Page 84 of Dev

I killed his friend on the first day, spent hours letting him watch all the things I did to him, before his life ended so he’d know what he had coming to him. Then I locked his buddy’s rotting body in the closet with him, until it smelled so bad Ihadto get rid of it.

“You gonna put him outta his misery any time soon?” Sinner crouches down beside the trembling wreck of a man and prods him with his finger.

“Millie ain’t ever gonna be outta hers. What those fuckers did to her will be with her forever,” I remind him, lighting myself a cigarette and taking a chair. I don’t need to worry about tying my victim up anymore. I busted both his legs last week, and he’s not strong enough to make any kinda break from me.

“She’s doin’ good, Dev. Surely you can see that.” Sinner gets up and joins me, taking a joint from his cut and lighting it up.

“She’s doin’ amazin’. But Quinnell’s still out there, and I know she’s scared he’ll come for her again.”

“You think this guy knows where he is?” Sinner looks doubtful.

“Iknowhe don’t know where he is; he’d have told before he lost all his teeth,” I assure him.

“Raze has the new kid doing his thing; we’re gonna find him. Even if it means heading over to Ireland ourselves. I hear Irish pussy is insane.” Sin scrubs his hands together, and I ignore him, focusing on the frail man on the floor.

“Look at him, Dev, he’s already a corpse. How long do you expect to keep him alive?”

“Until I stop feeling guilty for what he did to my girl, and I don’t think that’s ever gonna happen,” I admit, making sure the fucker hears me before I get up, grab him by the ankles, and drag him back over to his closet.

He doesn't scream or beg me not to, like he has all the times before. He’s already dead inside, but it won’t be the end of his suffering. I still have plenty of ways to make him regret what he did.

“You ready to head back to the club?” Sinner asks as I double bolt the closet door and start clearing my shit into the storage cupboard.

“Nah, I got a stop off to make first. You go on without me.” I finish clearing up my mess while he leaves, and once I’m done,I lock up the warehouse and head straight for Frank Dawson’s place.

Millie hasn’t asked me again what he did that made Quinnell take her; something tells me she’s too scared to.

I know how much she loves her father; despite everything, she’ll be worrying about how he feels about us being together, and she’s probably concerned about how I’d react towards him, too.

That’s why me and him need to have a talk.

I pull up at the gates and press the intercom. They open without me even having to explain why I’m here. Parking my bike up front, I knock on the door, and when Dawson opens it, he’s barely recognisable.

“Mr. Dawson.” I nod my head politely as he steps aside to let me in. His hair is wiry and ruffled; he’s wearing pyjama pants and a tee that's stained with what I’m assuming is food, and his jaw is covered in stubble.

“Come through.” He leads me through to the kitchen, past the spot where his staff were killed. The club took responsibility for clearing up the mess, and looking around here now, you’d never guess that less than a month ago this beautiful home was the setting for a murder scene.

“How ya been?” I ask, though it seems a stupid question given the state he’s in.

“Not good,” he admits, filling the stove kettle and putting it on the gas.

“I don’t know if you heard, but I withdrew from my campaign. Julie’s staying in New York with her sister; she wants a divorce.” He takes a seat at the kitchen table and rubs his temples.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” I tell him, taking a chair myself.

“Don’t be. I never wanted to be the state senator; I’m not the man people think I am,” he admits.

“I came here to talk about Millie.” I move us on quickly. I need to say what I came here to say and then go be with her. I’m never comfortable these days unless she’s close, but I’m trying real hard not to overpower her. She’s safe at the club; she’s always happy when she’s with the girls, and I have to keep reminding myself of that.

“How is she?” He almost looks too scared to ask, and as his eyes raise up to meet mine, I can see how ashamed of himself he is.

“She’s doing good. Great, considering.” My head nods positively. “She’s missing you, though,” I add. Millie may not have said the words herself, but I can tell she’s ready to see him again.

“I don’t deserve for her to miss me.” He shakes his head.

“Maybe not, but you’re her father, and regardless of what happened, she loves you. She’s gonna want you in her life, and for that reason, me and you have to come to an understanding.” I lay it out for him, and I’m surprised at how confused he looks. “I’m in love with your daughter, and for some unknown reason, she’s in love with me, too. I know I’m too old for her, and I know I ain’t the kinda guy any father in his right mind would want his daughter bringing home, but?—”

“You can stop right there,” he cuts me off.

---