Page 36 of Taken By the Mobster

Declan put his arm around her shoulder and led her back to the house. “Let’s go inside. I need to talk to Conor and get Walsh out of the house.” He kissed her temple. “I’ll take care of everything.”

“What do you mean you’re not going with us?” Walsh yelled.

“Calm down, Walsh. I want you and Murph to go to Ohio,” Declan explained. “Conor and I will meet you in two days.”

“We don’t separate. Those are the rules,” Walsh said.

“Rules?” Declan said. “What do you mean ‘rules’?”

“Clyde’s rules.” Walsh crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall. “He won’t be happy if he finds out we split up.”

“It’s only for two days, Walsh. Two days. Conor and I will meet you in Mayfield Heights on Friday,” Declan said.

“What about the woman?” Murphy interjected.

Declan took a deep breath. “She won’t be with us. I’m going to take care of it.”

“Are you going to kill her?” Walsh asked.

It was the question he had hoped neither of them would ask, but he knew they would. He had to lie his ass off, convince them he was going to kill Olivia. It wouldn’t be easy.

Declan took a deep breath before he spoke. “Yes.”

“Bullshit,” Walsh snapped. “You’ve got it bad for that bitch. You won’t kill her.”

“She will be dead by morning,” Declan said.

Walsh snorted. “I doubt it.”

Declan was across the room in a split second. He grabbed Walsh by the front of his shirt and slammed him against the wall. “Enough. I don’t want to hear another fucking word out of your mouth. Get your shit, and get on the road. You have ten minutes.”

He slammed Walsh against the wall one more time for emphasis, then he released him and turned his back on him. He heard the door behind him open and Walsh stomping down the hall. Murphy followed.

Conor cleared his throat. “The second he walks out the front door, Walsh is going to go straight to Clyde.”

“I know,” Declan said. “I’m hoping by the time Clyde gets here, we’ll be long gone.”

“Where are we going?” Conor asked. “We can’t go back to Boston.”

“No. We’re going north to New Hampshire.”

Conor’s eyes widened. “Shane’s? Are we going to Shane’s?”

Declan nodded. “I haven’t asked him yet, but I’m sure he’ll say yes. We’ll go to Piran’s and figure out how to deal with Clyde there.”

Declan and Shane Kelly had crossed paths five years ago, shortly before Declan tried to get out. They’d hit it off, to everyone’s surprise, especially Shane’s. He didn’t make friends easily. Shane wasn’t a guy anyone wanted to mess with; he had no loyalty to either the Muldoons or the O’Reillys. He sold his services to the highest bidder. Shane’s loyalty was unwavering and dependable if he considered someone a friend.

When Declan ended Clyde’s life, he knew the only person he could trust to help him was Shane Kelly. Now that Drew was free, he could go to Shane and ask for his help.

It was time to end this, once and for all.

Chapter 18

Olivia

Declan had been gone for a little over an hour. Olivia was worried about him, especially after overhearing his conversation with Conor. After Walsh stormed off, Olivia stepped out of the shadows at the end of the hall and headed for Drew’s room. She stopped outside the door and heard them talking about Conor’s concern that Walsh would go straight to Clyde. The thought of Walsh talking to Clyde terrified her. Declan was gone before she could talk to him about it.

Since Olivia’s clothes were soaked from the rainstorm, Ezra gave her a change of clothes. She took a shower to help her warm up, put on the clean clothes, and then went to check on Drew. They talked for a few minutes, but he was tired and wanted to rest, so Olivia wandered downstairs.

---