Page 29 of Risky Fight

“What did Vito have on that boat?” I growl, I didn’t know he even had a boat — he flew in to show me rings and diamonds. His business is all in Italy, he has no reason to be on a private boat in an Irish port. He made no mention of other business here, and he has been working with my family for years, something isn’t quite right about this.

“No idea,” one of the men in the backseat says, “his men say he was here to see you and collect a shipment of stones from a new supplier.” There are no new suppliers, my family control that port, we’d know if someone was bringing cargo like that in. I call my father from one of the guy’s phones, and get his mumbled sleepy voice.

“What the fuck?” he grinds out, “I am sleeping, this better be good.”

“What was Vito doing here, other than seeing me?” I ask, maybe he knows. “Do you know anything about a new diamond supplier bringing stones in through the yacht club at the port?” I rattle off the questions. Lou is still silent on the other line. I know she is there, I hear her breathing, she just doesn’t speak.

“He didn’t say anything to me, and the only ones with permission to run diamonds in out waters are the Russians, no one new.” He yawns and sounds more alert. “He came to bring you a ring, and as far as I know he was going to visit his Russian connections in England on his way home.”

“He’s bleeding out on a private boat in the yacht marina, they left him for dead. But Lou found him.”

“Why is Lou in the marina?” he asks, and I have to tell him.

“She ran,’ I sigh, “snuck out with the catering crew. I don’t know what her plan was, but it can wait until after this. Someone tried to take out one of our allies on our turf, I smell a rat.”

“Lou ran away?” he asks again, “are you sure she wasn’t taken? Those fucking boys owe everyone something. Everyone knows you have money.” I know she ran away, and it is my own fault she did.

“This was all her,” I don’t think anyone took her, “but I realize now she is at risk, we will do better with security. For her and Nolan.”

“Find out what is going on, this doesn’t look good. I don’t need a beef with the Italians or the Russians. Whoever thinks they can just willy-nilly get away with murder on my turf has another thing coming.” He’s mad now.

“We’re on our way there, Lou is trying her best to keep Vito alive,” I take a sharp left turn, the wheels skidding on the tar, “he will be able to tell us who did this.”

“Do not let him die, not on our watch. Can you imagine what a war with his family would cost us?” My father is right, Vito is a King, a powerful man from a very connected family. We do not need to be on their bad side.

“I am not a doctor, nor an ambulance driver, but I can try my best,” I say, “I will take him to the vet, Declan’s lass. She’s good at patching up people when no one needs to know they’re hurt.” I am glad my old friend is back in the city, he went on the run for a while, all Romeo and Juliet with the girl from the wrong family.

“Keep me updated, I will be there as soon as I can,” he says.

“No, I have this handled.” I want him to trust me, I need to manage things like this so he doesn’t have to. “If I need you, I will call, but for now I have it under control.” The men with me are good, dedicated and loyal to our family. I assure him I can get to the bottom of this.

We’re almost at the entrance to the port when he hangs up, “Lou are you okay?” She’s still on the line listening to me.

“No,” she says softly, “I am not okay, there is so much blood. And I can hear voices outside again. Hurry up, Roark.” We don’t need anyone getting to her before we do.

“Stay hidden if you can, and quiet.” I say, before muting the call on my end so our noise can’t be heard.

“They’re looking for the night guard, he is dead in the water right next to boat,” she whispers, and I can hear her panicking. We’re pulling up to the yacht club parking area when I see the security company’s men walking up and down the jetty’s searching for the man who was working last night.

They recognize my men, and immediately come over to greet them, before being told to back off and get us any information on who came in and out last night. Their bosses get a handsome retainer from my family each month to know absolutely nothing about anything that goes on in the docks. I used to come down here and pay them off when I was a lad on my bicycle.

“Which boat?” I turn on the mic and ask Lou.

“Diamonds in the name, end of the main jetty next to a beat-up old yacht that’s been abandoned.” I walk a bee line to the end of the main jetty, and before I find the boat, I find the missing security guard. She’s close. I scan the rows of fancy boys-toys to see we are alone and not being watched. My men are heavily armed and will shoot anyone that poses a threat.

“Lou,” I call out to her as I step onto the boat, so she knows it is me, “I’m coming down, it’s me. It will be okay.” I take the few steps below deck, and immediately I am confronted by chaos. The interior of the beautiful boat has been trashed. Everything is emptied, opened and strewn all over the floors.

Lou is kneeling over Vito’s body with a cushion pressed down on him, there’s a crimson pool of blood all around him and her knees are stained red. She has tears in her eyes — a sight almost no will ever see. When she looks at me, she sobs, “I’m sorry, Roark.” This was not her fault, it would have happened if she was here or not. She might just have saved his life though. My men swarm the room and quickly start to help Vito.

I hold my hand out and help Lou up, she wraps her arms around me and holds me, burying her face in my chest. I can feel her silently crying. Not for Vito, but for more than that. My anger over her running away is replaced with the need to protect her and keep her safe from this part of my life. “Can I get someone to take you home,” I ask her “while I handle this?”

“No, I don’t want to be alone,” she says, then looks around, “but, maybe I should go home.” It’s no place for a woman to be at all.

“I think so, you can tell us what you saw and heard, then I will have a driver take you back. Nolan is at the house, it’ll be best if one of us is there when he wakes up.” Lou gives me a nod and starts to recount what she heard and saw. She looks tired and uncomfortable, covered in blood and dirt.

“Take her back to the house, make sure security is tight. No one in or out that I don’t approve personally.” We have no idea if she was seen, and seeing a murder is never a good thing. Witnesses are liabilities, we never leave them around, and this is no different. Whoever did this will not want loose ends, especially not ones connected to my family.

I kiss the top of her head and hold her for a moment before she gets into the car, watching as the doors lock and then she is driven away from me. I was so fucking angry at her for running — now I am just sad I let her feel trapped enough that she had to. Lou is still mine, I just have to treat her with a gentle hand. She’s afraid of me, that I will hurt her again — and all I did when I forced her into this was prove that I would.

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