“Know what?” Even though she seems worried, she doesn’t let go of me, and I don’t release her. I don’t want to, ever. But I know the moment we get back into town, she’s goin’ to have to leave. She’ll walk away, and I won’t see her again for at least a year.
“Promise me ye’ll write to me,” I say, ignorin’ the question she posed. “I need to know ye’re okay, wee bird.” The need to protect her runs through my veins. I’m pretty sure it always will.
My request makes her smile. “Aye,” she whispers before pressin’ her lips to mine, briefly. “I promise ye, big man,” she teases, usin’ the nickname she gave me one night.
When I asked her why the name, she explained that when we first met at nine years old. I was so much taller than her. And she was convinced I was all grown up. Einin admitted she’d called me that in her head ever since.
“Good.” I pull her to her feet and take her hand. That went better than I expected. At least she didn’t smack me for kissin’ her. But with every step closer to my bike, the agony in my stomach churns.
She’s goin’ ta walk away, and there’s nothin’ I can do about it.
ONE
TYE
A broken heartis as bad as bein’ gutted while awake.
There are no fairy tales in my world.
On my sixteenth birthday, I said goodbye to my best friend. I watched her walk away, and I let her because I was stuck in a small town with no options but to finish school.
As much as I wanted to follow, I knew I couldn’t. There was never a choice in the matter. She was goin’ to leave, anyway. There were better things out there for her, and I knew it. She couldn’t stay in Ballycastle. As beautiful as the town is, there’s not much opportunity for a free spirit. So, instead of tellin’ her the one thing I knew I should have, I kept my mouth shut, and I focused on followin’ in Da’s footsteps. It’s stupid when I think about it now.
But the name on the computer screen takes me back to that day. Since then, till now, seven years later, she still makes me want more. When I turned away from the bus pullin’ out of town, I knew I would never be the same. And even though I worked for Da until he sold the shop, I was never happy again.
I left the small town I grew up in and made my way to the big city. Da had given me some of his savings to find a new life. I studied and found my love for computers instead. When I’m focused on the coding, the inner workings of how networks and websites are run, and how they’re secured by secret algorithms, I forget.
I joined the Royal Bastards because of that. It’s not somethin’ my father would have wanted for me, but I’ve found a family I never thought I would have. It was always Da and me. Now I have brothers who will do anythin’ for me.
Panic sets in the moment I hack into the email trail. What I’m findin’ isn’t just a missin’ person, or the head of the Irish mob. It is so much bigger. Puzzle pieces slam together, crashin’ as they make up the image that’s formin’ in my mind.
Pushin’ up from my chair, I make my way into the lounge where the guys are sittin’. Rebel is the first to look at me, the worry clear in his eyes. He’s thinkin’ about Callia. We’re all concerned about her, but what I found may be a windfall, and we have to act fast because time is against us.
“Lads, I think you need to see this,” I say from the entrance to the livin’ room. The three of them turn to look at me, and their focus is now locked.
“What is it?” Monster says as he rises before headin’ my way.
If it weren’t for him, I’m not sure where I would be. After years of having the quiet of a small town to surround me, when I arrived in Belfast, there were too many distractions. Even though I graduated, I still had a lot of growin’ up to do. Monster put my mind to work, he welcomed my skills, and I never left.
“Follow me.” I turn and make my way into the office with all three men right behind.
Settlin’ into the chair at my desk, I pull up the files. The screen fills with profiles on all the criminals who are on the most wanted lists across the world, includin’ Bragan.
“What are we looking at, Tye?” Sully leans in, his head beside mine as he scans the images on the screen.
“Each of these are men who are suspects in a traffickin’ ring.” I open the one they’ll recognise first. Patrick Bragan. The man who took Callia. Or more like convinced her he was her father. Rebel’s hiss from behind me tells me he’s not happy. His girl is gone. Even though he and Callia weren’t officially together, there was no doubt he cared about her. “It seems there are links between Bragan and the Bratva, but it’s not lookin’ good because this goes all the way to America, Asia, even down to New Zealand, where Sinéad Bragan was headed before we intercepted her.” Sinéad, Patrick’s wife, was arrested only a couple of weeks ago and is done for. Somethin’ tells me she’s not gettin’ released any time soon. Now that Scotland Yard and MI5 have her, she’s goin’ to be put away for a very long time.
“Volkov,” Monster murmurs. “I’ve heard that name whispered for years. Da may have even mentioned him. Do you think this goes back to my father?”
Shruggin’, I open Volkov’s profile. “All they have on him are his organisation links, which are pretty much all over the world. He even has ties to the Italians. I’m not sure if ye can get Venier on it?” I glance over my shoulder to look at Monster who is in contact with the soon to be Boss of the mafia family.
“Aye,” he says with a nod.
“There’s another name that has come up repeatedly,” I explain. “Malcolm Savage. Not sure what happened, but he hasn’t been active in years. It was after Malcolm disappeared that Volkov started recruiting men of power. He knows he can get women and girls through these criminal organisations. But there has been a run-in with an American he hired, a man called Mahoney, who ran riot through the States.”
As I scroll through the pages, clickin’ on each one, Monster, Sully, and Rebel read through the details. This sick bastard preyed on children. It makes my stomach churn when I think about what he’s done.
“They still have active members who find new girls every few months. There’s a pattern.” Rebel points to the screen where each date is confirmed and co-ordinated perfectly in time with major holidays.