I stepped on something that crackled and pulled back. It was a white envelope, business letter-sized, with my name written in black ink. There was no postage, and no return address.
The place was dead quiet, and a chill ran over me. I crouched down and picked it up before retreating back inside. I locked the door, hit the extra bolt, and armed my security system.
Tara was still on the balcony doing downward facing dog, and all I wanted to do was sit back and stare at her ass and picture her naked pussy throbbing on my long, thick cock, but the envelope took precedence. I tore it open slowly using a knife from my drawer and pulled out a simple piece of paper, thick and fancy, the sort with a little bit of texture and fibers woven into it.
The message was handwritten in thick, dark pen. The writing was legible, if a little messy, and my eyes skimmed down to the bottom. The letter was signed Colm Healy and I felt my throat tense up.
I put the gun down on the counter, steadied my suddenly skyrocketing pulse, and began to read.
Dear Ewan: I know we haven’t met yet in person, but I do so hope we get the chance one day soon. I have nothing but respect for you and for what you do. I know it’s a difficult, bloody job, and the men in my family that undertake your sort of profession tend not to last so long. And yet you are an old pro already. I will say, your reputation is sterling.
I write to you about Tara Donnelly. I know you have her. I reached out to your Don already, but he has not responded. I hope you don’t take this letter as a threat, for it isn’t intended as such. However, I want you to understand that Tara Donnelly is one of ours, and we intend to get her back.
I propose a trade. You give me the girl, and I’ll give you something of equal value. Reply to me with your terms. Money would be easy enough, but I suspect a man like you isn’t interested in that. Tell me what you want, and I’ll make it happen.
I hope we can do business.
Sincerely,
Colm
I read and reread the letter several times before slipping it back into the envelope. I rapped my knuckles on the counter and didn’t notice when Tara came back inside until she said my name.
I looked up and she frowned at me, head tilted, her hair pulled up. Sweat glistened on her gorgeous skin and her cheeks were flushed red. My god, she was beautiful, and suddenly I wanted to tear the envelope and that piece of shit letter into tiny pieces and burn it into ash.
Colm Healy was the head of the Healy family. He was the equivalent of their Don, though they didn’t call him that. Colm was a mean man and ruthless, and he’d earned his family’s power through blood and double dealings. He was a businessman, but he was also a killer and a shark, and I didn’t trust him, not for a single second.
The letter was all rank flattery. It pissed me off, that simpering first paragraph. I could practically see Colm smiling to himself as he wrote it, as if acknowledging that I was good at my job would somehow endear him to me.
That man could swallow the hot end of my shotgun. I’d gladly pull that trigger.
“What’s wrong?” Tara asked, head tilted, her hair falling from the bun slightly to brush against her shoulders.
“Nothing,” I said and glanced down at the envelope.
She followed my gaze and walked over. “What’s that?” She nodded at it, and I quickly pulled it away so she couldn’t grab it.
“Nothing,” I said. “Dropped off a little while ago, but it’s nothing.”
“You’re doing a very bad job of hiding that from me,” she said, smiling a little uncertainly. “Come on, Ewan. What is it?”
I took a breath and looked down at my hands. I didn’t know why I was reacting like this. Calm, perfect Ewan, I didn’t fall to pieces over some bullshit letter from my enemy. It was that last paragraph that bothered me though, that blanket offer from Colm for anything I wanted in exchange for her.
I didn’t sell women. He didn’t offer me cash, but he might as well have. The bastard thought I’d hand Tara over to him like she was luggage, like she was cattle, and it boiled my blood and made my skin bubble with rage.
And more than that, it worried me. If the Healy family wanted her bad enough to bypass the Don and come to me, that must mean they were serious, and things might get hot.
I watched her carefully and her coy smile slowly faded away. I didn’t want to hide this from her, but I didn’t know how desperate she’d be to try and run away. Still, she had to know the truth if we were going to get through this alive.
“It’s a letter from Colm Healy,” I said slowly, keeping my voice as steady as I could. “He wants to buy you from me.”
She flinched and took a step back. “Buy me?” she asked.
“Maybe in his mind it’s a rescue attempt.” I held the letter out. “You can read it.”
It was probably a mistake. She took the envelope, ripped out the paper, and read it quickly. Her face twisted in disgust as she finished and she handed it back to me in a crumpled heap.
“I don’t even know these people,” she said, pacing away from me. “How do I know going to them is going to be any better than staying here?”
“I doubt he’ll force you to marry someone,” I said, but I wasn’t sure if that was true or not. “At least he didn’t have your father killed.”
She grunted in response and paced back and forth, hands behind her back. “What are
