All thoughts of my father, of Kaitlin, of Salvatore go up in smoke as I pump my fingers into Shan. As she begins to tremble even harder, so does Gracie.
Shan’s about to come. She’s always been a screamer. She starts swearing, describing in haltering detail what she wants me to do to her as her pleasure washes over her. Gracie, on the other hand, bites her lip, pressing so hard with her teeth that her skin turns white. She sags against the wall, sweat beaded on her forehead, and I can tell she’s feeling something right now. I’m not sure what, but she’s definitely feeling something. The moment is over almost as quickly as it started when Shan sinks back on her heels, grinning up at me. Her eyeliner is smudged, running down her face. She looks like she just got royally fucked.
“Thank you, Theo,” she says. “Started off a little weird there but I liked the end very much.”
“Leave,” I command.
She doesn’t seem fazed now that she’s gotten what she was after. She does give my dick a cursory squeeze as she gets unsteadily to her feet, though. “Damn, baby, you’re rock hard. Are you sure you don’t want me to blow you?”
I give her my shittiest, nastiest smile. “I’d rather you didn’t, actually.”
Shrugging, she pulls her skirt back down, not bothering to put her panties back on. “Whatever, baby.” Kissing me roughly on the cheek, she then heads for the door. “By the way, your dad’s looking for you.”
I barely notice her leaving. My eyes are still fixed on the woman hiding herself behind the shelving. I do hear the door close, though. As soon as Shan’s gone, I stand and face Gracie. I’m pretty sure my hard on would be visible from outer fucking space right now. She raises an eyebrow at me, lifting one shoulder.
“Oh, you wanna look at me like that, do you, sweetheart?” I growl. “You gonna tell me that didn’t get you off even just a little bit?”
“You’re fucking disgusting. Of course it didn’t,” she replies. But I can see it on her face, and I can hear it in her voice: she’s lying.
SEVEN
KAITLIN
There’s a key clutched in my hand, mascara running all over my face.
I’m a mess. A fucking mess! I hate crying. The first time I killed somebody, I didn’t cry. None of the times I’ve killed people have tears been part of the equation. You might say there’s something wrong with me, and you’d probably be right. But maybe there’s nothing wrong with me, and you’re the one with the problem. Because emotions are weakness, you know? Emotions are dirty, disgusting things.
You know what I like even less than emotions? Inconvenience. Like, right now I should be sitting down with Paddy, since I haven’t seen the old man in a year and he’s the only person I really care about impressing. Or, if he’s busy, I’d be getting my pussy eaten by one of his guys at the bar. I have needs, and they don’t discriminate particularly much. So walking through the streets of Manhattan looking like a freak has me wishing death upon several people. Most of all, Theo and Sal Barbieri. It didn’t take me too long to figure out who they were. Conniving little shitfucks. Especially since Ray, my father’s driver, has been picking me up from the airport and fucking me in secret since I was fourteen.
You grow up quick in the McLaughlin family.
But more than even Theo and Sal, who I’d really like to get my hands on and strangle is Gracie fucking O’Connor. That cunt was meant to be guarding me – so that, you know, I don’t have to be on alert – and she’s a dead woman the next time I see her. She’s fucking dead. It’s always bothered me that Daddy liked Gracie, took her in, kept her in New York while he sent me away. He said I was going to Los Angeles for my own protection after what happened with the Barbieris, but he never brought me back. Kept stringing things out, let me come home once a year to see the family for summer break, but apart from that, I’ve been stuck in a smoggy, palm-tree lined desert for five fucking years. This time, I have no intentions of going back. I’m done. I’m coming back to New York, and I don’t care what Paddy or Gracie or anyone says. If the Barbieris want me dead, well, I’ll make sure every single one of them is dead before I make my return permanent. Even if I have to kill them myself.