Page 21 of The Cleaner

Chapter

Nine

MAVERICK

"Tellme what the fuck happened last night," Stephen snarls as he lowers himself onto the sofa.

We're at Jer's house. He's gathered me, Stephen, and Emmanuel here to discuss Tommy fucking Jennings and the bullshit crusade he's on.

I quickly give Stephen the low down of what happened. After I dropped Lisa home, I came here to Jer's and the doctor was called. I have two bruised ribs, thankfully. It could have been a hell of a lot worse.

Emmanuel leans forward, his eyes flashing with anger. "Tommy Jennings is out of control," he begins, his voice low and intense. "Last night, after his show down with Mav, he showed up at Callie's pub, completely wasted."

I grit my teeth. This is fucking new information. Had I known that bastard had gone looking for my sister, I'd have ended him then and there.

“The fucker started picking fights with everyone, accusing people of being in Jer's back pocket and that they were pussies if they were. He said if they wanted to be respected, they shouldcome and work for him. It didn't go down well, I can tell you that."

Stephen's jaw clenches as he glances at Jer. "We need to do something about this before this asshole does anything more. Tommy's not a man who will go down without a fight. He came after Maverick last night thinking he was the weak link in your organization."

I chuckle. "We all know damn well that's Thomas," I say, grinning. Thomas Grace is a motherfucking asshole who's married to my aunt and is the father of my cousin, Jessica.

"Stephen's right," Jer gripes. "That fucker isn't going to stop. He's going to stir up so much fucking trouble. It's the last thing we need. Tommy is on the police's radar. He's reckless, stupid, and an imbecile. I'll be damned if his stupidity drags us down with him.”

"He comes for me again and I'll put an end to this once and for all," I say thickly. Let that motherfucker underestimate me again, and he'll live to regret it.

"We'll be sending a message to him today. No one hurts my nephew and gets away with it," Jer grunts. "Now, these girls that you dropped home last night, I had someone check into them. The two of them are foster children."

I feel my gut twist at his words. "Why are they in foster care?" What the hell? Have they always been in there?

"That's not something I'm going to tell you," he says. "But I will tell you that you did a good job saving them last night. They've both had a rough few years. But that leads me to my next point. Those motherfuckers who were at that party last night, who allowed those assholes to take a clearly drunk girl up to their rooms, will be put on notice. If I find out that they’ve done anything like this again, they'll be in serious trouble. I don't tolerate this shit."

"What about those three fucking bastards?" Emmanuel questions. "The beating they took last night isn't enough."

Jer's grin lets me know that he fully agrees.

"Trust me," he says, leaning in closer to emphasize his point. "Those fuckers are in for a world of hurt. They're being taken care of as we speak." His cold, calculating gaze flicks over the three of us. "I need you guys to find one of Tommy's men and send a message to that motherfucker."

I sink back into the sofa, my mind racing with potential targets. "Any man in particular?"

Jer's eyes narrow, his grin growing more sinister. "Preferably one who was with him last night," he says, a dangerous edge to his voice. "But honestly, any one will do. I don't give a fuck."

Jer's gaze locks onto mine, and I can tell he means business. He doesn’t tolerate anyone hurting his family or any of his men. I know better than to argue with him when he's in this state. Not that I would. He’s right, it’s time to send a message, and it gives Emmanuel, Stephen, and I time to play.

I rise to my feet, and I’m followed behind by Stephen and Emmanuel. We say our goodbyes to Jer as we step outside. The tension in the air is almost palpable. This isn’t just about getting back at Tommy Jennings and his cronies; it's about sending a message that this kind of behaviour won't be tolerated in our town.

I roll my neck, letting out the anger I feel. We've got a long night ahead of us, but one thing's for sure: when we’re finished, there’s going to be a war.

“Bingo,”Emmanuel says with a grin, as he watches two of Tommy’s men exit the pub.

We’ve been sitting outside The Hanged Man pub for the past four hours. Emmanuel’s been on edge. The fucker kills people for a living and he’s scared about sitting in a car that Jason stole a few weeks back. Jason is a car thief that Jer has on his books. He’s one of the more well-liked guys within the gang. He not only boosts cars, but anything that you’d need. He’s the go-to guy to get whatever the fuck you want.

“Is that Paddy?” I ask, leaning forward a little. “It fucking is.” I turn to Emmanuel and see that he’s rubbing his hands with glee. “Follow him,” I instruct. “I’ll call Stephen and tell him to have everything ready.”

Paddy is Tommy’s son. The fucker has two boys and one girl. The last I heard, his daughter married a rich fucker and they moved out of the county. They’re currently living down the south of the country. Paddy is his eldest boy, and then he has Tommy Junior, who hasn’t long turned eighteen.

Emmanuel nods in agreement and starts the car, smoothly pulling out to follow Paddy discreetly.

I pull out my phone and dial Stephen's number, excitement coursing through me. This is what I live for. It’s been three years since my first kill and I’ve honed my skills, learned the best way to do what I do best, and have even concocted my own acid that will destroy skin and bones and everything in between. It’s stronger than hydrofluoric acid and it’s something that took me a while to find the right mixture. Now, I’m able to be rid of every single one of my enemies.

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