Rake: A Dark Boston Irish Mafia Romance (The Carneys Book 1) - Sophie Austin Page 0,20
at me, stroking my cheek with his knuckle. “I’m keeping you here so my father knows we’re working together. Otherwise he’ll have you or your family killed, and that’d be a shame. As for me? My father and I don’t exactly see eye to eye on a lot of things, but when it comes down to it, he’d dispose of me too if it suits him. Better that it doesn’t.”
I look at the scar on his eyebrow and suck in a deep breath. How am I going to get out of this?
“You won’t hurt my brother?” I whimper.
“No. I won’t. I just want to let him know not to expect you. It’d be better if you don’t contact him right now. It’s safer this way, Sasha. Can’t you see that? It’s not just your life hanging in the balance here.”
How should I even respond to that? He’s right, but it’s not like he’s helpless in this situation. Maybe I’m not entirely either, but I have far less power and resources.
I’ll stay for now, though. Let Carney think I’m negotiating with his son. Let him underestimate me again.
I nod, wiping at my eyes.
Finn squeezes my shoulder.
“I meant what I said about locking the door.”
He leaves. I want to warn my brother, but I’m afraid if I do, he’ll do something foolish. Benjamin was horrified at what happened to me, and that he couldn’t protect me. But he’s just a kid. There’s nothing he could have done – but he’s still too young to realize that.
But I’ll do whatever it takes to protect him, Jamilah, and all the people at Trinity who are relying on me.
I can’t let James Carney win this time. I won’t survive it.
6
Finn
My father won’t be happy about the petition, but at least I’ll be able to warn him. That’ll show I’m making progress. It’s not ideal, but it could be worse.
It’d been too easy to suss out Sasha’s weaknesses, and I’d be sure to keep putting pressure on them. The fear of not knowing what’s happening to her precious brother might drive her to give up her contact eventually. I haven’t asked her to name everyone involved.
Like I said, every job has its own code of conduct, and that’d push Sasha’s too far. But one person? Surely she’d sacrifice one person to save her baby brother.
It’s easy enough to find her address. She lives off Broadway Street in Everett. The plan is strategic: I decide to go there first to give her more time to think before I see my father —not that I expect her to flip so soon. Not someone of her particular ethics.
The streets have been plowed, so the main streets are down to the asphalt. The side streets still have an inch or so of compressed icy sludge, though, so I can’t drive as fast as I like to.
The sun is out, reflecting off the fresh snow, making the city look cleaner than usual. I pull on a pair of sunglasses to help with the glare as I turn onto Sasha’s street. The houses are mostly two-family with shared driveways, stacked right on top of each other.
They’re in various states of disrepair, and I imagine knocking them down to put up tasteful condos. My Range Rover rolls to a stop in front of number 874.
God, what a dump. It might as well have wheels underneath it.
It’s another two-family house, painted yellow with a dilapidated chain-link fence lining what I imagine is a classy yard chock full of cement gnomes or something else God-awful. The house’s paint is peeling, and several of the windows are cracked and broken.
And is that plastic wrap on the inside of the windows? Depressing.
A teenage boy shovels the walkway. It’s easy to guess who he is.
Stepping out of my SUV, I avoid the worst piles of snow. The kid watches me. When he realizes I’m heading his way, he leans the shovel against a rusted railing that’s pulled out from the stairs. He’s going to be tall when he’s fully grown. Already he’s far outstripped his sister, though he’s not quite six feet yet.
He meets me at the sidewalk. “Can I help you?”
His voice is deep, which surprises me. He wears a silly knit hat with a pom-pom on the top.
“I think so,” I say, smiling my most charming smile. “Are you Sasha Saunders’ brother?”
His body stiffens. “Yes. Is she…” He almost can’t get the words out. He looks like he’s going to vomit.