“What the fuck do you want, Killian?”
“I want your ass back here, brother,” he said. “We need to have a discussion. And I want you to bring Jack. Meredith has grown quite attached to him and is really upset that you took him from her.”
“He's my son.”
“He'll be better off raised by my wife,” he says. “In a good, loving home with parents who are around and can provide for him.”
“You talk like you're just going to kill me when I show up,” I say.
“I would prefer things not go that way,” he replied. “But, nothing is off the table at this point. Trust me when I say though, that my preference is to bring you back into the family. To have you be a productive member of the business. I know father would have wanted that.”
“Like I give a fuck what the old man would have wanted.”
He laughed softly. “Yes, you've made that quite clear throughout your life,” he said. “Get back here, Declan. Come to the pub and we'll talk when you get here. We'll be waiting for you.”
Killian clicked off the line and I was left staring at the phone. Jack cooed and burbled in his crib, completely oblivious to the drama unfolding around him. Completely oblivious to the fact that in a few hours, he could well be an orphan.
I turned and stared at myself in the mirror. Stared into a face that was drawn and eyes that were haunted. Going back to Chicago could very well be the end of me regardless of what Killian had just told me. I'd disappointed him, and he was going to make an example out of me in front of his men. I would be the lesson in the price they'd pay for disloyalty.
Walking over to the crib, I looked down at Jack. He stared at me with those eyes, so full of life. So full of trust. Reaching out, I let him wrap his little hand around my finger, listening to the happy little noises that came out of his mouth. My heart swelled with a love and a joy I'd never known before or thought myself capable of.
“I'm going to get us out of this, little man,” I said. “You, me, and Kara. We're all getting out of this shit and we're going to have a good life somewhere. I don't know how I'm going to pull it off, but I'm making that promise to you now. Daddy’s gonna fix this.”
Jack looked up at me and even though I knew he didn't understand a damn word I'd just said, I felt like I had to say it. As if speaking my promise out loud would make it come to life. I had no idea of what I was going to do or how I was going to do it, but I was bound and determined to first get Kara away from Killian, and then get her to Jack. If nothing else, the two of them could run and start a new life somewhere.
I would fulfill my vow at all costs – even at the cost of my own life.
~ooo000ooo~
“Thank you, Charlotte,” I said. “I can't even begin to tell you how much I appreciate this.”
She waved me off with a smile. “Don't think twice about it, hon,” she says. “After all you done for me over the years, it's the least I can do. I gotta say though, you're the last person I ever woulda figured would turn up on my doorstep with a baby.”
A rueful smile touched my lips. “Yeah, that makes two of us,” I said. “I'm the last person who should be thought of as father material.”
She shrugged. “I can tell you love this kid. It shows in your eyes, Declan,” she said. “That's half the battle right there – knowing you'd do anything for your child. That count for a lot.”
I gave her a grateful smile but couldn't meet her eyes. Charlotte was an old friend of mine who lived just outside Chicago. She knew my family history, knew what they were all about, and she was one of the few people I trusted in this world – and one of the fewer still I'd ever trust enough to leave Jack with. She took him from me and smiled wide at him.
“Well, ain't you just the cutest thing ever?” she cooed at him.
Jack looked back at her with that smile on his face and made a noise when she lightly pinched his cheeks. Charlotte had kids of her own, but they lived with their father most of the time because he lived in a better school district and she wanted the best for them. She was a good mom and her relationship with her kids was a good one, which was just another reason I trusted her with Jack. “I really don't know how this is going to go,” I said. “This could get sideways on me really fast.”
She nodded. I'd filled Charlotte in on everything and had let her in on the half-assed plan I'd put together on my way back to Chicago. She knew what I was walking into and what the stakes were. She knew there was a chance I might not be coming back. Yet, despite knowing all that, she agreed to take Jack for me.
“If there's anybody I'd bet on coming out of that damn viper's nest, it'd be you, Declan,” she said.
“I hope you're right,” I said and glanced at my watch. “I should probably get going.”
She gave me a warm smile and handed Jack back to me. I took him in my arms and kissed his forehead. I didn't know how this was all going to play out or if I was ever going to see my son again. I was going to fight like hell to get back to him, but the truth of the matter was, I didn't know if I'd be able to keep my promise to him. My brother was a ruthless son of a bitch and I had no idea what I was walking into.
All I knew was that until I put an end to this, none of us would ever be safe. Ever. We'd have to live our lives on the run, always looking over our shoulders. We'd have to spend our lives waiting for the other shoe to drop and that was no way to live. I wasn't going to live that way and I damn sure wasn't going to force my son to live that way. If I didn't make it back, at least I knew he was going to be in good hands with Charlotte. Hidden. Safe. Nobody would ever find him. More than that though, I knew he would have a good life and be raised well.
“I'll see you soon, little man,” I said, hoping I sounded more convinced o
f it than I felt.
I handed Jack back to Charlotte and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She took hold of my hand and gave it a tight squeeze, the look in her eye earnest.