Illicit Captor by Maggie Cole

28

Aidan

Two Weeks Later

Two grueling weeks have passed since I've seen Scarlet. I'm starting to lose track of the days. We've been on Tommy's trail, and there's been bloodshed on both sides.

Four of our men are dead, while dozens of theirs no longer breathe. Yet every time we think we have Tommy, he manages to escape.

My brothers and I are running on barely any sleep, and it's making me antsier than ever. I'm back to craving fire several times a day.

We stop at a petrol station and all get out of the car to stretch our legs. Brody goes inside to pay cash, and I put the pump handle into the tank. Once the attendant turns the fuel on, I take the matches out of my pocket. I light it up and stare at it.

Devin snaps, "What the fuck are ya doing?"

I continue staring at the flame. "It's fine."

"We're surrounded by petrol, ya daft fucker."

I take my eyes off the match and glance at him. "So what?"

Tynan blows it out. "So you're going to blow up the whole station. Stop being a crazy dumbass."

I take another match out, but Brody booms, "Aidan, go for a walk."

I turn and lock eyes with him.

He motions for me to go.

I don't fight him and trudge down the street. I don't get very far before I can't handle it anymore. I light another match and focus on the flame, letting it burn longer against my fingers than normal.

Devin comes up behind me, asserting, "Ya got to keep it together, Aidan."

"I am keeping it together," I claim.

"You're starting to make bad decisions."

"No, I'm not."

"Ya are. But we're close," he assures me.

I grunt, toss the match, and stomp it out with my boot. I light another, grumbling, "I don't understand how he keeps getting away. It doesn't make any sense."

Devin firmly assures, "We're going to end this. We're close."

The car pulls up next to us and Brody orders, "Get in."

I let the flame continue to burn.

"Aidan, now!" Brody demands.

I wait a few more seconds until I can feel it, then toss it on the ground and slide into the front seat.

"God, I miss SUVs," Tynan mutters.

"Stop bitching," Brody asserts.

Devin grunts. "Easy for ya to say. Ya aren't stuck in the back like a sardine."

Brody grins at me. "Only makes sense the weaker of the pack is in the back."

"Shut up, ya fucker," Tynan shouts, then slaps the back of Brody's head.

"Watch it!" he warns.

We head to an abandoned house our intel told us Tommy's currently using as his hideout. Excitement would normally fill me, yet it's nowhere right now. There have been too many failed attempts. And every day I'm away from Scarlet pulls me further into the place I can't escape. I know I'm moving into an out-of-control zone, and soon, no amount of fire will calm me.

In the past, I didn't have Scarlet. It was only me to worry about, and no one else was affected. I could work through it for months if needed. Now, I don't have that luxury. I'll lose Scarlet if I can't escape it, and I don't want her to ever see me when I get where I'm currently close to being. And one fear I always have digs into me harder than normal.

When this is over, what if I can't get out of it?

The drive is long. My brothers and I barely talk. Devin and Tynan take a nap in the back.

Brody asks, "Have ya talked to Scarlet?"

"Aye, but only briefly," I admit.

"She doing okay?"

"She's fine. She's happy, healthy, and safe. Well, she said she'll be happier when I return."

"Good. Ya don't need to worry about her, then," he claims.

"Are ya not worried about Alaina?" I question.

His expression hardens. "I'm always worried about Alaina."

"Aye. Well, it's the same for me. I'm always going to worry about Scarlet. So ya shouldn't be making these statements when ya know ya feel the same way."

He grips the wheel tighter and nods. "Point taken." He turns down another dirt road.

I grumble, "Tommy sure as fuck has a lot of places in the middle of nowhere. I can't wait to bury this bastard."

"Ya and me both. Especially with Dad in Belfast making all the decisions now. I feel like I'm going to come back and all the authority he gave us will be gone."

I snort. "I'm sure Alaina's keeping him in check."

Brody's lips twitch. "Aye, that's true."

The afternoon light turns to darkness. A few more hours pass, and I get more anxious. "Where is this place?"

"It's supposed to be up here," Brody answers, pointing at the screen on the car.

I stare at the map. There's nothing around. It's just a few roads. We pass several fields with scattered trees.

Brody pulls over. "We're walking the rest of the way. That's got to be it." He points.

Smoke comes out of a chimney a quarter mile away. A tiny patch of forest surrounds it.

My adrenaline kicks up. I mumble, "That's got to be him."

"Aye."

I turn and hit Tynan's and Devin's knees. "Wake up."

They stir.

"One of us needs to stay here with the car. I'm not taking any more chances," I declare, thinking about the other night when our car was too far away.

"Tynan, ya can stay. I'll go," Brody orders.

"Nah, I missed out on the action last time when ya made me be the lookout. Ya told me I could be part of it this time, and you'd do the boring part."

"That's true, ya did," Devin adds.

Brody groans. "Fine. I'll stay on car duty."

We leave the car and skirt along the edge of the woods, staying in the shadows as best as possible. When we get closer, we assess the situation.

There's one man outside the house, but I assume he's got at least one more inside with him, if not more.

I remove my gun, put on the silencer, and continue forward. When I can't go any farther without the risk of being seen, I lie on the cold, wet ground and crawl through the small open space.

As soon as I get close enough, I point my weapon and shoot. The bullet hits him in the head, and he drops to the ground.

I wait to see if there's any motion inside the house. Even with the silencer, there's a significant pop. The old cottage resembles a lot of Tommy's other properties. It's run down, and the windows have boards over them, which might have further muted some of the sound.

When everything remains silent, I motion for my brothers. It only takes them a short time until they're next to me. I nod at Devin, and he goes up and kicks the door in.

"What the fuck?" a man's voice barks in surprise.

He steps outside, and I shoot him, then rush inside. Footsteps fill the air, and I shoot at a silhouette I believe is Tommy, but he turns the corner, and I miss.

I run after him, and there's a bang. I turn the corner and find another door.

"Goddammit! He's outside," I yell and tug it open.

My brothers stay close on my heels. We get outside, and an engine roars inside a barn that's seen better days.

Tynan calls out, "Brody!"

Their car peels out of the structure, and I shoot, but they're too far away.

Brody pulls up and we get in.

I demand, "Don't lose him!"

Brody steps on the accelerator.

I close my fist on my matches. "Where are they?"

"There!" Devin shouts.

"Faster," I order.

"Foot's all the way down," Brody states.

My adrenaline shoots higher. It takes several dirt roads before we finally get closer. I lean out the window with my gun.

"Don't waste the bullets. We're running out," Brody warns.

I hold myself back, wanting to shoot, but I know he's right.

Tommy's guy takes a sharp turn, and the car slides on the wet road, slowing them down. It allows us to get closer, and Brody bangs into the back of their car.

It skids across the dirt, but the driver regains control. He gets a few feet ahead of us and veers to the left.

"Hold on," Brody shouts. He slams into them again.

They fly off the road and down a hill. The vehicle rolls three times and then crashes into a fence.

"Got 'em!" I shout.

Brody pulls over, and the four of us get out, rushing toward them.

Smoke surrounds the crash. The car's upside down. Tommy's guy gets out of the car and limps several feet.

I take my gun and shoot him in the back.

He falls to the ground.

I continue moving toward the vehicle and find Tommy trapped inside.

Blood surrounds him. He pins his beady eyes on me, then shuts them.

I slap his face. "Wake up, ya fucker."

He blinks hard, then mumbles, "I'll see ya in Hell."

I yank open the door, grab his shoulders, then tug him out until he's lying in a puddle of mud. Bright red soon swirls against the brown.

His tobacco stench fills my nostrils, and all I can think about is how Scarlet couldn't breathe and how his body was on top of her against her will. And I know there's way more shit he did to her she's never even discussed.

He taunts, "What are ya waiting for? Don't have the balls to finish me?"

I lean in close to his face and declare, "Ya deserve so much worse. There's nothing I can do to ever make up for what you've done. But know this, ya bastard. For the rest of eternity, she's mine. She was never yours."

I can barely hear his voice, but he declares, "She was mine first."

I spit on him, seething, "She never chose ya. She chose me. Deep down, ya know that." I should make him suffer longer, but I lose control. Unable to stop, I grab the remaining remnants of his hair, pull his neck as hard as possible, and slice his throat with my knife. Then I keep slicing until his head is separated from his body. I lift his head in the air by his scraggly hair and spin, holding it out to my brothers like a trophy.

They erupt in shouts.

"Grab the case," I order.

Tynan goes to the trunk and brings a steel box to me. I put Tommy's head in it.

Tynan secures it and takes it back to the trunk.

Devin hands me a box of matches. "I've been saving these for ya."

The craziness that fills me whenever I'm in these moments ignites. I nod gratefully to my brother. He knows it's the only thing that helps calm me.

Brody steps next to me and hands me a can of lighter fluid. He orders, "Finish it."

I douse Tommy's body in the fluid and light the match. I hold it in my fingers until I feel the burn, then toss it on him.

His body erupts in flames.

For over a half hour, I stand there watching him burn until he's nothing but a charred corpse, making wishes I know will never come true.

I hope Scarlet can forget about him and think about nothing whenever the name Tommy is mentioned. Yet I know that'd be a miracle. Even in his death, he didn't get as much wrath as he deserved. And my petal will always carry the scars.

Brody finally puts his hand on my shoulder. "That's it, Aidan. Time to go home."