While I Breathe: The Veiðimenn Mob, Book One

Thirty-Eight

Callum walked into the hospital with Kennedy, his eyes scanned the crowd as they expertly navigated the crowded waiting room, they walked over to Declan. As he neared the counter, Callum noticed the guy’s hand twitch slightly. The man once told him that it was his tell. He had come to know Declan very well since meeting him. He liked the man but knew that one hit from Declan would have him knocked into next week. “Dave, make him take a break. I’ll be fine on my own for a few minutes.”

“Got it.” Getting to the young man’s side, David gripped his elbow tightly. “Come on, Declan. You need some air.”

“Got your smokes on you?”

“Don’t I always?” David countered. He fished out his pack and gave it to Declan, “Your sister’s going to kill me for enabling you.”

He shook his head as he followed David out to the parking lot. “Nah, she’d kill me for even asking. She hates my bad habits."

He sat down, his forearms rested on his knees as he took a drag from the cigarette.

David leaned against the plexiglass wall of the smoker’s area, and sighed heavily. “Phoenix's birthday is in a few weeks, right?”

“Yeah,” Declan exhaled a stream of grey smoke. “Where did the time go, man? It still feels like only yesterday I was helping my sister set up his crib.”

Another gust of grey smoke passed the man’s lips. "Phoenix always talked about the things he would do, and how nothing would change except having a real family. Once I got to know Cal, I understood what my sister loved so much about him."

Eying the auburn-haired man guardedly, David whispered, "You'll be happy to know Hans is leaving the manager for you to punish."

Azure eyes snapped to the brunet, "Don't f**k with my head, David."

"Don't shoot the messenger," David said. When he watched his friend smile, David felt real fear for the first time in years. It was a grin that promised as much pain as possible. David dropped his butt to the ground, snuffing it out with his sneaker. Exhaling, he said, “The girl's name is Temperance Rubin. She’s in her early twenties with a ten-year-old sister she's been raising on her own. Parents are deceased.”

"Poor woman," Declan murmured.

“Yeah,” David said as he took note of the hurt in Declan’s voice. He sighed as they walked back to the waiting room.

Declan stared at the tiny version of the woman he'd brought to the hospital. “Hey there, Princess. How are you feeling?”

“Can I go see my sister now?”

Callum shook his head, “My friend needs to talk to her first, then you can see her.”

She pouted cutely as her eyes narrowed, “I’m a big girl, you know.”

Declan watched Callum as he patiently handled the child in his arms. Ambrosia had been right when she told him that her beloved was a good man. He sighed when she shook her head defiantly. “Hey, I’m Declan. It’s nice to meet you, Kennedy. I'll take you with me when I go to see Temperance, okay.”

She looked at him with keen interest. “My sister told me that nothing is free, so what do you want in return?”

Both Callum and David burst into laughter.

"We don’t need anything from you, Princess,” David told her.

Kennedy’s smile faltered, her bright blues dropping to the scuffed hospital floor. “I’m not a princess. Princesses are rich and pretty.”

Callum scowled, hating how downtrodden the child seemed. “That’s not true, Kennedy.”

Declan sighed, “You're so pretty my nephew would be all over you in a heartbeat.”

She gave them a small smile, “I’m not rich, though.”

Callum set her down in an empty chair, and knelt down, “You have your sister, a home, and food in your tummy, so you're richer than you think."

Her eyes widened as she turned to Declan. Behind the skeptic looks she had been giving him was a flicker of hope. It seemed that the mention of another child her age liking her was a foreign concept. “Wait. Did you say you have a nephew?”

He nodded cautiously, mostly because Callum looked ready to kill him. “His name is Phoenix, and he is going to be nine in a few weeks.”

Oh yes, he thought as he saw the look on Cal's face. s**t will hit the fan.

“I turned ten back in May,” Kennedy said. Suddenly, as if knowing she and her sister were safe had completely overwhelmed her, the tears started.

Declan gathered her into his arms. Soothing her, he sat with her until she fell asleep in his lap. He looked up at his boss and sighed. “I'm as protective as you are over my family, man, but she's just a little girl. I don’t have it in me to purposely hurt a child, and I would never put Nix in harms way.”

“I know, but a little warning would have been nice,” Callum replied. He felt his phone vibrate in, and pulled it out to check the display. He motioned for the two other men to follow him up. “Dad, how goes the investigation?”

Kennedy woke as the elevator started upward. Once the men assured her that they were taking her to her sister, she calmed down.

“We’re going to see her now,” Callum said into the phone. There was a long pause as Callum’s eyes glinted dangerously. “It's good to hear that the old man was so willing. Well, I’ll be sure to let Ambrosia know when I see her."

As he hung up the call, David bounced in anticipation, “What's going on?”

“The owner's daughter was in cahoots with the manager. Infiltration team found a plethora of evidence in her loft,” Callum told them.

Declan eyed him nervously. If it had anything to do with his sister and money, he knew Hans would likely be in trouble. "Why do you need to talk to Amber?"

Paling, Cal said, "Dad wants to pay for the wedding."

"That's going to be an entertaining fight," David chuckled.

Callum jerked his chin in Declan’s direction, “Be nice. I might just let him drag you into the ring at the Underground to let off some steam, Dave.”

“No thanks,” David stammered as he ran a hand through his short brown hair. Shaking his head, he said, “You can consider me on my best behaviour.”

Ambrosia shook her head as she approached the men. “Is your father smoking quality pot or something? He wants to pay for the entire wedding? What about my dad? Seth would love to be able to spoil me, too, you know.”

Declan snickered. “Yeah, I figured that would be your argument. Try to comp with the man, sis. He practically worships you, so he may listen to reasoning if you both broach it with a level head.”

“Smartass. Who’s child?” She indicated the little girl in her brother’s arms.

“The sister of your new patient,” Declan said quietly. “Is Ms. Rubin doing all right?”

The gentle light in his sister’s eyes faded to darkness, and he felt the sudden urge to shrink back from the glare that promised the most painful death possible. There was something else he and Amber shared in their sibling bond, and it was a hatred for anyone who needlessly hurt innocent people for personal gain. Their father’s actions years before had a hand in it, true, but they no longer cared what happened to him.

Ambrosia sighed, not wanting to show her anger in front of a child. “If it hadn’t been for you three, things could have been a lot worse for Ms. Rubin. I’m keeping her for a few days to monitor her, but she can be released before the end of the week.”

“Hire her as a nanny for the kids,” Callum suggested.

Declan was the first to understand the underlying purpose of the proposal. “Despite being under new ownership, that place is not safe for her anymore.”

Ambrosia let out an aggravated sigh. “Let me guess, your father bought the place in preparation to capture the other parties responsible? Did you need to talk to her?"

Declan flushed red when he looked over at his sister, "I’ll do it. I have to tell her, Cal, so do I have your permission to break my silence?"

"Go ahead," Callum agreed. “I’ll handle dad if he gives you s**t for it.”

******

Back at the Towers, Ross hung up his phone with a heavy sigh. “Boss, I got the full intel. Francis and Melody were killed execution-style, leaving behind two girls that look like their mother. What are your orders?”

“Give them sanctuary within the Towers. The gang starts asking, and you tell them that we will only discuss our knowledge with Ryland Rubin. Frank once told me his brother knew everything, so that’s our only connection now. Contact the bank, and tell them to lock the trust fund until his youngest daughter turns eighteen and finishes grade school.” Hans told him.

“Understood, Sir. Are we keeping this intel between us regarding their identity and their protection?” Ross asked.

Hans nodded, “Yes. If they know anything more than we do, they can tell us on their own. I want to get the little one alone to talk to her. Use Nix if you have to.”

“His mother may not like it,” Ross replied.

“My grandson is making a friend while spending time with me, so she’ll understand. We don’t need to involve her any more than that. She’s only been with us for seven months, and I don’t want to overwhelm her right yet,” Hans told him as he got up to look out the window.

Getting to his feet, Ross scoffed, “You would think, wouldn’t you? That woman is the textbook definition of a natural-born leader. That she and Cal found each other was an act of God as far as I’m concerned. By the way, Nix has your sixth sense.”

“Does he?” Hans mused as Ross left.