Page 35 of The Cleaner

I hear the sound of Travis’ car pulling up outside the other end of the alleyway. "Let's get him out of here," I say, my voice calm and steady, but I can feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins.

Without hesitation, I reach for his feet and drag him toward the car. He’s heavy as hell, but thankfully, I’m able to load him into the boot of Travis’ car. The moment Ciarán slams the boot closed, I feel a sense of relief and satisfaction.

I’m surprised at how easy I’m finding this. I thought I’d be terrified but I’m not. I’m at ease, especially knowing that we’ve saved at least one young girl from a horrific fate. I wish I could have taken the friend out too, but I know there's a process, and today I'm focused on the asshole who's currently in the boot of the car. I can live in hope that his friend will be taken out next.

Travis drives us to the nearest bridge. Thankfully, with it being late at night there's hardly anyone around. I know that once Travis parks, I'm going to have to go as quickly as I can. I won't have much time to linger. I guess that's for the best. The quicker I do this, the better.

The second Travis pulls up on the bridge, we're all out of the car, Travis keeping watch to ensure that any cars that come near us don't stop, and Ciarán at my side in case I need help.

Pulling the asshole from the car is hard work, and God, I wish for once there'd be some skinny asshole, who I'd be able to manage easier. Once I have him out of the boot, I reach for the rope Ciarán brought with us. He came prepared, which is great. I tie a noose on the end of the rope and wrap it around the fucker on the ground's neck. Once I've done that, I drag him to the side of the bridge. There's enough room for him to fall between the gaps. I take it that Travis did his homework and found the best place to do this.

Tying the rope to the bridge takes a lot longer than I had anticipated. Thankfully, Ciarán's there. "Think of it like your shoes," he instructs. "Tie, loop, pull. That's it," he encourages as I do exactly as he says. "Now do it again. Double knot it, Lisa. We want to ensure that fucker doesn't escape from the rope."

I tie it three times around the bridge, pulling it taut so it tightens impossibly. Once I'm done, I take a deep breath and push the asshole from the side of the bridge. Just as Devin's father did before him, he falls at rapid speed, but the rope stops him and he begins to swing. Ciarán helps me to my feet and keeps his arm wrapped around my shoulders as we watch the fucker below us.

Within minutes, he's dead, his body still swinging in the wind.

"Let's get the fuck out of here," Travis says, his gaze searching the road, checking to ensure no one's coming. I slide into the back of the car, pulling on my seatbelt as Ciarán jumps into the front passenger's seat.

"You did good, kid," Travis praises me. "Once again you didn't falter."

"Yep," Ciarán says, nodding his head. "You just need to work on your strength. You need to be able to carry them sometimes. Having scrape marks on their bodies may not be the best thing."

"Noted," I reply, my hands shaking as the adrenaline rush I felt starts to crash.

"Let's go home and get you some food." Travis smiles through the rear-view mirror. "It'll be a while before you'll have another job. Just remember what we said. Keep in contact with Ciarán."

"I will," I vow, knowing I can learn a lot from him. A hell of a lot. "By the way, what was the price for this job?"

I hear Travis' deep laughter. "Half a million," he tells me through his laughter.

Holy hell. What do I do with that much money?

Fuck. I'm rich.

I'm only sixteen. Imagine how much I'll have by the time I hit twenty-one.

A smile forms on my face. For the first time in a long time, I'm looking forward to the future. I can't wait to see what life has in store for me.

Chapter

Fifteen

MAVERICK

Five Years Later

"Are you going out tonight?"Jer asks with a raised brow.

I shake my head. "Christ, old man, I'm twenty-seven years old. I don't need to ask permission."

He chuckles. "Not wanting you to ask for permission, asshole; just curious if you're going out."

I narrow my eyes at him. "Oh, and why is that?"

"You see, every time you or Emmanuel go out and party, you end up fighting with one of Tommy's men."

I sigh. "That's not our fault. They start that shit and you and I both know I'm not going to let some punk start a fight and let it slide."

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