Page 76 of Avenging Kelly

“Sure. Turn on the water in the shower, will ya? It takes a minute to heat,” London said before he started sorting through the mail on the table.

I went to the bathroom and found my bottle of Poker Chips, filling a syringe for the morning before I washed the bottle with soap and then wiped it with an alcohol pad and wrapped it in toilet paper, shoving it into the pocket of my jeans.

I turned on the shower and hurried out of the door and back into the hallway to grab my helmet. “Love you,” I called out to London, wherever he might be, and I let myself out. I’d have to wake him up to let me in since I didn’t have a key, but I had something to handle on my own to prove to myself that it was really over.

* * *

I drove my bike down the alley next to the apartment building at the address Rafe had given me, and I wasn’t really surprised to find the back door propped open by a crushed beer can. I looked around, not seeing anyone, so I went inside the half-dark stairwell and jogged up four flights of stairs, singing The Proclaimers’ song as I used to do to keep my cadence steady when I was training.

When I reached the fourth floor, I slipped down the hallway to four-thirteen, and I listened at the door. No sound. I pulled on gloves, and as I reached for the doorknob, I saw smears of blood. I couldn’t hold the smile.

I turned the knob to find it wasn’t locked, so I slowly stepped inside to see one dim lamp in the corner. There was a television on, showing a true-crime show, and there on the couch was my most wanted—Phillippe Trudeau.

The man’s eyes were closed as he laid there in a pair of shorts. I could see he’d wrapped gauze around his upper right thigh, which led me to believe he’d caught a bullet from the unscheduled help of the Mangello family. I still didn’t know what to think about that, but yet again, I believed it to be something above my pay grade.

I lifted my booted foot and pushed against the bloody gauze on Trudeau’s thigh. His eyes shot open, and a gun came from his left side. I grabbed it and twisted it out of his hand, turning it to his forehead.

“You were a Marine Raider. Why did you decide to stop helping people and start kidnapping little girls and raping them? When did you think it was a good idea to sell their babies?” I asked as I ground my boot into his thigh and laughed as he squirmed to get away from me. No dice.

“I made those girls important because I am the father—” I shot him in the head with his own gun to shut him up. He wasn’t worth more of my time. He wasn’t worth anyone trying to rehabilitate, either. He was evil, and I was the one avenging the innocent girls he’d harmed, wishing I could take away their nightmares as easily as I’d taken away their tormentor.

I tossed the bottle of Poker Chips on the floor for the NYPD to find, and hopefully, get another law enforcement agency involved in the mess to ensure justice was served. Those girls deserved to know he was dead and wouldn’t be coming after them any longer.

30

LONDON

I stood at Newark International Airport with Kelly as he checked his bags. I knew he had to go, but god, I hated the idea of it.

My Kelly was getting on a plane to Mesa, Arizona, and he’d asked me not to go with him after we made love the second time. “I love you, but I’d rather you not come with me to Arizona. I’ll be able to do what I’ve gotta if I know you’re here with Mom, Mia, and Daisy in my place.” How could I refuse?

He’d taken his sweet old time getting gas and lube, but when he’d come back we’d loved on each other like we might not have the chance again. I prayed that wasn’t the truth.

It felt like an official goodbye, and it broke my heart to think he might never come back to me. When he returned from wherever he’d gone, he looked relieved more than anything else. I knew he wouldn’t say what he’d done, but I had a feeling it was something he needed to do, so I didn’t ask questions. I loved him and trusted him without question.

“You got enough t-shirts? It’s a lot warmer in Arizona than it is in New York. Did you bring shorts, or do you need me to send you some?” I asked, not sure what to say or do. He was leaving, and I was going to miss him more than anything.

“I’ve got a couple of pairs, babe. You’ll check on my girls, right?” Kelly asked.

I chuckled. “You and I will be moved when you get back. Gabby said he’s got a three-bedroom apartment in the building he and Dex own—the one Duke, Ace, and Corby are moving out of. I’ll move us there and have it all settled for when you get home—and you have a home to come to if you want it, Kelly,” I assured.

He smiled. “Thank you, Dimples. Don’t worry about me. I talked to the doctor in charge of my treatment early this morning, and he said it would be about four months of intensive therapy. It’ll go by fast.”

“Yeah, what did I tell you about one Saturday a month? Never enough time with you. You remember I love you, and I’ll see you when the doctor says I can come visit,” I said, meaning every word.

Before I could say anything more, Kelly glanced at the clock. “I need to get through security and to my gate. I love you, and when I get back, we’ll figure out our future, okay?”

We both looked around to see who was watching us, and when I saw nobody gave a fuck about what we were doing, I grabbed Kelly’s handsome face and kissed the man. I forced my tongue inside and swirled it with his to remind him how much he had waiting for him in Brooklyn.

When we pulled away. Kelly gave me that beautiful cocky smile. “You know how to wind me up, babe.”

We both chuckled, and he grabbed his bag. He handed me an envelope before he hurried away, not looking back.

I stood and watched him zig-zag through the line until he went through the x-ray machine before he turned and winked at me. I watched him rush off, and I closed my eyes, wishing him well and praying he’d come back to me.

I walked out of the airport to the taxi line and grabbed a ride back to Red Hook. As the cab made its way through the traffic, I opened the envelope and pulled out a piece of yellow paper.

London,

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