Page 80 of Ruthless Vengeance
This is nothing more than a game to him, and it seems like I have no other choice but to play along.
Knowing what I know about the industries that Cillian is involved in, my best guess is that this favor has something to do with sex slaves.
If he’s expecting me to turn a blind eye to his whole operation, I’m going to have a real fucking problem.
What he’s doing to these poor girls is disgusting, but I also know that saying no to Cillian would be a declaration of war.
And right now, war is the one thing my brother and I are not ready for.
“Send me the location, and I’ll be there.”
Bile burns my throat at the thought of going along with this shit. Hell, the sort of girls he sells at auction are younger than mysister, which makes me sick to my stomach. But at this point, I don’t have much of a choice.
“Good lad.” Cillian hangs up the phone.
I sink into an armchair and set the phone on the table in front of me as Cillian’s voice still echoes in my head.
“So, it begins.” Andre heads over to the bar cart to pour us both a drink.
I nod as I curl my fingers into a fist, fighting the urge to send it through the wall. “He’s enjoying this.” I take the drink from Andre and down it in one gulp, barely even registering the burn.
Andre takes a seat in the chair across from me. “You sound surprised. Guys like Cillian thrive on control, and he’s got you in a tight spot.”
“He thinks he does.”
Andre’s eyes meet mine across the table. “You’ve got two options now. Either you play along with whatever bullshit he throws at you, or we go to war. There’s no middle ground with a guy like Cillian. He’ll either own you or come for your head.”
I already know that. I’ve been turning it over in my mind ever since Ben gave me an insight into Cillian’s dealings, but I still can’t work out the angle I want to take. None of them is a less shitty option.
I run my hand over my jaw. “I can’t let him get his hands on Clara and Zoe.”
“And he won’t.”
“He won’tifI go along with what he says.”
Andre is quiet for a moment as he sips on his whisky.
“I can’t let this be my only option, Andre.” I try to put a lid on the panic that is slowly building in my chest. “I can’t involve myself in this shit.”
“You might not have a choice.”
“So, what would you do?”
“I’d do whatever it took to keep my girls safe.”
“That’s what got me in this fucking situation in the first place.”
“And it likely won’t be the last time either. But we do what we need to in order to protect our family.”
Family.
“That’s it!”
“What?”
“We have Ben.” I lean forward to rest my forearms on my knees. “We have his knowledge of how Cillian’s operation runs from the inside.”
“Knowledge doesn’t mean shit if we can’t use it. Even with Ben’s insight, this kind of takedown… It’s going to require planning and resources.”
