a chair in the room for an hour maybe. I doubt they knew I was there, they were all asleep. After about a half hour she whimpered and those three constricted so tight around her I thought she’d break, but she just settled.” Kieran looks up from his glass and I see it. Kid does this to people. She makes people feel shit they didn’t know was possible. Her touch lingers for a lifetime.

“About a month later I met her for real, came to dinner at their place. I’m an ugly scary lookin’ motherfucker to most and after what those fuckers did to her I was sure she’d be afraid of me. I was good with that. But she wasn’t afraid of me. She was still fucked up from that shit. You could see a blackness behind her eyes but fuck if she wasn’t the sweetest funniest damn person I ever shared a meal with. She wrapped her arms so tight around my neck when I was leavin’ that night I didn’t know where she found the strength in that skinny body. I saw her off and on while they were in school and she got brighter every time. I’m still a nasty scary motherfucker, but Shannon put a little light in me.”

I never thought I could love Kid more than I already do but listening to this man, that’s clearly not a pillar of society, be so affected by her…I love her just a little bit more. I feel the ghost of a smile drift across my face before Kieran finishes.

“I’ll find her. I’ll find her any way I can and when I find out who did this, bodies will drop. She’s had enough in this fuckin’ life and doesn’t need whatever’s happenin’ to her. You need to prepare though. If Nick Scarso has her…we may not be bringin’ her home. I’m not sayin’ that shit to be a dick because it fuckin’ wrecks me to even think it, but it’s the truth. We don’t get to bring her home…you’re welcome to accompany me on the bloodiest revenge tour since
Rambo
.”

Ghost smile is gone and my stomach is back to doing flip flops like there’s a Romanian gymnast in there. Fuck this is bad.

“Thanks for tellin’ me that story, Kieran. I won’t turn into a chick on you, but I love Kid like I can’t fuckin’ explain. We don’t find her…I won’t be around to join your tour,” I say matter-of-factly.

“I get you. I’m not sure how any of us are gonna get through that…” he trails off as his phone vibrates. He pulls it out and reads a text. His scarred up haggard face breaks into a full blown smile. “That was fast.
Bodyguard
isn’t what he pretends to be.” Kieran flips his phone around and there’s a picture of a teenage Taylor standing next to an older man that looks very similar to him.

“Who’s that?” I lean in to get a better look.

“That,” he points at Taylor, “is the
bodyguard
. And that,” he points to the older man, “is Vito Mancini. Bodyguard’s birth name’s Anthony Tarantino, Mancini’s third cousin or some shit. Always trust your gut…Dude I don’t even know your fuckin’ name.”

“Dylan. Dylan Kellerman.” I’m in a haze so foggy I’m surprised I can even remember my name much less produce the words to speak it. “What do we do now? Go pull him outta the Callaghans’ house by his nuts?” I’m raging.

“We’re gonna have to be a little more under the radar than that. Cops and feds are all over the Callaghan’s. I’m not exactly on the list of preferred visitors where law enforcement is concerned.” Kieran laughs. “If we call Brian, bodyguard’ll be dead before we get anything from him. Let me make some calls and see what I can come up with. You good on your own a few minutes? Not gonna go buy a hatchet and roll up to Highland Park?”

“I’m good. Just fuckin’ help me find her,” I plead in a grumble.

“We’ll find her,” he says emphatically…I actually believe him.