Shrouded in Blackness Read online

  That suggestion makes my stomach roll. I don’t want Owen or anyone else taking care of Quinn. I’ll analyze that on a different day because I know he won’t offer to do it.

  “Nah, man, you go ahead with the knight-in-shining-armor routine. Just don’t fuck it up. I’ll have to beat your old ass,” he says jokingly with a tinge of seriousness.

  I offer Owen a chin lift and move past him to find Quinn and the kids. I’m not Brian O’Sullivan. No shit I’m not Brian. I made sure he was nothing like me when we were growing up. He was like the little brother I never had and I protected his ass, always. Still do. What Brian and his boys did for Shannon is different from what I’m offering Quinn. Okay, not really, but I know what I’m doing (sort of). Quinn needs someone to look out for her and I’m good at that. If there’s a prize for looking out for people I’d fucking win it hands down. I need to call Shannon. I could use her voice in my head right about now.

  Kieran

  “Kieran Delaney, I’m not your one phone call, am I?” Shannon answers, snarky as ever, flexing her attorney muscle.

  “Nah, I was just hopin’ for a quick round of phone sex before I set out for the night,” I snark right back. Her raspy laugh fills the line and I relax into the couch in front of the big screen.

  “What’s up, cousin?”

  “Chick stabbed me last night and I asked her to move in with me,” I say in a tone like I’m talking about the weather.

  “Well, that sounds like a good Friday night. My kinda girl. What did you do to deserve gettin’ stabbed?”

  “You think I deserved it?” I feign offense.

  “Oh, fuck off Kieran, if you got stabbed you probably got off light.”

  “True. I stepped in where I wasn’t wanted. She made herself clear and I didn’t listen so she made herself clearer with her stealthy blade skills. Tell you what, Shannon, she’s not you, but she’s got skills.”

  Shannon stays very quiet for a long while before responding.

  “If she has skills like me then she’s been somewhere pretty fucked up in life. She okay?” Shannon asks softly. This is the reason I love this woman. She can bust your balls better than anyone in the world, but when shit’s real, she knows it.

  “She will be,” I state confidently.

  “You makin’ sure of that?”

  “Yeah. It took some convincin’, but she agreed to let me take her home with me. I told her a little about you, Brian and the guys. It seemed to help. She can take care of herself, but right now she could use a little help.”

  “God knows I know how that is. Be gentle with her, Kieran. It’s hard to hand over your life to a stranger even if you’re doin’ what’s best. It wasn’t easy for me and the guys in the beginning. We all had to learn how to live like this. The love’s always been here, though.”

  “I know. I’ll be gentle. It’s easy with her. She reminds me so much of you, yet she’s completely different. I feel like a goddamn caveman, wantin’ to protect her and her kids.”

  “She’s got kids?” Shannon asks in a gasp.

  “Two. A little boy named Jack and a baby named Ashling. I know what you’re thinkin’. But I can do this, Shannon. She needs it and I can do it.”

  “Don’t tell me you know what I’m fuckin’ thinkin’ when you clearly don’t have a damn clue!”

  I’ve just been handed a Shannon Kelly smack down.

  “Sorry,” I say quietly.

  “I think you’ll be great with her and her kids. I know you’d do anything for me. You’ve done everything for me lately and I’m forever in your debt for that. I can’t give you any advice as far as kids go, though. I’ve got my own issues with that, as you know. Be the good man I know you are and you’ll be fine. No punchin’ walls when you get mad. No smokin’ around those kids. No drinkin’ whiskey like a fish. No fuckin’ random hos on the couch. No fightin’ in front of any of ’em. Keep your shit together and all will be well.”

  “First, you don’t owe me shit! Say it again and I’ll fly to Kansas City and kick your skinny ass. I’m fuckin’ sorry for bringin’ up her kids with what you’ve got goin’ on with Kellerman. That was insensitive of me,” I apologize. Shannon’s man, Dylan Kellerman, got his ex pregnant before he and Shannon got together. His crazy-ass ex decided to use their unborn child as leverage to get Kellerman to move in with her or else she threatened have an abortion or claim that he beats her. So Shannon’s in Kansas City while Kellerman’s living in hell in Seattle with his cunt ex. Kellerman’s trying to find dirt on the bitch so that he and Shannon can get the baby away from the loony tune. It’s a fucked situation.

  “Don’t worry about it. I’m not made of glass.” That’s the understatement of the century.

  “I’m still sorry. And as for your rules, I’m not an idiot. I’m not gonna act like an ape with a woman and her kids in my house. I’ll lay low for a while and just hang out with ’em until she figures her shit out.”

  “You need anything from me, Kieran?” she asks all sweet and warm. Kellerman is a lucky motherfucker to have this woman.

  “Just needed to hear your sweet voice. Punch my cousin in the nuts for me. Love you,” I finish tenderly.

  “You need anything for this woman or her kids, you call me. I’ll do anything I can. Love you, Kieran.”

  We hang up and I take a minute. Shannon’s right, I’ve got to get and keep my shit together if I’m going to bring Quinn and the kids home. Shannon didn’t even ask for Quinn’s name. She never pushes until it’s needed. Love that woman.

  I walk into the bedroom and find Quinn and the kids curled up together, sleeping in the bed. It’s a serene sight. I have the urge to climb in with them, but I don’t feel like getting a knife pulled on me again today.

  I quietly make my way into the bathroom to take a shower. I reek! I heard Connor and Ian go up to Ian’s office, where I left Owen, before I called Shannon. I’m sure Ian’s ready for us to start looking for whoever or whatever is threatening Quinn. Knowing that she’s coming home with me gives me added focus on the task at hand. If I don’t have to worry about her, I’m free to worry about finding someone to kill.

  Let’s be clear—I kill people. Not regularly, but when needed I have no issue taking a man’s life. The people I’ve killed have been the scum of the earth. I don’t say that to absolve myself of the sin, it’s just the facts. I don’t murder rich people to steal their Cadillacs. I kill people who would end my life just as readily if given the chance. I feel no remorse for the lives I’ve taken and I sure as shit won’t be bothered by taking the next one. I hope like hell my next victim is the monster that hurt Jack.

  I climb out of the shower clean and smelling spicy from my body wash. I rub my tattoo beneath my heart and settle myself down. I’ve got a temper. Just thinking in the shower was enough to get me riled up. I breathe deeply for a few minutes until my pulse slows and my head clears.

  I sling the towel around my waist and pull the door open to run smack into Quinn.

  “We’ve gotta stop meeting like this,” I tease. Her cheeks flame and she averts her gaze to the floor.

  “Sorry. I need to pee,” she mumbles.

  “I’ll just wait out here with the kids.”

  She nods and scurries past me into the bathroom, locking the door swiftly.

  “Hey, Kieran,” Jack murmurs and looks up at me with sleepy eyes.

  “Hey, bud.” I move over to the edge of the bed next to him. He sits up as I sit down.

  “Sorry I yelled at you and cried,” he apologizes staring at his hands. I tip his chin up with my finger and look into his red-rimmed, pale blue eyes.

  “You don’t have to be sorry for either of those things. I should have listened better before I answered you. I’m sorry. And you never feel bad about cryin’. If you need to cry, you cry. Don’t hold that back from anyone,” I say kindly.

  “Mommy says we’re gonna stay with you for a while. Is it my fault? I’ll tell Mommy it’s my fault and she won’t make you do it,” he
says with panic in his voice. This kid’s breaking my cold, dead heart.

  “I want you all to come home with me. And yes, it’s your fault. I like bein’ around you so much that I can’t let you go.” I beam a broad smile at him and he relaxes.

  “You got lots of tattoos. The bad man has tattoos, too.”

  Easy, Kieran. Ask these questions the right way.

  “Do you remember any of his tattoos? What they looked like?”

  “One of ’em. He had a bull on his chest where you have those swirly things.” He points at my right pec that’s covered in an intricate Celtic knot basket weave. I smile and nod, keeping my growing fury at bay.

  “Did the bad man talk funny?”

  Jack waits a long time before he nods once. That’s all I need to know. Motherfucker! A bull on your chest in the Russian mob is the mark of a hit man. I’ll have him in my grasp within hours.

  “You hungry, Jack?”

  “I ate some pizza while you were fightin’ with Mommy,” he says nonchalantly.

  “I wasn’t fightin’ with your momma, bud. We were just talkin’.”

  “You made her cry,” he says, offering me a glare.

  “I didn’t make her cry. She was just upset. That happens sometimes with girls. They get mad and they cry. Don’t ask me why because I don’t understand it either. I would never make your momma cry, bud,” I promise, though I know I shouldn’t. I usually make women cry, except for Shannon. She makes me cry, but that’s another story. I’ll try my damnedest not to make Quinn cry if it means Jack won’t look at me like he is right now. Less than a day and this kid’s got me wrapped around his finger. Never fucking expected that in this lifetime.

  “I don’t want Mommy to be sad.”

  “Me neither.” I wait for a second and let that sink in for both of us.

  “I’ve got a bedroom for you at my house. You can have it all to yourself,” I say happily, trying to change the subject.

  “I’ve never had a bed before. Can Mommy and Ashling fit in it with me?”

  “I’m sure they could, but your momma will have her own room and I’ll get Ash a crib. You can have your bed all to yourself,” I say excitedly but falter when I see Jack’s face. He’s scared.

  “I’ve never slept alone. Well, the bad man left me alone after...but I didn’t sleep.” He shudders. Holy fuck, if this kid tells me one more horrible thing I’m going to grow horns and go on a devil’s mission.

  “Tell you what. If you don’t wanna sleep alone you don’t have to. You can sleep with your momma. If you wanna try the bed out first, that’s fine. If you don’t wanna try the bed out at all, that’s fine. Whatever you wanna do is okay. You’re never gonna have to do something you don’t want in my house.”

  “Okay,” he says sweetly, showing me his dimple.

  “Kieran, can you hand me some clothes from that bag on the floor?” Quinn calls from the cracked opened door. She must have taken another shower because steam is pouring out of the bathroom.

  “Sure.” I hop up off the bed, hanging onto my own towel. I dig around in the bags and pull out some blue sweat pants and a white long sleeved T-shirt. I see underwear and a bra in the bag so I grab them too. I walk to the bathroom and wait for her to open the door a little more so I can hand them to her.

  “I’m naked,” she says in a whisper.

  “I figured you didn’t take a shower in your clothes.”

  “The towels don’t cover…well…everything.”

  “I won’t look. I’m closin’ my eyes right now,” I say loudly, trying to make light of the situation. She did have her naked tits smashed against my head last night, though she was in attack mode then.

  I hear the door creak and then the pile of clothes is snatched from my hand. The door shuts quietly and I open my eyes. I turn around and Jack is looking at me like I’m crazy.

  “You don’t like lookin’ at naked ladies?” he asks, furrowing his brow. Wow, this kid is hitting me with all the tough questions.

  “I only look at naked ladies that want me to look at ’em.”

  “The ones you pay money to?”

  Holy shit! Am I really explaining hookers to a six-year-old?

  “I don’t pay the ladies.”

  “So their pimps beat you up?”

  My jaw is on the floor. And I have the slightest urge to laugh.

  “No one beats me up. And I don’t pay ladies because I don’t…uh…It’s that…well…sometimes a man and a woman…they uh…”

  I scrub my hands over my face, praying for some divine intervention. Ian, Connor and Owen walk in, saving me just as Quinn comes out of the bathroom.

  “Mommy, Kieran gets to look at the naked ladies without payin’ ’em money and their pimps don’t beat him up! Isn’t that cool?” Jack jumps up from the bed excitedly. “He must be really tough because pimps don’t mess around.”

  Connor and Owen smother laughs with coughs, Ian glares at me and Quinn raises her eyebrows to her hairline.

  “He must be, Baby,” Quinn coos at him, still looking at me with crazy eyes.

  “I’m gonna head to the locker room and get dressed now. Can I talk to you guys a sec?” I ask the men who are still fighting off the chuckles. Dicks.

  I walk out of the room quickly, hoping I don’t feel a knife in my back. Once we’re all in the locker room I drop my towel and pull on a clean pair of boxer briefs from my gym bag. When the guys come into the changing area, Ian rips my wet bandage off roughly and then slaps a new one on even harder. He’s pissed.

  “Think Jack’s a little young to learn about hookers,” Owen scolds through a smile.

  “I didn’t teach him shit. He was the one schoolin’ me on the ways of the world,” I defend myself.

  “How’s that?” Ian growls.

  “Quinn needed some fresh clothes after she took a shower and I closed my eyes so I wouldn’t see her naked as I handed the clothes to her. Jack wondered if I liked to look at naked ladies. You can imagine where the conversation went from there.”

  “Jesus Christ,” Connor moans.

  “Yeah. It was sad and hilarious all at the same time,” I grumble. I pull a long sleeved black thermal over my head and dark jeans over my ass.

  “Anyway, before Jack taught me proper hooker etiquette, he gave me some information on the bad guy.”

  “What?” Ian asks excitedly, still a little pissed.

  “He’s got a bull tattoo on his chest and talks funny,” I explain with a menacing growl.

  “Fuckin’ Russian mob,” Owen scoffs next to me.

  “I’ll find him by tonight. I’m headin’ out to hook up with some guys. Call you when I know somethin’.”

  With that, I stride out of the locker room and into the gym which is filled with Jack’s laughter. Quinn’s on her back flyin’ the kid around on her feet making airplane noises. I walk up behind them, snatch Jack off her feet and start to run with him hoisted over my head making louder (better) noises than his mother was. He squeals and laughs as I run and run.

  When we get back to Quinn she’s beaming a full-toothed smile at us. I bring Jack to rest on my shoulders and stare at his mother. Drop-fucking-dead gorgeous. She’s wearing sweats, not a stitch of make-up, her hair’s in a messy pile on top of her head and she just gave birth. I’ve never seen a woman look better. Do I tell her this? No. I act like a dick.

  “You shouldn’t be exerting yourself so soon after Ash. If he wants to play rough get one of us guys,” I admonish her and watch her glowing smile turn into a dagger-throwing glare. I’m a prick.

  She takes two sharp strides toward me and reaches up at Jack without so much as a glance at my face. Jack immediately leans down to her and she rips him roughly off my shoulders, catching me in the back of the head with his knee. He curls around the front of her like a baby monkey and she flips me the bird before stalking away. What can I say? I’ve got the touch when it comes to my people skills.

  Quinn

  Kieran Delaney makes me want to stab
him more often than not. Why the hell did I agree to move in with him? I’m a crazy person, that’s why. When he was holding me to his chest and talking about his friend who’s like me I melted. He was so sweet and sincere that I turned into a pile of goo in his lap and agreed to move in with him. Fucking idiot!

  He’s already bossing me around like he thinks he’s my father. That shit is not going to fly with me. Once I get to his place, I’ll quickly put my plan into action so I can leave. Maybe I should just stay here at the gym. Jack will be bored, but I can take him out during the days while the fighters train. That’s a better idea that spending time with Kieran. I’ll end up murdering that man.

  I put Jack in Avengers pajamas and feed Ashling another bottle before tucking them into bed. They’ve had an eventful day and fall asleep quickly. I lay down beside them, trying to fall asleep, but it never comes.

  Hours later, as I lay in the dark room with my new kids, I hear banging around in the gym. I know the guys are still here because they told me they wouldn’t leave so I’m not scared. I am curious what the hell they’re doing so loudly at 4:00 am. I fed Ashling another bottle an hour ago so I think she’s good and asleep for a while. Ian and I weighed and measured her this evening. She’s an ounce shy of five pounds and seventeen and a half inches long. I asked Jack if he knew when Ashling was supposed to be born and he told me in “marsh” which, I’m assuming, is March. She’s at least three weeks early but probably more. Ian agreed to have his doctor come tomorrow and check her out. Her skin looks better, but I want to be sure she’s healthy.

  I climb out of bed slowly and grab my knife out of my backpack hidden under the bed. Safety first. I creep out of the bedroom into the therapy room, hovering in the doorway where I see some lights on in the gym. I listen attentively to locate the sounds reverberating through the building. They’re coming from the locker room.

  Using my ghost-like skills I glide through the space quickly and stop at the glass and wooden door. There’s yelling and grunting going on in there. If I walk into some creepy sex scene I’m going to puke. I’ve seen enough weird on the streets to last me a lifetime. I push the door open and am hit with the smell of burning flesh and muffled screams. This is the moment a normal person would turn back…I’m not normal. I slip through the locker area and stop dead in my tracks in the shower area.