Page 61 of Redemption

Axel

While cleaning up in theshower I replayed everything over in my head and I’m not happy with what I’ve figured out. There’s more than one player with a piece on the chessboard, which is why I barrel into Finn’s office and head straight for the Irish bastard himself. Before I can get anywhere near him, my brothers are on me, holding me back from breaking his jaw.

“What the fuck, Ax?” Zane grunts from under the weight of my struggle, but neither he nor Asher release me.

“Get your shit together, now!” Asher shoves me so hard I stumble out of their hold and back a few steps.

“This motherfucker played us.” I point a finger in Finn’s direction and attempt to calm my breathing.

Rory and Connor step in front of us, arms crossed against their chests like they’re his fucking bodyguards, but it doesn’t cause the red filling my vision to cease any. I bounce back on my feet and attempt to run through them, but Zane slams a hand against my chest. He narrows his eyes at my words, but it’s Asher’s reaction that has me on edge.

“You knew?”

“No, but after we got back here and I thought about everything, shit was starting to connect.” Asher turns around and crosses his arms over his chest, like Rory and Connor, daring them to try and fuck with us. “And I’m not happy with what I’ve figured out.”

“For fecks sake. She was never in any danger.” A muscle twitches in my jaw as Finn breaks our stare down.

“Bullshit.” I stab my finger in his direction. “If that was Kennedy, you’d have my nuts in a vise for even thinking of doing what you did.”

Zane tenses up next to me at the mention of her name and I almost feel bad for digging the knife deeper into his open wound—almost.

A flicker of darkness creeps across Finn’s face at the mention of his daughter, but his gaze never wavers from mine. It happens so fast that if I blinked I would have missed it, but it was there plain as day. I’ve struck a nerve and I plan on hitting more than that if he doesn’t give me the answers I want. Answers I deserve.

“That’s enough, lad.” Finn’s sitting calm in his chair, but I can see the storm brewing in his eyes. “Sit yer arse down and I’ll explain it all to ye.” He gestures with his hand for Rory and Connor to take a seat on the couch next to Keegan. Unease fills me when Keegan averts his eyes and won’t meet my stare. Something is off and I don’t like that he knows and the rest of us are left in the dark.

I take advantage of the space I’ve been given, stepping closer until his desk is mere inches from me. My hands press down top of the papers that litter it and I have his full attention. Without turning around, I can feel the heat of Zane and Asher flanking me on either side. “Start talking.”

Finn takes a puff on his cigar, tilting his head to the side as he lets out a cloud of smoke, not the least bit threatened by me. “It’s amazin’ how much information these wee cards can hold.” He toys with a tiny black square between his fingers as he holds my attention.

“So what?” My eyebrows pinch together as I continue to study him. I’m not sure where he’s going with this, but he better get to the fucking point real quick.

“I told ye I never stopped watchin’ over her. That includes her da. Always told me sister he was a gobshite that one. He thought he could play a man’s game, but he wasn’t smart enough to remember the first rule. Never feck with me family.”

“Kelsey is my family. Not yours.” The corded muscles in my neck tense from the strain of keeping my shit together.

The corner of his mouth lifts into a half smile, but other than that he doesn’t acknowledge that I’ve even spoken a word. “Her da thought he was smarter than everyone else, untouchable because of who he is. That’s how the stupid feck got in over his head and ended up owing a shite load of money to the wrong people.”

“What does any of this have to do with Kelsey?” My eyes dart between his, ready to jump across the desk and slam my fist into his throat if he doesn’t hurry up and get to the fucking point.

“Everythin’. This wee thing is what they’ve been after this whole time and the fecker had her hide for him.”

He reaches down and pulls out several pictures of Kelsey. There are several of her going and coming from Gilley’s. Some are even as far back as two years ago when she first left Georgia and made it to California.

“See anythin’ interestin’ in these?” Finn cocks his head to the side and waits me out.

I study each image, looking for anything that sticks out, but I come up empty. “All I see is two years of stalking your niece. You fucking psycho.”

Finn ignores my dig and keeps pushing his point home. “Take another look. What’s she wearin’ in every single photograph?”

Things click into place as soon as he speaks and I feel like a dumbass for not putting it together sooner. “Her fucking boots.”

“Aye. The bastard hid all of his files in something he knew she’d never lose—the sole of one of her boots. That’s why he was more than happy to help her disappear.”

“I sent me older boys over to help ye sort out the feckers that shot at her and the other two to stay with yer women, knowin’ that Keegan could get close enough to get what I needed.”

“You knew they were watching her?” Asher asks from beside me, his voice coming out as lethal as my own.

“Aye. I did. They’ve been watchin’ ye since ye brought her back. They were just waiting for their moment to take her, but I’m not as patient. I helped them move things along.” Finn laughs. The fucker actually throws his head back and laughs at us.

“Kelsey was the fucking bait.” My blood boils as I slam my fists down on his desk. Connor stands to his feet, but Finn waves him off.

“Did ye know they make these wee things smaller than the size of a button to help ye keep track of people? All me family has them now.”

Every muscle in my body stills from that little confession. That sly son of bitch. I can’t stand the guy, but that is some impressive shit.

“I’ve got eyes everywhere, lad.” The corners of his eyes crease as he smiles. He leans back in his leather chair, hands steepled out in front of him flashing me a devil-may-care grin. “Let’s go get me niece back. Shall we?”

---