Free Vengeance: A Kindred Sons Mafia Romance by Beth Wynne

soon as I did the handover with Denver’s friend. I would be gone. Bella would disappear and Ryan would have to move away to live with me. He’d be disappointed as he’d wanted to move back to Londonderry, but he’d get over it. No matter how much I’d want to hope, everyone knew there was no way out once you’re involved with the mafia, I just hoped we could both disappear.
     
    Carrick swirled the brown liquid in his glass, the nice guy was back, “Well, now we’ve that sorted, why don’t ye slip downstairs and grab yerself a bite a grub?”
     
    As we left the room, Jake’s hand was again at my back, but it didn’t bring the same comfort as before. I knew now that he was the son of the Don, that brought responsibilities, I was sure of it - and the knot in the pit of my stomach told me that whatever I felt for him wouldn’t matter now. I couldn’t be involved with the Kindred Sons and the risk of being known. I needed to leave him behind.
     

Chapter 17
     
    Jake
     
    I was glad she’d figured out I was Carrick’s son. I didn’t have to lie - not that it usually bothered me, but I reasoned that it was easier if she knew enough so she’d do her job. Not that she could do much else. The security cameras would now have her image and measurements on file. If she disappeared, we could find her - provided we had enough time and she went somewhere we could get their camera footage. No one could really go off-grid in 2016.
     
    There was no way in hell that I was taking her to the actual party. It would have been a lamb to the slaughter. Plus, mum would have thought I’d brought her as my date. I needed that headache even less.
     
    I spoke to one of the servers and had them bring us a couple of plates of food to the den. Bella followed me, quietly until we’d sat on the sofas. “Are ye upset with me?” I’d only asked because I knew it would be important for her to trust me for the drop, but now I’d asked, I really wanted to know, to ease her - and to ease myself.
     
    The food and the beers I’d asked for arrived within a few moments. She still hadn’t spoke, she just watched the ground and shook her head occasionally. “Here, I’m sure you’re hungry.” I offered.
     
    “Oh,” her reverie broken, she spoke politely. “Thank you.” She took the plate to her lap and started eating. “Mmmm! This is gorgeous!” her surprise amused me.
     
    “Yeah, they do all sorts of food for the parties, but they always make a big pot of stew too.” I hid my smile with another bite.
     
    “This is fantastic!” She ate greedily and I was both happy and displeased at the same time. I loved a woman who enjoyed her food, but I got the feeling she hadn’t been eating properly and the way she was wolfing the stew down was something else. “My Grandma used to make it all the time - always used Doherty’s mince, though.” Now, why wasn’t that a surprise?
     
    We finished our food and our bottles of beer in relative calm, but I could see she felt out of place here. I agreed, I didn’t like these affairs either - too much gossip and mundane conversation for me. Out there she’d be given cocktails or champagne, something frilly with no substance. At lease she looked comfortable as she sipped from her bottle of Bud, I need to remember she likes Budweiser . She was the best-dressed woman in the house, the rest all style but in reality no substance. The blouse brought out the blue in her eyes, making me revisit my shower fantasy once again, those wide eyes looking into me as she’d demanded I’d fill her.
     
    Her eyes caught me watching her again and I knew she was uncertain of me. I’d be a fool if I didn’t know why. I was everything a good girl like her had been told to avoid. Warned about even. If she hadn’t already figured it out, she definitely knew now. I was Jake Anderson - Under Boss of the Kindred Sons.
     
    “Well, I’d better get ye back home. You’ve an early start in the morning and I’ll