Shrouded in Blackness Read online

  “I will. Go find your woman and fix your monumental fuck-up. I love you, Kieran,” she finishes tenderly.

  “Love you, too.”

  As I hang up I see Quinn out of the corner of my eye running down the alley toward the back door. I quickly scissor out of the SUV and run to cut off her path. When she sees me her face falls. She’s tired from running and her eyes are filled with anguish. I did that. Time to take my punishment.

  “I’m so fuckin’ sorry, Quinn. I didn’t mean what I said. I was pissed and tryin’ to hurt you and I succeeded. I’m an asshole. I’m a monster. I’m a criminal. I have a nasty temper. I don’t deserve anything as good as you in my life, but I want you. I want you so bad, Quinn, it fuckin’ hurts. I know that’s fucked up because we just met and have gone through some crazy shit, but there it is. I don’t care that you have kids and just gave birth. I want you even more because of them. Please come home with me and let me take care of you. All of you. Forgive me,” I say as sincerely as I can muster.

  She regards me with her icy blue eyes for a few moments before taking two steps toward me. She squares her shoulders and takes a deep breath.

  “Fuck you, Kieran Delaney. You don’t know me. You know shit about me. You don’t even know my name. Stay away from me. Stay away from my kids. You come near me again and I’ll do a better job than I did last time. Get outta my way,” she seethes, stalking past me through the back door and slamming it behind her.

  Wow. I was not expecting that. I figured she’d be a typical girl and fall for my admission of wanting her. Shit! Okay so in real life, women don’t just change their mind because some smooth-talking man says the right thing. Good note.

  I hear my tailgate open and walk back out of the alley. Connor and Owen are unloading Quinn’s stuff when I walk up. Owen hears me, pivots on his foot and lands his fist in my jaw with a crushing blow. I spit blood in the snow.

  “Feel better?” I sneer.

  “Not yet,” he says, rocking back, landing a blow to my ribs. He continues to work me over for a few minutes before he’s content with my state. My nose is bleeding, my brow is split, spilling a red river into my eye, at least a few ribs are bruised and my jaw is swelling. I never fought back. I deserved what Owen handed me and more.

  Connor just kept unloading the SUV as I took my beating like a man.

  “Feel better now?” I ask in a heaving breath.

  “Yeah. What the fuck did you do to her?” he growls.

  “Fucked up,” I admit, spitting more blood into the snow. I pull my hoodie and T-shirt off before pressing it to my brow to stop the flow of the bleed. I need a couple stitches.

  A car pulls up behind mine, stopping all three of us. The doctor climbs out of the car, eyeing us suspiciously. He approaches me and pulls my T-shirt from my face.

  “You’re a pain in the ass, Kieran. Come on,” he complains, pulling the gym door open.

  I follow behind the doctor while Owen and Connor fall in step behind me. Ian, Quinn and Jack are sitting on the couch while Ashling is lying across Quinn’s arm drinking a bottle. Quinn doesn’t look up at me as I pass. Jack does, though.

  “Kieran, you got more booboos. Did the pimps get you?” he asks, concerned.

  “Nah, bud. I just had an accident. I’ll be back in a minute,” I say softly.

  Ian offers me a scowl and Quinn continues to act as though I don’t exist as I pass them and make my way into the therapy room. The doctor stitches me up in no time and sends me off to clean up. When I come back into the therapy room everyone is in there while the doctor looks over Ashling.

  “When were you due?” the doctor asks Quinn.

  “In March sometime. I’m not sure an exact date,” she responds sheepishly.

  “That’s all right,” he responds kindly.

  “Is she breast or bottle-feeding?”

  “Bottle.”

  “Eating well?”

  “About four ounces every three hours,” Quinn responds, seeing me for the first time. She quickly looks away and concentrates on Ash who’s lying on a therapy table in front of the doctor. He’s got all the baby’s clothes off and is examining her thoroughly.

  “That’s good. She’s definitely jaundiced. I’ll take some blood and check her bilirubin count to see if she needs phototherapy. At this point it’s important to keep her hydrated. Overall, she looks healthy though, Quinn. You did good,” he compliments her sweetly. She nods but doesn’t reply.

  The doctor pulls out some supplies to take Ash’s blood. He cleans her foot and then pokes her with a tiny needle in the heel. She screams and throws her arms up. Jack flies at the doctor, yelling and punching him in the back. The doctor doesn’t react as I pull Jack off and hold him to my chest. Jack starts beating on me and I allow it.

  “Jack, the doctor’s just takin’ some blood from Ash to make sure she’s okay. Calm down, bud,” I soothe in his ear. I hear a sob break from his chest and he collapses against me. I shush and pat his back, locking eyes with Quinn. She looks broken. She doesn’t have enough arms to comfort both kids at the same time. I offer her a small smile, but her gaze remains on her son’s back.

  The doctor finishes quickly with Ash. He tapes gauze over her wound and Quinn scoops the baby to her chest, kissing and shushing her.

  “I’ll get these labs back in a few hours, Quinn. Take care,” the doctor says as he packs his things away and leaves the room.

  Quinn quickly dresses Ash then crushes her into her chest again. She stalks toward me and Jack leaps into her extended arm. Quinn walks in the bedroom door and slams it shut with her foot. She never so much as breathes the air around me. I’ve lost her, just when I found her.

  Quinn

  There’s a fight at the gym tonight and I need to find somewhere to take the kids. Ian and I have a pretty good routine. He helps me get the kids ready in the morning and then I leave for the day while the fighters train. Ian has stopped all evening training for now which surely pissed some of them off, but no one argues with Ian Brogan.

  When I get back we eat dinner together, watch some TV or a movie and then get ready for bed. The routine is good for the kids. I take them to parks during the nicer days. It’s early March though, so those days are few and far between. I haven’t taken them to any homeless areas or shelters for fear Jack will be recognized. We walk to nearby pubs and shops most days. Jack asked if he could go to school and I told him he can next year. Ian looked up a homeschooling program online that I’ll start with Jack once we’re in our own place.

  Things are good, except my plan to get us free from Chicago isn’t moving forward…at all. I can’t get any kind of identification. I’ve tried to procure a few forgeries, but they’ve all been too poor quality to work. I’m afraid to get one legally. The people looking for me have connections all over the city, underground, in offices, in politics, in the gutters and any place else they can pay people to be. They’re everywhere.

  We rode the L today for a long time. Jack loves the train. He keeps his face pressed to the windows, pointing and commenting on everything he sees. He’s happy and we’re safe for now. I’m nervous to rock the boat too much by removing the boundaries I have in place to keep us safe. I went to the silo that used to be my home and cleared everything out. I’ve got four thousand dollars to my name. I can’t make a new start with that amount of money. I could get a cheap apartment here on the South Side, but that, again, requires giving people information. So I’m stuck living in the gym until I can find a high quality forger to get me passable identification.

  “Quinn, I don’t want you in the streets with the kids at night,” Ian huffs as I zip up Ashling’s white puffy snowsuit. Jack’s already in his bright blue one trying to pull his gloves on by himself.

  “I can’t be here. It’s not safe for them. You know that as well as I do,” I whisper so Jack can’t hear me.

  “Where are you gonna go with them?” he urges.

  “Millennium Park. We’ll have fun. Don’t worry about us.” I
attempt to ease his concern.

  “I’ll text you when the last fight starts.”

  “’Kay.”

  I load Ashling into her car seat and then put it in the stroller. Jack hops on the bench at the back and the three of us set off into the Chicago night. We hop on the Red Line and head to Millennium Park to be a normal family.

  It’s almost midnight and I haven’t heard from Ian. He sends me out with his phone any time we leave. It’s not like him not to text. I feel a trickle of panic creeping up my spine as I approach the gym with the kids. I have Ash asleep in the carrier and Jack’s asleep in the stroller seat, the car seat is wedged on the bench. I push the stroller to the alleyway and park it. I can hear voices inside so I crack the door open to check it out before walking in.

  “Tell us where they are!” a man roars and punches Ian in the face.

  Ian’s tied to a chair in the middle of the gym. There are at least eight men standing around him while one guy uses him as a punching bag.

  “You have something that belongs to us and I want it back,” the man seethes and crushes Ian’s face again. I don’t recognize these men or the man’s voice. I shut the door silently and run with the stroller to the end of the alleyway. I can get away from here quickly if they spot me. I frantically pull the phone out and call Connor. I get his voicemail. I leave a panicked message and try Owen. Fucking voicemail! I call them both again with no answer. Shit, shit, shit! I push his number and almost hang up before he answers.

  “Yeah?” his tar and whiskey voice crackles through the phone. I freeze at the sound. I haven’t spoken to or seen Kieran in over a month. I never planned on seeing him again, if I’m honest.

  “Ian?” Kieran questions loudly. There’s a lot of background noise like he’s at a pub or a party.

  “Kieran?” I whisper.

  “Quinn? Hang on, I can’t hear you,” he yells. “Hey, I’m outside now. What’s up?”

  “Ian’s in trouble,” I keep my voice low.

  “What?! Where are you?”

  “In the alley behind the gym. There’s about eight guys in there roughin’ Ian up bad. I can’t take ’em on myself. I’ve got the kids with me.”

  “Don’t. Move,” he growls. “I’ll be there in three minutes.” I hear his Camaro beep and then the line goes dead.

  I pull Ash out of the carrier and lay her next to Jack in the stroller before moving the stroller behind a dumpster that’s pushed away from the brick wall. I yank both my knives out and wait. I hear the roar of Kieran’s engine and then see his headlights, followed by another set. Kieran jumps out of his car while Connor and Owen jump out of the other one. They sprint toward me. Connor pulls me into his chest roughly.

  “You guys okay?” he growls. I nod.

  “Wait out here. Hide back there with the kids,” he instructs and moves to the door. Kieran throws it open loudly as I crouch behind the dumpster, knives at the ready. I pity the motherfucker that tries to get these kids from me.

  I hear Kieran roaring and threatening the men, though I can’t make out his exact words. The back door is open a touch, but I don’t dare sneak a peek. Now there’s grunting and scuffling—someone’s fighting. This goes on for a while before I hear a single gunshot. I hold my breath and wait for more, but I hear nothing. No sound, no murmurs, no whispers, just the silence of the night around me and the peaceful breathing of my sleeping children.

  I wait until I feel like I’m going to pass out from the anxiety when I hear footsteps. I clutch my Yarborough and listen as the steps crunch closer and closer.

  “Quinn,” Kieran calls out softly. “I’m comin’ around the dumpster alone. Don’t stab me.”

  I wait with my knife at the ready. I only hear one set of footfalls, but I’m taking no chances. A few breaths later, Kieran’s in front of me alone. He’s covered in blood and his knuckles are bleeding. That’s the only scratch on him from what I can tell, though.

  I quickly stand up and stow my weapons.

  “You’re comin’ home with me,” Kieran whispers glancing at the kids. “Owen and Connor are takin’ Ian to the hospital. Don’t worry, he’s just banged up, but he needs a hospital. It’s not safe to be here right now. Let’s go in and get your stuff. The kids need to get to bed.”

  I want to scream right now. I want to stab someone right now. I want to hurt that man that hurt Ian right now. But I can’t do anything. So I nod and push the stroller into the gym.

  The chair Ian was tied to is empty and there’s a large pool of blood on the floor a few feet from it. Otherwise, the gym looks normal. I feel a chill run up my spine. Those men were here for my kids. I move with purpose to the bedroom and start packing up all our stuff into Brogan’s duffle bags from the therapy room. Once all our clothes and the kids’ toys are packed, I empty the bathroom. I walk out dragging bags while Kieran stands watchfully near the kids.

  “Go out to Ian’s car and get Jack’s car seat and Ash’s base unit for hers,” I instruct Kieran in hushed tones. He moves quickly at my request. Four giant bags of stuff later and I’m standing on the curb while Kieran loads the Camaro with the car seats. Once he has them in I put the kids in and fold down the stroller. Kieran stuffs two of the duffle bags in the passenger floor board then places me gently in the seat. He runs around back and loads the stroller and the other bags. The trunk closes with a soft click and Kieran has us pulling away a few seconds later.

  We ride in silence the few miles to his house. When he pulls in the garage I release a small breath I didn’t realize I was holding. Kieran jumps out of the car and runs out of the garage toward the house. I guess I’m on my own. I climb out of my seat and hoist the heavy bags off the floor, setting them next to the car. I walk around to Kieran’s side of the car and pull Jack out of his car seat. He’s heavy, dead weight when he’s asleep. I go back around the car and struggle to get Ash’s car seat off the base unit but finally manage.

  As I walk out of the garage onto the paved stone path leading to Kieran’s brick house, he races down the stairs off the deck. He’s now shirtless, his hair wet, wearing very low slung sweat pants and no shoes.

  “Sorry, I needed to clean up real quick,” he apologizes in a whisper before scooping Jack off my chest then grabbing Ash’s car seat. He makes that look too damn easy.

  Kieran walks into the guest bedroom, setting Ashling on the floor before laying Jack in the bed. He gently covers him up and then creeps out of the room, pulling me with him. He stops in the living room, grasping me by the shoulders, searching me from head to toe with his eyes.

  “You’re not hurt, right?” He’s concerned and soft right now, but I’ve learned that’s a rarity with Kieran Delaney.

  “I’m fine, Kieran. I was hiding, remember?”

  “I know.” He eyes me a moment longer before saying, “I’ll go grab your stuff.”

  Kieran pulls on a pair of sneakers and then heads out the back door. I love Kieran’s house. It’s open and wide yet warm and inviting. I would love to get the kids a house like this with a yard they can play in.

  I see a picture on the wall that catches my eye so I move closer to it. It’s Kieran flying Jack around the gym. They both have huge smiles on their faces; I can almost hear the laughter. I smile at the memory of them doing that the weekend we spent with Kieran at the gym.

  “I love that.” Kieran’s voice at my back startles me. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “It’s okay,” I say quietly, not looking at him. “He’s gorgeous.”

  “Yeah, he is,” Kieran agrees. My son is a stunning boy. He’s gained a few pounds and looks a little taller already. I’m guessing by the time he starts school in the fall he’ll almost be caught up.

  “I better get back to the kids. Thanks, Kieran. We’ll be outta here tomorrow.” I don’t look at him as I walk past. I push the guest room open, pull Ash from her car seat and climb in bed with Jack. With both of them in my arms I fall asleep fast.

  Kieran

  Quinn’s
here in my house. I can’t fucking believe it. When she called tonight I almost fell over. Just hearing her voice soft and scared made my stomach flip. When I saw her in the alley my heart stopped for a few seconds. I’ve missed her and the kids so much I’m not sure how I’ve functioned.

  I haven’t been back to the gym since the day we fought. Ian threatened to kill me while Connor and Owen extended me the same offer. I didn’t stay away because of them, though. I stayed away because of her. The pain I caused her that day was unbearable for me to witness in her eyes every time she looked at me. It was worse than her stabbing me. Quinn was amputating my soul with her icy blue eyes. So I left her alone like she told me to.

  I spent two days with Quinn and since I’ve been away from her, I’ve been lost. I didn’t know it was possible to care about someone that fast, but it is. Now that she and the kids are in my house, maybe I’ll sleep tonight. I can already breathe easier.

  I need to figure out what those fuckers at the gym tonight want with the kids. They were hell bent on getting Ashling and Jack. I knew those boys. They’re part of a street gang that usually run guns and drugs. I have not a clue why they want the kids. I beat the shit out of the leader in the room. Punk kid named Tommy O’Rourke. After I beat him bloody I shot him in the knee just to make myself clear. My name carries enough weight that I wasn’t worried about being clear, just needed to be sure I was heard. What they heard was a lie. A lie I now have to convince Quinn to go along with. I told them that her and her kids are mine.

  That information in the street should spread like wildfire. By morning, Quinn and the kids will be known to the criminal community as protected and untouchable. If someone comes for them now, they’d have to be completely insane. Problem is, the lie only works if Quinn agrees. She’s not speaking to me. Shit, she’s not even looking at me, so this will be fun.

  I lock the house up tight and then head to my bedroom. I pause at their door, listening to the sound of them breathing and snoring. It settles my soul. After a few minutes I enter my bedroom, pulling off my sweats, and climb in bed in my underwear, storing my gun beneath my pillow. Tomorrow is make or break for me. I hope like hell this works out.