Page 44 of Taken By the Mobster

“No, I’m not sure about this,” Declan replied. He shoved open the car door and stepped out. “This is our best option, though. Clyde won’t think to look for us here. After what he did to Sarah, I’m sure he thinks I won’t come back here. He probably thinks I sold it or abandoned it.” He took their duffel bags from the trunk and set them on the sidewalk.

Drew joined Declan on the sidewalk in front of the house. He dragged his bag over his shoulder. “We don’t have to do this,” he said.

“I’m fine,” Declan snapped. He leaned in the car window to talk to Conor in the driver’s seat. “You got this?”

Conor nodded. “I got it. I’ll take care of it, don’t worry.” He rolled up the window, put the car in gear, and pulled away.

“Maybe I should have gone with him,” Drew said.

“He’ll be fine,” Declan replied. “Come on. Let’s go inside. You’re going to tell me everything you know about the Muldoon compound.”

They walked around the house to the back door. Declan reached into a crevice behind the light on the porch and grabbed the key he had hidden there years ago. He unlocked the door, and they slipped inside.

He made a phone call on the way to Boston and ensured that the house was immaculate with no dust and had mopped and vacuumed floors with a stocked refrigerator.

“Take your stuff up to your room,” Declan said. “Then meet me in the kitchen so we can get started. I’m going to find a drink.”

Drew hesitated at the bottom of the stairs for a split second before he trudged up them. Declan tossed his bag in the bedroom off from the living room. He avoided looking in as he passed it. The darkness filled the room, thanks to the closed blinds and covered furniture. He had no intention of entering that room ever again.

He found a bottle of whiskey in the kitchen cupboard, poured himself a glass, and downed it in two swallows. By the time Drew returned to the kitchen, Declan’s head was buzzing.

“Start talking,” Declan ordered.

Drew proved to be a fountain of information after being held at the compound for more than a year. He shared with Declan all he knew about the Muldoon compound—people, timing, and Olivia’s probable whereabouts. Declan scribbled notes in a notebook from one of the kitchen drawers, and Drew made a rough outline of a map.

Conor returned three hours after he left. He tossed a thick stack of papers on the table and smiled.

“Did you park out back?” Declan asked.

“Yeah,” Conor said. “And I made sure they didn’t follow me. I think we’re good for now.”

“And did you talk to Ruth?”

“I did. Clyde is at the compound,” Conor explained. “Ruth said he came in with Olivia. The jerk left her in the car’s trunk for half an hour while he chatted up his uncle. It wasn’t until Donovan locked himself in his office that they moved Olivia inside. She’s in a room on the north side of the mansion, west corner.”

Drew nodded and tapped the sketch of the compound he’d made. “Right where I thought she would be,” he said.

“How is Ruthie doing?” Declan asked.

“She’s okay,” Conor replied. “She fucking hates Clyde. If I asked her to stab him in his sleep, she’d do it in a heartbeat.”

“What did she say about Olivia?” Declan asked.

“She’s okay,” Conor explained. “She told Ruth she thinks she has a concussion. Ruth said she has a bloody cut on her forehead and a bitch of a bruise on her chin.”

Declan suppressed his anger. Nobody hurt Olivia and survived. If he ever got his hands on Walsh, the man would regret ever touching her. Nobody would ever hurt the woman he loved again.

“So, what’s the plan?” Drew asked, interrupting Declan’s unspoken fantasies of revenge.

Declan pointed at Conor. “Let’s hear it.”

“We have to go tonight, after midnight. Ruth said there shouldn’t be more than three or four men guarding the compound. If we plan it right, we should be able to get in, get Olivia, and get out with no one knowing any better.”

“Let’s hope that’s the case,” Declan said.

“Ruth will leave the side entrance of the kitchen unlocked. We go in that way, set the charges in the kitchen, and then she’ll take us up the service stairs to where they’re holding Olivia. From there, it’s up to us.”

“Ruth has cost me a lot of money the last year,” Declan said. “But she is worth every penny. Invaluable.”

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