Page 55 of Haunted Nights & Savage Sins
“Of course, yes. We can do that.”
“Great, there are some stipulations though.”
Mike waits patiently for me to go through all the rules. I reinforce the rule about his crew not being allowed into the actual house unless absolutely necessary, and if so, I’m to be made aware as soon as possible. They are also to keep professional, so no loud cursing or screaming; do the work, and there will be more than enough banging. If there are any hiccups or problems, I’m to be made aware.
Mike agrees to all of it quickly.
If all things go to plan, the roof will be finished just in time for Halloween.
“If you want this done before the week is up, we need to get to the warehouse and pick up the material and get started now.”
“Yes, I’m aware. We’re ready for you.”
With that, Mike sets off to get his crew in line.
As I walk back through the house, I’m feeling good about my ability to contribute. I can do this.
When I was first told I was going to have to be someone’s wife, I thought of it more like a prison sentence than anything. Now it’s starting to feel like a partnership.
Cormac may be the boss, all things considered, but I’m a necessity in his life. A partner.
CORMAC
Why did I ever agree to this.
It’s nearly eight at night when the incessant pounding and tearing stop.
I’m not going to make it.
With every new sound I find myself looking to the corners and around the doors to see if there’s a new threat I need to be aware of.
Brenna told me before they showed up that she would put them to work right away. She assured me that it would be a week of loud, and then it would be over, but I don’t know if I can deal with this the entire week.
My dogs feel the same way.
Security had to bring them inside, because with every new sound they barked and growled at the workers.
At least I know I’m not alone in this.
With all the construction going on outside, I haven’t really had time to focus on work. There was a shipment made today, and thankfully there were no problems.
My father called to let me know that he would be speaking with the parole board in the morning via video conference on behalf of my brother Declan. It wasn’t to ask me to attend but to put the bug in my head that my brother should be home soon and would be able to take over some of the more gory aspects of the business, as if I wasn’t able to handle it.
I didn’t take offense to it as my father expected. The less blood I have to get on my hands, the better.
Besides, it’ll be good to know I have a little more backup here. Killian is good at what he does, but he’s more of the charismatic face of our family. We send him in when we want to lure people in, not to scare them off.
That’s not to say my brother wouldn’t put a bullet in someone’s head without a second’s hesitation. He’d probably just do it with a smile on his face.
I don’t know if that makes him more or less heartless.
After the meeting with Mr. Hawkley, I did call Killian to see if he’s had any dealings with him, but just as I suspected, he hadn’t, or at least he couldn’t recall if he did. He did tell me that there were a few new players coming to him as well though. People acting a bit more concerned than usual with supposed ties to our father. It struck Killian as strange the same way it did with me.
Now it is the both of us on guard. I promised him I’d let him know if I found out any more information.
Problem with that is I couldn’t go through the typical channels I’d usually go through in order to get the information I needed. I didn’t know what was being watched. I was even having doubts about sending my father emails. Who knows who’d have access to that. In this ultra technical world anyone could get access to passwords. I’ve started to grow suspicious of the phone calls as well. It could be tapped for all I know.
In fact, I’ve taken to going as old school as possible and have been sending snail mail to my father. The first bit of correspondence that came back from him was full of accusations and him verbally berating me through the ink on the page. Though in the end he agreed if both Killian and I felt like something more was going on he’d continue with the snail mail for now.
