Fix You (The Irish Rogues #3)

Chapter Sixteen Raphael

T hree Months Later

As I leaned back in my chair, I tried drowning out Edoardo Caruso’s incessant droning. I’d managed to dodge his calls for most of the week until after I’d returned from lunch. As I started past Maura, my secretary, she grabbed my arm. “Mr. Neretti, there’s a man here to see you from the Caruso family.”

Just as I opened my mouth to protest that I wasn’t receiving guests, I realized the door to my office was open, which never happened. As my gaze continued inside, a tall man in a trench coat rose from one of the chairs in front of my desk. When I caught his eye, he beckoned me with a flick of his wrist.

If it had been any other family’s representative, I would have told him to go fuck himself. But Caruso was different. So, with a nod to Maura, I gritted my teeth and strode into my office. “How can I help you?” I’d asked.

Without a word, he’d held out a phone to me. Once I had it in hand, he’d walked calmly out of my office and closed the door behind him. I wasn’t used to interacting with polite henchmen. Part of me was impressed with Edoardo’s ballsy method of overriding my bullshit to force me to speak to him while another was completely pissed at his overreach.

As usual, my mind was miles away in Ireland on a beautiful redhead. The last three months had been the emotional equivalent of a torture session. I’d been a fool to think I could just walk away from Maeve. Before our holiday reunion, she’d often been in my thoughts.

Now that I’d possessed her body, she was a part of me–one that called out to me in the dark of night. I couldn’t look at a woman in a green dress without thinking of her. The sight of roses felt like a punch in the gut. Each and every day I battled with myself not to get on a plane and fly to Ireland to get her.

But I remained a coward who claimed he was doing the right thing out of duty and honor. The truth was I was afraid of my feelings for Maeve. I’d never experienced them before. For someone always in control, it was a truly helpless feeling, and I couldn’t imagine surrendering to it.

“Did you hear me?” Edoardo demanded, bringing me out of my thoughts.

“I’m sorry. I have a lot on my mind business wise. My personal life is the last thing on my mind,” I apologized.

“It would do you good to remember that this marriage is a business deal more than it is a personal one.”

It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him he and his martial alliance could fuck off. I hated that I couldn’t. But with things still shaky with Father’s absence, I needed the jackass.

Although it pained me greatly, I replied, “I understand that. I truly do, and you have my apologies, and my promise to keep the lines of communication open between us. You have my word that you will not have to send an emissary again.”

As my lip curled in disgust at my groveling, Edoardo replied, “I’m glad to hear that. Does that also mean we can plan on holding the engagement party in April?”

My gaze dropped to the calendar in front of me. It was the 15th of March, and it appeared very aptly the Ides of March because I felt like I was getting stabbed just like Caesar.

At the tightening of my throat, I reached up to pull at my tie. “Yes, that will work.”

“Good. I’ll tell Andrea and my wife to begin preparing.”

“Thank you. I’ll see you then..”

As soon as I hung up, the door to my office opened. The man once again appeared, and like before, he didn’t say a word. He merely walked up to my desk and held out his hand for the phone. Once I handed it to him, he left my office without a goodbye.

When my phone rang immediately, I debated throwing it across the room since I imagined it was Edoardo testing me. But when I glanced at the screen, it thankfully wasn’t him. Instead, it was one of my contacts at Logan Airport. In the early days of my Kavanaugh alliance, I wanted eyes on the ground about their comings and goings. “Ciao, Fernando.”

“Hey man, you’re not going to believe who just flew in here.”

“Who?”

“Your father.”

I rocketed forward in my chair. “Are you fucking serious?”

“Yes. He was under an assumed name on the flight plan, but I saw him coming out of the jet.”

“He’s going for Callum again…” I swallowed hard. “Or Caterina.” Rising out of my chair, I made my way around my desk. “I gotta go. I owe you.”

After I hung up, I stared at my phone, debating who to call–Callum or Caterina. Relying on my belief that there was still some good in my father, I dialed Callum. “Fuck,” I muttered when it went to voicemail.

As I continued letting it dial, I texted Leandro and Gianni

SOS—at the airport

By the time I reached the ground floor of the building, Leandro was waiting for me. “What’s happened?” he demanded.

“Father’s been spotted at Logan.”

With a grimace, Leo muttered, “Fuck.”

“I keep calling and texting Callum SOS, but the fucker isn’t responding.”

As we started for the black SUV parked outside, Gianni came wheezing out of the stairwell. “Fucking. Elevator. Wouldn’t. Work.” After bending at the waist, he huffed, “Tell. me.”

After relating to him what Fernando had said, he righted himself. “Fuck,” he replied, mirroring Leo’s response. Without another word, we started gunning for the SUV. Once we were inside, the car squealed away from the curb.

I once again brought the phone to my head to call Callum.

“I’ll try Caterina,” Leo said.

“I’ll give Quinn a shot,” Gianni added.

As the others made their calls, Callum finally answered his phone. “Rafe?” he questioned.

“Why the fuck didn’t you text me back?”

“Excuse me?”

“I sent you a couple of SOS texts.”

“What’s wrong?” Callum asked.

“I was calling to warn you. I just found out from an informant at Logan Airport that my father’s jet landed there about an hour ago.”

“I knew it was him,” he hissed.

I sucked in a harsh breath. “What do you mean?”

“Some of his men just grabbed Caterina off the street right outside one of our clubs. I thought it was him, but now there’s not a question in my mind.”

“That fucking bastard!” I growled.

A distant voice said, “We just lost the tracker.”

“Lost it because of a bad area or it’s compromised?” Callum questioned them.

At the reply, I recognized it was Dare. “It’s been obliterated.”

“Fucking hell!” Callum bellowed.

“What’s happened?” I questioned.

“The tracker I put in Caterina is gone. Before we lost contact, they were heading towards Little Italy. Any idea where he might be taking her?”

“After his hit on you, he iced me and the others out of any business dealings. I’ll get Gianni to hack into his business records to see what he can find in that area.”

“I’d appreciate that.”

“Look, I’m almost to the hangar now, and I’ll be in the air within ten minutes.”

“I can’t fucking wait for you!” Callum snarled.

I knew in his panic he wasn’t thinking straight. “What the fuck are you going to do without an address?” I countered.

“The North End is a mile-long neighborhood. I’ll have my men start branching out from the last ping on the tracker down to the wharf.”

“He could be taking her to the airport,” I argued.

“You don’t think I haven’t already thought that? Give me some fucking credit.”

“Fine. Will you do one thing for me?” When he didn’t answer, I said, “Let me and my brothers be the one to end him.”

At my request, both Leo and Gianni’s eyes met mine. In unison, they nodded in agreement.

“Until I know what he’s done to her, I can’t make that promise.”

“She’s our blood to avenge,” I growled.

“She’s my wife. And she’s pregnant with my child!” Callum shouted.

My heart dropped to the ground. Our Kitty Cat was pregnant. Not only was our father endangering her life, but he was endangering her unborn child’s life. It was too much to bear. I knew I couldn’t ask Callum to wait. He deserved to take his revenge and retribution.

“Do what you have to do,” I replied.

“I will.”

“We’ll be there as soon as we can.”

“I’ll see you then.”

When I hung up, Leo shot me an expectant look. “Why the fuck did you just tell him to do what he has to do? This is our kill.”

“Kitty Cat is pregnant.”

Leo’s expression darkened while Gianni sucked in a harsh breath. “He better fucking hope Callum gets to him first because there will be nothing left of him when I’m finished,” Leo snarled.

“My sentiments exactly,” I replied.

Once we got into the waiting SUV, it squealed away from the curb and started careening down the street.

I turned to Gianni. “I need you to find a location Father could have possibly taken Caterina. Last intel that Callum had from her tracking device was that they were headed for Boston’s Little Italy.”

Gianni nodded and powered up his tablet. I’d never understood how he was able to do the things he could, but today, I was fucking grateful to have his abilities. I don’t know how much time passed since I couldn’t focus on anything.

But then Gianni raised his head and held out his laptop to us. “Right there.”

“What is it?”

“A warehouse space that Father purchased less than two months ago.”

Cocking my brows at him, I asked, “You think that’s it?”

“It’s in Little Italy and fits the bill. There’s a front office to keep it looking on the up and up as a legit business. But what’s telling to me is that there’s a loading dock with a truck entrance on Ellery Street.

“I’ll let the Kavanaughs know.” When I dialed Callum back, he demanded, “What?”

“Twenty-three Boston Street.”

The air wheezed out of his lungs. “What about it?”

After I related to him what Gianni had told me about the space, he replied, “We’re on it,” he replied.

Just before I could hang up, Callum said, “Rafe?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” After I hung up, I looked at Gianni and Leo’s expectant faces. “They’re on it.”

Hearing that our in-laws were en route to save Caterina did little to calm our nerves. We wanted to be there on the ground ourselves.

By the time the plane took off, none of us were able to stay in our seats. We prowled the cabin like the caged animals we were. I kept my phone in my hand, willing it to vibrate with an incoming call. Every second that passed when it didn’t, I started to get a little more unhinged.

We were about fifteen minutes out from Boston when it finally rang. Leo and Gianni froze in their pacing and jerked their gazes to mine. I answered the phone, putting it on speaker. “Yeah?” I croaked.

Callum’s voice echoed through the line. “I’ve got her.”

As a relieved breath burst from my lips, I staggered back. “And she’s okay?”

“I don’t know. We’re on the way to the hospital.”

“Fucking hell,” Leo muttered.

“Carmine beat her pretty badly. She’s been unconscious since I got to her.”

I closed my eyes in pain as I thought of what that beating might’ve done to her baby. “Tell me Carmine’s no longer breathing,” I demanded.

“Only because I will have my revenge on him when I know Caterina is okay. A very long, tortuous revenge.”

“I would love to be there to watch.”

“I promise you can.”

“And my father?”

“My brothers have him tied up and waiting for the three of you.”

At Callum’s declaration, we all exchanged a look with each other. For a moment, I couldn’t find my voice. “What changed your mind?”

“In the end, I didn’t want to deny you the privilege. I know what it meant to me to have been the one to do it.”

“I can’t thank you enough.”

“When you land, call Quinn. He’ll give you the address where they took your father. With the explosion and fire at the warehouse, we had to move him and Carmine.”

“I see.” I swallowed down my rising emotions. “When she wakes up, tell Caterina we love her.”

“I will.” And then he ended the call.

Silence hung heavy around us as we were weighed down by our impending sin. It remained even after we landed and disembarked the plane. Once we were in the waiting SUV, I called Quinn.

“It’s Rafe. Callum said you had a location for us.”

“Come to 700 Summer Street at the wharf. I’ll be waiting for you outside the warehouse.”

“Do you have the necessary tools?”

“We’ll have everything you need,” Quinn replied.

“I’ll see you then.”

When I hung up, I leaned forward in my seat to speak to the driver. “How far are we to the wharf?”

“Maybe fifteen minutes.”

“Thanks.”

As I eased back down in my seat, I didn’t think of the torture that lay before me. Instead, Maeve’s face flashed before my eyes. I don’t know why I thought of her. She was thousands of miles away in Dublin at school.

Maybe my thoughts were with her because Boston was where I’d first met her. More importantly, it was the city where I’d claimed her as mine.

In that moment, I would’ve given anything to see her. To feel her arms wrapped around me as I kissed her velvet lips.

Shaking my head, I tried shaking the memory of her from my mind. Someone as pure of heart and beautiful as Maeve had no place amongst the dark thoughts of my father’s impending torture and demise.

When we arrived at the wharf, my fists clenched in anticipation. A burn started twisting through the muscles and tendons in my arms. One that I knew wouldn’t be extinguished without punches and hits.

One glance at my brothers and they were experiencing the same reaction.

In the distance, I could see Quinn standing outside just as he had promised. After the SUV pulled up, he walked over to greet us.

Like on the plane, conversation seemed to evade us. Quinn had never been a man of many words, and I appreciated that in him today. With a jerk of his head, he led us inside a somewhat dilapidated building with high vaulted ceilings that housed shipping crates.

We followed him for several minutes until we got to the back of the warehouse. There strung up between two shipping crates was our Father. His head lolled to the side, and with blood dripping from his mouth, I couldn’t help wondering if Callum or one of his brothers hadn’t roughened him up a little.

At the sound of footsteps, he slowly pulled his head up. He had the audacity to chuckle at the sight of us. “Well, if it isn’t my sons come to end me.” Cocking his brows, he said, “Truth be told, I didn’t think the three of you had the balls for patricide.”

While Gianni growled beside me, Leo spat on the ground in front of him. “ Figlio di puttana .”

I held my hand up to Leo. “I have one question before we do this.”

“Spit it out,” Father commanded.

“Why?” When Father just stared at me, I took a step towards him. “You gave me your word that you wouldn’t ever try to hurt Caterina again.”

He tried to shrug as best he could in his binds. “Carmine offered me a better deal.”

“One that was worth more than your daughter’s life?”

“Caterina ceased to exist in my eyes the moment she defied me by joining the Sacred Heart. Marrying her to Carmine ensured not only that she paid for her disobedience, but an amazing opportunity was opened to us with Bratva.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Gianni questioned.

“Carmine’s daughter was just married to Mikita Komarov’s son.”

The name instantly rang a bell. He was the head of the Jersey Bravta. Leo made a noise of disgust. “Allegra? She isn’t even eighteen.”

“She’s a married woman now, and her alliance opened a whole new world with Bratva.”

With a shake of my head, I countered, “You risked your daughter’s life for fucking nothing. You’re both dead men, and Mikita’s saddled with a useless alliance.”

Father’s eyes narrowed on me. “It was good business regardless of the outcome.”

“The Famiglia is about blood and tradition. No one would’ve stood with you after you cut us out and sacrificed Caterina.”

“ Marone , get on with it. I’d rather you killed me than listen to you.” He spit in my face. “How I ever sired the three of you I’ll never know.”

As I slowly swiped my cheek with the back of my hand, I nodded at Gianni. He tossed me the cylinder-shaped blow torch. “One thing I learned from my alliance with Kavanaughs is how useful fire can be in torture.”

A maniacal smile curved on my lips as the blow torch flared to life. “You’ll burn on this side and the other.”

And then the three of us descended on him.