Page 43 of Wicked Devotions

“What brings you here today, nephew?” He sits down, his shirt puckering around his girth.

“I need a favor.” There’s no need to draw this interaction out.

His eyes narrow in interest. “Go on.”

“I need someone to injure, or kill, Scott Flynn.”

His white eyebrows shoot straight up in surprise. “He’s in federal prison. That’s a big ask of us.”

“I know. If he weren’t I’d do it myself.”

Georgios and Andreas share a look. I’ve always loathed how easily they communicate without speaking. Some sort of criminal telepathy borne from years of working in dirtiest parts of the underground. Andreas gives the slightest nod and leaves the room to go do fuck knows what.

“Why do you want this?”

“He’s been threatening us.”

My uncle’s face hardens at that. He’s a twisted fucker, but nothing pisses him off like someone fucking with his family. In his mind, only he’s allowed to hurt me.

“Explain.”

I fill him in on what has been happening, making sure to really highlight the fact that someone is watching us. It’s a stretch to say that, because they’re really more focused on Harper, but I’m not above exaggerating to get what I want.

It’s not a lie that we’re being watched though, considering we all live together. Any close eyes on her could potentially be a problem for Georgios when I do so much of his dirty work. He leans back in his chair and lets his gaze cut through me as he thinks about what to do.

“I’ll do it, but it’ll cost you.”

My heart sinks even though I knew this was coming. “Okay.”

Andreas comes back carrying a file which he places in my hand. I open it up and start skimming. I have access to everything I could need on the target.

“I need the target eliminated. He’s been circling the operation for years, drawing closer the past few months.” My uncle leans back in his chair as I read more. “If you get rid of him, I’ll cut you loose. No more favors, no more jobs. You’ll be free of the family.”

“I’ll have to leave the country.”

“Yes. I’ll provide everything you need.”

Leaving Harper and the guys isn’t something I want to do right now. Especially with how tense it is not knowing who’s behind the letters. Because at the end of the day, we don’t know if her dad is the one pulling strings or not. This is purely vengeance for the abuse she suffered at his hands.

“Can it wait until fall break?” I ask, a plan forming in my mind.

If I can take everyone with me, I’ll have a built-in alibi, and we can get away for a while. A week on a yacht in the Mediterranean with the people I care the most about would be amazing. It’ll be easy to convince Declan and Emerson to skip family Thanksgiving. It might be a little harder to get Harper on board but maybe the promise of relaxation and complete privacy will do the trick.

Georgios and Andreas share another look. “Yes. As long as it's done by the end of the year.”

I stand and tuck the file into my pants, covering it with my shirt. “Put any updates in the box.”

Georgios and I share a safe deposit box at a bank he’s got a vested interest in. Everything we keep in it is totally innocent, normal stuff. Passports, legal records, family heirlooms that look important, but we don’t give a fuck about. It’s a sham so he can hide USB drives with information for me to pick up later.

On the way back to the house, I make sure to obey traffic laws and drive as safely as possible. The last thing I need is to get pulled over with a file on me with information about a high-level intelligence officer overseas. I’ll do a deep diveinto all the information once I’m home and can lock myself away for a few hours. This is definitely a job that will need perfect planning and execution.

Chapter

Seventeen

HARPER

There isn’t a soccer game this weekend, and practice isn’t mandatory, so Cillian asked us to come spend the weekend at home with him and my mom. Of course, Declan only gave me twenty minutes warning, so I’m just throwing random things in a bag and hoping I don’t forget anything important. Just as I finish zipping up my weekender bag, he comes to my door.

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