Page 70 of Cherished Union

Of course, me giving her over fifty sleeping pills may have put the thought in her mind—something I have no remorse over. That cunt put herself above her kids. Above my wife. I didn’t put a gun to her head and tell her to take it. She did that of her own free will.

“Hayden?” Annemarie says, pulling me from my thoughts.

“I’ll tell her when she wakes.” I glance at my sleeping wife and back to my sister-in-law. “Are you going home to the kids?”

She shakes her head. “No, your ma has them for me. Why?”

“Will you stay here while I—"

“You don’t have to ask. I’m staying. Ade is my sister, Hayden. I need to see that she’s okay.”

I get to my feet and nod. “Thank you,” I say as I press a kiss against her cheek. “I’m taking Hayes with me.”

She grins at me. “Good, because his hovering is pissing me off. He thinks I’m going to disappear or something.”

I shake my head. “The man saw my pregnant wife held at gunpoint. He’s worried about you.”

Her eyes soften and her body sags. “I know, but I’m worried about Ade. I’ll call you if she wakes.”

Knowing she’s in safe hands, I exit the room and come face to face with my da, Hayes, Rocco, Elio, and Dario. “She’s asleep. She’s okay, the baby’s okay, and Annemarie’s going to stay with her.”

“I’ve heard the stories of the Gallaghers.” Elio grins as he stares down at the naked Garrant Masters. “Hell, everyone has heard the myths of the revenge they have dished out to their enemies, as well as their family members.”

The wind whips around us as the boat continues to travel over the choppy waters. We’ve been in the boat for over an hour now. We’re close to the drop-off point. Garrant’s body is dripping with blood. The fucker deserves a lot more than a few nicks of my knife to his torso. What he’s about to feel is going to be a hell of a lot more painful.

We have floodlights that illuminate the dark boat, so we’re able to see what this asshole is doing. Hell, it’s more for the reason of us seeing him whimper and plead for forgiveness. Something that not a single person here will ever give him.

Dario nods. “From scalping to flaying to disemboweling, not to mention the rat business that Finn Gallagher did.” The man shudders in disgust at what my cousin did to a traitor. “That, of course, was done by just a few members. Have to say, going against some of the craziest motherfuckers in the world is fucking suicidal.”

“Nothing to say?” Da says as he kicks the bastard lying on the ground.

“You should have stayed in your lane, Liam,” Garrant hisses. “This is all your fault.”

My da chuckles. “My lane? This is my motherfucking lane, asshole. The Gallaghers are a law upon themselves. We do whatever the fuck we want. Your kids are dead because of your decisions, not because of us.”

“I wonder how afraid Lila was when she was being killed?” Rocco grins. “My wife is a little bloodthirsty at times.”

The boat comes to a stop, just as Garrant’s eyes widen and he begins to struggle with his bindings. He’s on his side, lying on the floor of the boat.

“Ready?” I ask Elio and Hayes. Both of whom grin as they move forward. “I’m going to thoroughly enjoy this.”

The two of them pick him up. “Christ,” Elio growls. “You should have cut back on the carbs.”

I chuckle as they manage to lift him up, both struggling under his weight. The rope is tied around his arms, ready to become an anchor of sorts. “Drop him,” I instruct them.

They release him and he hits the water with a splash. The rope that’s attached to him pulls taut as Garrant sinks deeper into the river. The water ripples and the rope moves with his attempts to free himself, but it’s no use. With his hands tied the way they are, he’ll be unable to break free of the water.

The moment the struggling begins to slow, I have them pull him from the water. The second he’s out, he’s coughing, spluttering, and trying to drag in some oxygen.

“Having fun?” I ask when he’s lying on the side of the boat, his body shivering from the cold.

“Bastard,” he growls. “You’re a fucking bastard.”

I merely shrug. Being called that is nothing new. From the moment our family started gaining power at such a rapid rate, we’ve been called every name under the sun. Nothing this cunt will say could ever make me give a fuck about his opinion of me.

“Ready for round two?” I ask, but I don’t wait for him to answer. Elio and Hayes throw him overboard once again. The rope goes taut once again and the struggle begins.

“How long are we going to be doing this?” Rocco questions as he rubs his hands together to ward off the cold.

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