"You could have called the cops,” Fiona says.
This innocent girl of mine has no goddamn clue. “The cops, hell, in this town they’re shady as fuck. But so am I. And it doesn't matter, BloodHound sent these guys here hoping they'd get the hit before I did."
"Who's paying them?” Cane asks. "Who do you think hired them?"
"I'm not sure," I say, "but I can call my boss and ask. I need to let him know what's going on anyways, because a hell of a lot's changed in a few minutes."
Fiona wipes her eyes. "I thought I lost you," she says to her father. "And I thought I could trust you," she says to me. "How can I trust you now? You didn't tell me the truth."
"What was I supposed to say?" I ask her. "Considering what you now know, would you have ever spent the night with me?"
Her eyes darken. "Probably not."
"I am who I say I am. Who I am inside, that's real. The man you were with last night, he's real and he's yours."
"But how can I trust you?"
"You don't have to trust me. Trust our love."
"Love," she says. "You really think you can fall in love at first sight?"
"What, are you doubting this now?"
She shakes her head. "Is it crazy if I say I'm not?"
I shrug. "Fiona, there's crazier things than falling in love at first sight."
Cane clears his throat. "I know you guys have some things to figure out, but so do I. I need to talk to my brother and you need to talk to your boss, Flynn."
"Your brother?" Fiona asks. "Why do you need to talk to Uncle Liam?"
"O'Malley?" I say, voice raised. "I know the O'Malleys in Vegas. They are Irish mobsters and if I've got blood on my hands, so do they. I didn't realize they were family."
"Fiona, you're not going to like this," Cane tells his daughter, "but your uncle, well, I've been in business with him the last few years. That's why I wanted to stick around in Vegas even though my little girl moved to the ocean. This is where I'm working because I'm working with the O'Malleys in the family business now."
"So you're a gangster?" she asks her father. She looks at me. "A gangster and a hitman, what am I supposed to do with that?" She's stunned and I understand. The idea of who I am and who her dad is, it’s a different picture than what she'd painted for herself.
"Nothing's changed," Cane tells Fiona. "I'm still your father. I still support you and love you, but I support the family too."
She wipes her eyes. "I don't want anything to happen to you, to either of you. And today when I walked into this study, I thought maybe I'd lost the two men who mean the world to me."
"I'm sorry," Cane says, "but I love you and I don't want anything to happen to either of us either." He pulls his daughter in for a hug and I walk from the study to the front porch to make the call to Rogue.
I know he's going to be unhappy, but I've got to do what I’ve got to do. He picks up, probably expecting to hear that I made my kill. But when I explain what's gone down, I can hear the tension in his voice.
"BloodHound, huh? Why am I not surprised? Those motherfuckers have always been intent on messing things up."
"Who hired them?" I ask Rogue. "Who hired them to kill Cane?"
"It's the Italian mob. They're trying to take over that town. The O'Malleys aren't having it."
"I'm sorry I let you down," I tell Rogue. "I've never messed up like this before."
"So what happens next?" Rogue asks. "You sticking around in Vegas?"
"I don't know, but I think maybe you're right, maybe I'm done being a hitman. Your little pep talk before I left yesterday, hell, it got me thinking. I am a family man and I want to settle down."
Rogue chuckles. "You really fell for this girl, huh? One night is all it took?"
"She's everything," I tell him. "I can't wait for you to meet her."
"It would be my honor," he says. "Hell, I've always wanted the best for you, son."
"Thanks, Rogue," I tell him, meaning it. "And I'm sorry if I fucked things up."
"You didn't. Not really. You took out two of the guys we've been after anyways. You know I hate BloodHound. You keep me posted on your plans."
I smile, looking up at the sky. It's bright. The sky is blue. "Oh, I already know my plans," I tell him.
"And what are they?" Rogue asks, wanting to clarify.
"I need to get back in that house and ask for Fiona's father to give me his blessing."
"Blessing for what?"
I smile. "I intend to make Fiona my wife."
12
Fiona
“Someone will be here soon to take care of the bodies,” Flynn says when he reenters the study. “Also, you should know, I quit my job," Flynn tells my father and I.