Page 58 of The Cleaner

“This shit is creepy, Mav. You sure Cole doesn’t know who the fuck it is?” he asks, his voice hard.

“Trust me, Eman, I’ve been on him for the past eight months to figure this shit out. No one has any idea who’s behind it.”

He shakes his head. “It’s fucked up,” he sighs. “Melissa is one of the best hackers. She’s one of the best at finding information, and yet nothing? It doesn’t add up. Something is fishy about this.”

He’s not wrong. I’ve been thinking the same thing since the beginning.

As we drive to meet Jer, I can't shake the feeling that there's more to these red ribbons than just a signal from the Hanging Reaper. It's like there's some other meaning, some hidden message in the act.

But what could it mean? Who would be bold enough to orchestrate such a plan? To leave a calling card like this? I knowwithout a doubt that it’s for me, that whoever’s doing it is leaving the ribbon for me.

“Tell me that we’re actually going to do something about this fucker Jennings?” Emmanuel asks. “He’s been grating on me over the last few weeks and there’s only so much I can take before I snap.”

He’s not wrong. Tommy and his cronies have been back in full force, spouting their bullshit in The Hanged Man, the pub that they own. We know all that they have planned, including setting fire to Jer’s pubs here in Dublin and in Spain. Thankfully, they didn’t do much damage as we knew the plan was in place but not the date and time. Jer had managed to up security, and when the blaze was lit, it was put out before any permanent damage could be done.

“I fucking hope so,” I grunt. “This shit has been going on for too long.”

“Not to mention the ties that those fuckers have to Lisa,” he says. “Has her dad been in contact since that day?”

Just thinking about that motherfucker makes my jaw clench. He went to ground that day and hasn’t resurfaced since. Something he no doubt learned from Jennings.

“No, Lisa’s dad hasn’t reached out since the incident. And frankly, I don’t want that bastard anywhere near her,” I reply, my voice laced with anger. If I get my hands on him, I’m going to enjoy killing him.

Lisa still hasn’t told me everything about what went down with her dad and her, but the little I do know is enough for me to fucking hate the prick. When I told her what Jer had said about what Tanya had done to her mam’s medication, she broke down. She told me she’d thought Tanya had something to do with it but could never prove it.

Things between us have been great. I’m so fucking in love with her, I can’t think straight. We’re practically living togethernow. A few months ago, shit went down with Thomas Grace, Jessica, and Stephen. My cousin was suffering and had been for years without anyone knowing. Stephen uncovered it, and now the two of them are married and Thomas is dead. The fucker burned Jess when she was a fucking kid. Bastard deserved everything he got and so fucking much more. Right now, Jess is still trying to recover from the burns he gave her two months ago. But she’s healing well and is with Stephen as she recovers.

As we pull up to Jer's house, my thoughts are suddenly interrupted by Emmanuel. "Seems as though it’s a private party,” he muses.

I glance around the driveway and see Stephen’s car parked out front, along with Freddie’s and Jer’s. “Guess so,” I grunt as I slide out of the car. I’m hoping this means that Jer’s finally gotten his head out of his ass and will give us the go-ahead to take out one of the Jennings’ crew.

As we enter the house, the sound of low tones hits me. I guess they’re waiting on us. We make our way into the living room, where everyone is assembled. Stephen’s standing beside the fire, and Freddie's in the corner, a drink in hand, watching as Jer paces around the room, obviously agitated about something.

"Maverick, Emmanuel," Jer greets us, his eyes darting between the two of us. "Glad you could make it,” he says thickly.

“We’re here,” I say as I take a seat on the sofa. “What’s up?”

“I know that you’ve all been wanting to go at the Jennings’ and I’ve held you back. It was necessary for us to let them implode and that’s what they’ve done.”

“Meaning?” I snap.

“It means, Maverick, that Tommy’s daughter has fucked up and instructed Tommy’s men to come after us. The fires and shit are all her doing, and Tommy’s pissed. He’s out for blood, and any of his men who are seen to be taking orders from his daughter are dead.”

Now that’s news. But Christ. What the hell is Jer doing? “Fuck’s sake, Jerry,” I growl. “This shit’s been going on for months and nothing from you, and now all of a sudden you’re forthcoming with details?”

"Calm down, Maverick," Jer says, raising his hands in defence. "I've been working behind the scenes to gather information and plan our next move. I needed to make sure we had all the pieces in place before we made our move."

"And what exactly are we going to do?" Emmanuel asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

"We're going to strike first and hard," Jer replies, his eyes burning with intensity. "We're going to take down the Jennings’, once and for all. We've been patient, waiting, and now it's time to act."

"And how are we going to do that?" I ask, unable to keep the scepticism out of my voice. "We've been wanting to do this for ages and you’ve held back."

"For a good reason. Now it’s time to strike," Jer assures us. "I have the perfect plan, one that you’re going to love, Mav.”

Emmanuel raises an eyebrow. "So what's this plan of yours?"

Jer rubs his hands together, looking almost gleeful. "Word is Tanya and her fucked up husband are in town for the weekend. There’s a Jennings family reunion of sorts. Not only is that asshole in town, but so is Tommy’s youngest. It’s up to you who you take out."

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