Page 73 of Mob Saint

Gareth’s face flushes as he darts his gaze to Brant. Whatever’s next is something he’d rather take to the grave than have Tiera’s father hear.

“But three weeks after the funerals, I got a call from a burner we couldn’t trace. The guy told me exactly what Tiernan was wearing the night before and what we ate when I went to her place for dinner. She’d already cooked everything before I got there. He fucking knew what color her socks were. I told my dad, and he shrugged. Said he’d look into it. A week later, I got a text with a photo that showed Tiernan walking out of her bathroom naked. I told Dad about the text, but I didn’t tell him I assigned a detail to watch Tiernan’s place. It took three weeks of getting fucked-up calls and texts about Tiernan before my guys caught someone operating a drone. It was a high school geek who was jacking off, watching Tiernan take a bath. He got paid two hundred bucks every time he filmed or photographed her.”

“Filmed?” The kid better be dead.

Gareth nods before shifting uncomfortably and looking at Brant. “The first time I got a video text, I didn’t know what it was. I made the mistake of opening it with some of my men around. I recognized Tiernan’s voice as she ended a call with someone, but the video was aimed at a door I didn’t realize was inside her bedroom. I didn’t think much of it because it went quiet. I put my phone on my desk, the video still playing, because Jimmy handed me something to sign. He’s the one who pointed out Tiernan was naked in the video. She was getting into bed—naked—with a—the video?—”

Gareth can’t say it with Brant glaring at him. I get his drift.

“Move along with the story. Tiernan’s waiting for me.”

“Jimmy grabbed the phone and passed it around to three guys before I got it back. They thought it was hilarious. I knocked three of Jimmy’s teeth out for not giving me the phone back the first time I told him to do it.”

“More videos came to Gareth, and I received some, too.” Vince looks away for a moment before he continues. “No one besides Gareth, Darren, Keith, and I knew about the ones after that first time. But the guys wouldn’t stop talking about it. Three months after this shit started—and yes, we searched for who was doing this—the threats started. It was make Tiernan falsify reports or plant evidence or make shit disappear, or this mystery fucker would kill her and ruin us. We thought it was an inside job since the guys suspected more videos and photos came in, but they never got to see any. Some of them started sniffing around Tiernan, but she wasn’t interested. A few got the message, but others thought she was playing hard to get.”

“From all of this, you felt the need to tell her she was fat and disgusting, that it was her fault the accident happened, that she deserved all of it. Get from where you are in this meandering story to the part where you explain your fucked-up rationale.”

Gareth steps forward, finally finding his balls after taking it up the arse from me all day. He’s pissed when he speaks. He thinks he can justify being a fucking shitbag to Tiera.

“It was the faceless, nameless person who insisted.” He practically spits the words at me. “It worked and fucked with her mind. When she ate to console herself and started gaining weight, the guys didn’t ease off on the comments, but they stopped being sexual in a way that made us nervous someone would get too handsy and not believe no means no. Eventually, the comments became taunts and insults. But we figured she was safer with that. We were protecting her.”

“Why didn’t you just tell her the truth?” Brant cuts in.

“That’s what I’d like to know, too. Just how fucking stupid and incapable do you believe I am that you had to fucking wreck my life to claim you were protecting me?”

Chapter Seventeen

Tiera

It felt like forever, and Seamus still hadn’t come outside. I rolled down the window to ask Todd if he knew what was going on. I believed him when he shook his head. I could see him through the window the entire time, and he never took out his phone. It didn’t look like he spoke to anyone, and none of the guards spoke to him. The minutes dragged, and I got nervous. I tried to be patient. But I know those men better than Seamus does. At least that’s what I thought until I just heard what I heard.

I lied to Todd and said I had to go to the bathroom too badly to wait. It was against his better judgement, but he let me out of the car and walked me inside. I heard Gareth’s tone and knew he was about five seconds from his fuse igniting. I hurried forward, but stopped dead when I heard him explain.

My dad may want an explanation, but I guarantee I want it more. Seamus is out of his seat the moment he hears my voice. I walk over to him, and he doesn’t hesitate to wrap his arm around me and draw me to his side. I encircle his waist, but I don’t lean against him. I want the others to see Seamus and I may be unified, but I can still stand on my own. I want his support, but I don’t need it. Not the way I thought I did while we were in Gareth’s study. Seamus told me I was stronger than anyone realized. I remind myself he’s right. I won’t let anyone ever believe I’m weak again.

“Answer the question. Any of you. Why the hell did you ruin my life when I’d already lost everything?”

I keep my tone even. I refuse to sound like a hysterical female. I refuse to sound like a demanding bitch. I won’t give any of them an excuse to ignore me or diminish my right to know. Seamus wouldn’t let them. I want to do this on my own, but with him at my side.

Gareth glances at my dad, who looks as curious as me. I don’t think he knows any of this. Good. I don’t want Seamus to beat the shit out of my father, but I think he would if he believes Dad hasn’t protected me. Gareth looks at Seamus when he speaks rather than at me.

“This person swore he’d know if we told you anything—even hinted at anything. He’d be the one to torment you. Tiernan, Edie didn’t die of old age. Your dog was slowly poisoned. Someone was getting into your home because you never kept food or water outside for Edie. You always made sure she could come back in if it was hot enough for her to need water or too cold to stay out. When I discovered that, I knew the threats weren’t just talk. I knew he could get to you.”

“I still don’t understand how blaming me for the accident and what happened was the right way to protect me. Unless we were outside, how would they know what the fu—hell—you said to me?” I catch myself before I swear in front of my father.

“I’ve swept this house for bugs nearly daily for three years. I’ve had your office and home and car swept too. My vehicles and any you’ve ridden in are swept before and after. I’ve had your place searched with a fine-tooth comb to see if there are any cameras anywhere.”

“You invaded my privacy? My home? Rather than whisper something in my fucking ear somewhere like the damn grocery store, you ransacked my home. I’ll give you that your men are good. I’ve never suspected anything.”

So much for not swearing in front of Dad.

He takes a menacing step forward, and Gareth, Keith, and Vince look like they want to jump back at least thirty feet. But they stand their ground. Barely. “And you couldn’t have told me somehow? You couldn’t let me know some whack job is out for my daughter?”

“How is this person contacting you?” I want to know how this fucker has so much control.

“Email, texts, calls, couriered notes. And they always track back to nothing.” Keith shrugs. I want to slap the pathetic expression off his face.

“What were the threats? You tell me and what? I die? You lose money? You die? What was so horrible that you asked how high every time this person told you to jump?”

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