Bad Bishop by L.J. Shen - 51
Three days later, Lila’s attacker came forth. I had a feeling he was biding his time, watching us, trying to see how the Angelo Bandini angle was going to unfold. Now that Angelo was out and about, walking on his two useless feet—albeit missing a couple fingers—it was obvious we crossed him off the ...
Three days later, Lila’s attacker came forth.
I had a feeling he was biding his time, watching us, trying to see how the Angelo Bandini angle was going to unfold. Now that Angelo was out and about, walking on his two useless feet—albeit missing a couple fingers—it was obvious we crossed him off the list of suspects.
And even though the other, unchecked candidates were extremely unlikely, I wasn’t going to rule any of them out.
“ This time he sent me a message straight to my phone. ” Lila handed me said phone. “ I wonder why? ”
The message read:
If you want to stay alive, meet me tonight at 11pm at Fort Market port. Come alone. Shake off your husband/security detail. Bring 150K in cash.
The reason as to the why was simple. He could no longer risk slipping mail into the building without going unnoticed. The place was more secured than the White House now.
I grabbed the phone number and sent it for Sam to analyze, even though I knew the fucker 100 percent used a burner.
“Confirm you’ll be there.” I handed her back the phone. “I’ll go see him myself.”
Her head shot up and she glared at me. “ I’m coming, too. ”
“You’re not.”
“ Tiernan, I want to confront the man who did this to me. ”
“Why?” I asked coldly. “Are you expecting any insightful input as to why he brutally raped you? Because you won’t find a plausible excuse.”
“ I want him to hurt— ”
“He will hurt,” I promised. “I will make it slow, and gory, and unbearable. He will regret the day he was born.”
“ I need this for closure. ” She glared at me.
“You’re not coming, and that’s that.” I slipped into my peacoat. I had 150K to liquidate in a few hours. Hardly a fucking problem for me, but a big hurdle for a sheltered teenager like Lila. This whole operation felt botched. Amateur. This wasn’t necessarily a good thing. Stupid people made the most dangerous enemies. They couldn’t tell a terrible idea if it hit them in the face with a shovel.
“ Think about it. ” Lila jumped to her feet, chasing me across the too-small apartment. I hated that she didn’t have a sprawling mansion, a proper nursery, and a walk-in closet she could get lost in.
Not that she’d ever complained about it despite her plush upbringing.
“ He threatened he’d tell the world our secret. Reveal that you are not the real father if I don’t come there on my own. ”
“First of all, he wouldn’t be alive to do that.” I slipped into my smart shoes. “Second, even if he did tell, it wouldn’t change a thing. I’d still be married to you, and the baby would still be mine.”
That seemed to placate her as she stopped by the door, placing her hands on my shoulders.
“ Promise? ”
I stared at her, aghast. “Just fucking try to get rid of me, Lila.”
That earned me a precious smile from my favorite girl.
“Thank you,” she said.
“I love you.”
“ Good for you. ”
She was still mad. I yanked her close, kissing the tip of her nose. “Hey. Say it back.”
“ Fine, I love you, too. That being said, I want to be there, please. ”
I leaned down, catching her lips in mine in a sweet kiss. She’d be pissed when she found out I directed all of her incoming messages and calls to my phone. “Never fucking happening. Have a good day, Gealach .”