Almost Innocent Read Free Page B

belonged in to begin with when her life existed in southern Maine? There was nothing here for her, I’d made sure of that.
    The last time I’d spoken to the woman who called herself my mother, we came to a solid agreement. She tried to drive a hard bargain, using blackmail, and then Irish Catholic guilt when the first didn’t work, but I’d had nothing to lose. I’d been very clear. My needs weren’t negotiable, and they superseded her wants.
    So in the end, we’d both gotten what we wanted most. I stopped fighting my lawyer and let him use my family’s connections to get my charges reduced to manslaughter, and I agreed to take over the family business. Mommie Dearest, in return, had relocated a few hours south, taking what was left of my family—Fiona, Gabby, and my nephew—with her, and rebuilt her life in a place where no one knew them. It gave them all a fresh start, and it gave me peace of mind knowing I wouldn’t have to see her face every time I turned around.
    I waited until her pathetic excuse for a car turned onto the freeway, telling myself I was watching to make sure she was really gone. As far as good-byes go, that was definitely better than our last one. Part of me hoped it would be the last one we’d ever need.
    Here’s looking at you, kid.
    A horn blared behind me, and I turned, glaring at my truck. I couldn’t see any of my guys through the sunlit windshield, but one of the pricks was going to get an earful. I stalked toward the truck, the bad mood I’d been in all morning coming back in full force.
    They were quiet as I swung up into my seat, but as soon as I slammed my door, Adam ran his mouth from the back. “Is that tasty little piece what kept you busy all last weekend?” His tone made me want to lunge over the seat and beat him bloody. “’Cause if it is, you let me know when you’re done. I want soma that, and I ain’t above sloppy seconds.”
    I jerked around, ready to haul his ass over the seat and out my door, just so I wouldn’t fuck up my interior, but my best friend reacted before I could.
    “Do you ever stop talking?” Mark glared at Adam. “I don’t like hurting stupid people. So just shut the fuck up before I knock your teeth down your throat.” Adam garbled a response, but Mark ignored him, looking at me instead. Shrugging, he pointed at the GPS on my dash. “All programmed in. I’d say buckle up, it’s gonna be a long ride, but I think we should go gear up for a road trip.”
    I glanced at the screen, looking for the destination he’d entered, and rolled my eyes when I saw it. The fucking prick had run to a city in Massachusetts. I’d spent enough time there to know he was in over his head. He probably thought I wouldn’t cross state lines to get him. Or that the people he was with would protect him. He was wrong.
    “He won’t be alone,” I pointed out. Ron was a few cans short of a six-pack, but he wasn’t stupid enough to be by himself.
    “Good, we’ll leave one alive, so he can spread the message that Declan Callaghan is back, and he’s not fucking around.” Mark glanced over his shoulder. “I’ll call Southie and McLean. Have them meet us there. Let’s go load up.”
    My passengers rattled on, nervous excitement filling the air while I drove the short distance to Adam’s. After a few seconds of their petty bickering, I blocked them out and processed my morning.
    Ron Mansfield had worked for my family for years. I’d never liked him, and over the last four months, I had been very clear about the fact that I didn’t fucking trust him. But he was one of my top delivery men, and I believed you needed to let people prove themselves, one way or another. Ron had proved to be nothing more than a moron when he disappeared with my money.
    The four of us had gone to the store that morning with the sole purpose of talking to one of the employees and finding out where in the hell her boyfriend had disappeared to. Why she worked in a shithole like that,