Captured(Devil's Blaze MC 1)(84)

“Everything’s ready, boss,” Torch says into the earpiece I wear.

I’m sitting at the conference table at Colin Donahue’s mansion. To my right sits Matthew. Beside him, Colin, who has obviously been beat all to hell. His eye is black, his face swollen, and his nose has obviously been broken. He wears a cast on his arm as well as a back brace. I’m not sure Matthew’s the one who delivered the punches, but I’m fairly certain he had it done. Surprisingly, I find myself respecting him a little, at least as much as I can possibly respect a Donahue. There are four others in the room. Sabre and Latch are standing behind me as my protection, and Matthew has two men with him.

“Redmond just pulled up. He has six men with him. Two stayed with the car, and that sends four up your way. Briar’s showing them in, now.”

“Showtime,” I tell everyone out loud, mostly to notify my men. I could give less than a fuck about the others. I had Briar dress as the Donahue butler. Of all of us, he’s the one with the least noticeable tattoos and piercings. I knew they would never buy me, but then again, I figured Redmond has had me investigated pretty damn thoroughly.

Sabre goes to stand behind the door and waits. It takes a few minutes, but Briar opens the door for them. I got a file on Redmond a couple of weeks ago. The bastard’s picture was imprinted on my brain, but even so, when he walks through the door and looks at me, I’m still shocked. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s just too fucking easy, too anticlimactic. Or maybe I thought it would feel better to end him. I don’t know.

His men start to back out of the door, but Briar’s there to stop them, and this time, he has an AR-15 to do his talking for him.

“I got to say, I didn’t see this one coming,” says Redmond, staring straight at me. I don’t bother answering. He looks at Matthew and Colin. “Well played, nephews. You apparently had more brains than I gave you credit for.”

“We learned from our father,” responds Matthew. “You know the man who defeated you before?”

“This family reunion   is sweet and all, but I have better shit to do,” I interrupt them. I put myself in front of Redmond. The cocky bastard doesn’t even flinch. He stares right back at me. Matthew’s men subdue the two men flanking Redmond, and still the bastard seems unruffled.

“You’re the last person I expected to work with my nephews,” Redmond says, and he’s smiling. I don’t know what the fucker thinks he has to smile about. Shit, maybe he’s fucking nuts. “Politics makes strange bedfellows, I suppose.”

“Under no circumstances am I or would I ever get in bed with you sad fucks. This is about vengeance, plain and simple.”

“I can almost see what my daughter saw in you.”

My heart trips and it takes all I have not to react.

“Your daughter?”

“Didn’t know that small tidbit, did you? Oh, the things I know that you don’t. Your head would spin.”

He’s baiting me, I know it, but I can’t resist asking again. “Beth… was your daughter?”

“Yes. I was trying to get her to come home. She, of course, didn’t want to leave. It took some convincing. I told her you would hurt her, but I never knew just how much. Tell me, how does it feel to know you’re responsible for killing the one person in this world who didn’t realize what a waste of air you really are?”

My hand trembles, but I ignore it. He scored his point, but I’m fucking tired of it.

“Now, Sabre.”

Sabre fires the rounds into Redmond’s men after they are turned loose. Redmond does jump then, but the fucker still faces me head-on.

“This isn’t about Beth,” I say, my voice deadly cold. “I’ve already lost her, though if I’m to blame for that, you are too, aren’t you, Redmond?”

He shrugs. “You’d be surprised the lengths a father would go to.”

“I’m sure. Trouble is, I don’t give a fuck to listen to your voice anymore. Latch? You got your phone?”

“Yeah, boss. Right here.”

“Tape it.”

He aims his phone at Redmond. The man looks confused for a minute.

“You see, Redmond, all this time I thought Colin had ordered one of my men’s vehicles rigged. Imagine my surprise when Matthew told me the orders hadn’t come from either of them.”

Redmond glances at his nephews. I expect him to deny it. Honestly, I’m hoping he will. I’d like to kill all of them and be done with it. I really thought Matthew lied to me and Colin was the one that gave that order.

“All’s fair in war,” mutters Redmond, shrugging again.