Eala Chapter 9
Chapter 9
Carlisle POV
I lean back in my chair,
looking at the pictures that surround my office. My love made sure that I was
surrounded by our family to remind me to be careful and remember that family
comes first. I wish Esme was my first and only wife; she's everything to me,
and our boys are just as important to the both of us.
I can't regret
everything with Elizabeth; after all, she gave me Edward. My oldest son is
smart, strong, and goes above and beyond for the family. I just wish he hadn't
been conceived with a crazy-ass whore. I had to get a paternity test to confirm
Edward was mine after the bitch died.
Edward doesn't know any
of this, though. I don't want him to know what hell his biological mother put
us through.
Regrets, though, will
eat you alive if you let them. I normally let them roll off my back, but after
watching my eldest suffer these last two months, it makes me reflect.
Our family used to have
the best special asset. Our family and his go way back; most of the dons hire
them as part of their security and enforcement teams. They were basically
raised as mercenaries.
The difference being, the one that was my friend
and employee had been shunned from his family.
I sifted through some papers, worrying about my
eldest and his night club endeavors. I had no say in any of it, thanks to my
father.
"Are you really that big of an idiot!" I
looked up and saw McSuaine standing there glaring, with a gun pointed at me.
"What the fuck do you think you're
doing?" I stood up, my hand on my gun.
He snorted. "You're not quick enough,
Cullen. Why did you have
to dig into me? You just had to fucking look for
shit you had no business looking into!"
"I need to know if you're loyal to us,
considering you've been shunned from your family."
He growled. "You have no fucking idea what
you've done. Everything I've done to protect..." His arm dropped, and he
shook his head.
"Goodbye, Cullen."
I watched him walk out, disgusted that none of
my men caught him, that he got in and out undetected.
McSuaine was dead a week later, and I lost the
only person who was helping me make a business deal with the Russians instead
of scum na hIodáile.
I sigh, remembering I
need to head over to a pub to scope it out before meeting with the Russians for
further negotiations. There has to be something I can persuade them with.
I pick up my Desert
Eagle Mark XIX and stand up to slide it in the holster at the back of my pants.
I send a text to Marcus and Eleazar to meet me at the door, and they're waiting
for me when I get there. Marcus is short but beefy, with his age etched heavily
on his face. Eleazar is six-foot-tall with a basketball player build and grey
peppered around his ears.
To my surprise, my wife
is standing in front of the door. My Esme is five-seven with curves in all the
right places. One perfectly sculpted eyebrow raises over piercing green eyes.
"Mo ghrá, what is this." I
smile, buttoning my suit jacket.
"You need to make
sure all of our children show up tomorrow for dinner." Her tone is stern;
I love it when she gets like this.
I kiss her lips. "Mo ghrá, is é do mian
mo ordú."
She smiles widely. "Go raibh maith agat."
I chuckle, swatting her
ass.
"Carlisle,"
she giggles.
Our driver opens the
door for us. Marcus gets in first, then I follow, and Eleazar climbs in behind
me.
"You boys know
anything about this pub?" I ask, checking my phone and sending out texts
to my sons to make sure they know to be at dinner tomorrow.
"My daughter goes
there every Saturday with her college friends to listen to bands. She says she
feels safe and has a lot of fun." Eleazar smiles. His daughter is
everything to him. His wife died giving birth to her, so all they have is each
other and the Cullen family.
"Well, I hope it's
not loud metal music tonight while we're there," I joke with the guys.
We arrive at the pub and
I'm shocked to see a line of people trying to get in. I worry for a moment, but
I see Eleazar slip the bouncer money and we get in easily. Entering the pub is
interesting; there's all kinds of people from all walks of life enjoying the
atmosphere.
I notice there aren't many places to sit as I
take in the scene. I walk up to the bar, preparing to order some Jameson when I
notice Benjamin's girlfriend. I lean against the bar to greet her.
"Angela, álainn."
Her smile radiates.
"Mr. Cullen, what can I do for you, big shot?"
I smile at her
sassiness. "I was wondering if there was a good spot for us to sit and
enjoy some Jameson whiskey."
She nods. "The VIP
seating area is open. You can make yourself comfortable over there and I'll get
the drinks to you." She points to a nice secluded area with bench seating
and chairs.
"Thank you."
We take our seats, and I
can't help but fall in love with the place. It would make a great meeting
place; I can see why Stephan wanted to meet here.
The owner has bouncers
at every entrance, one standing at the bar, and two others seem to mingle by
the stage. They're making opposing circles among the patrons who are dancing
and enjoying the music. I see security cameras spread throughout the club,
capturing everything perfectly.
I see a woman come up to Angela; she's
five-five, her brown hair in a ponytail, wearing a plain tee with Eala across
the front like most of the employees here. What surprises me is the gun on her
hip and her gaze constantly scanning the pub. As her eyes land on our little
corner, they widen slightly, and she brings her hand up to her neck.
Angela hands her the
tray with our drinks on it, and she tries to get out of it, but Angela must be
swamped because the young lady makes her way over to us. As she gets closer,
her necklace throws me for a loop.
She doesn't avoid my
eyes, instead keeping them on me, daring me to look away.
"Your drinks,
gentleman." She hands them out perfectly, but I can't help staring at the
necklace that has been in my family for generations. Then I see the ring on her
finger that's so much like my son's. Emotions begin to swarm through me.
"Go raibh maith agat." I'm sure
she can hear the tension in my voice.
Her eyes narrow. "Tá fáilte romhat."
My mouth pops open in
shock, and a smirk forms on her face.
"If you need anything
else, don't hesitate to ask." She walks away before I can reply.
I find myself watching
her every move. I want to hate her, but I find myself absolutely enthralled
with her. I watch her bounce a biker out of the pub without any help. I watch
her work the pub in all the positions; waitress, bartender, bouncer, and bus
boy. After awhile, I overhear that she's the owner. She couldn't be more than
twenty-two.
I try to remain focused
on why I'm here, which is to make sure we'll be secure here while meeting with
Stephan. But knowing that she's the woman that my son has been hiding for at
least a year has me wanting to know more.
I hear her yell last
call about an hour later, and it's just us and her. She's standing behind the
bar measuring us up with her eyes, her arms crossed in front of her.
"I would like to
ask you a question," I call to her from across the pub.
She comes close enough
for a conversation, but not close enough that we could touch her.
"What's the
question?" Her firm tone tells me that she isn't liking this.
"My oldest son, he
won't bring a woman into the family. I know he was involved with someone and
must love her, but he refuses to let us meet her. Why do you think that
is?" I question, wondering if she knows something I don't.
Her eyes never leave mine, a fire lighting
inside her. "Maybe it's because when he was just a child he watched his
mom murdered in front of him and his father did nothing about it. Maybe he
is so scared of losing the woman he loves as much as he loved
his mother. Maybe, just maybe, he has trust issues when it comes to
the security in the family. Have you noticed how he has extra protection added
to the other women in his life?" She shrugs her shoulders as her eyebrow
raises. "Just a thought."
My heart stops at just the
thought. My son doesn't trust me, our family? "I think you're fucking
mistaken," I grit out.
She snorts. "Sure,
why not. Either way, get the fuck out of my bar. It's closing time."
I stand with force,
knocking the drinks on the table over. I throw down a wad of cash. "I'll
be seeing you around."
She smirks. "Not if
I see you first." The threat is there. I can see the fire in her eyes as
she watches us leave her pub.
The ride back home is
silent. I text my boys again, confirming that they know to be at the house for
dinner.
~Eala~
Edward shows up not long
after his siblings in a sour mood. We still can't figure out where the bugs are
coming from. He won't meet my eyes when eating dinner, no matter how focused I
stay on him. I notice he's still wearing the Claddagh ring.
"I went to this pub
last night, Eala."
I watch my son freeze
his movements for a fraction of a second and his eyes finally meet mine.
"Nice place;
Stephan wants to meet there on Wednesday. Went there to scope the place
out." I keep my eyes on him. His breathing picks up, he makes fists with
his hands. I can feel the anger radiating off him.
"Edward, why don't
you and I talk in my office." I stand up and Edward is shaking as he
follows me.
I spent all night and most of today thinking
about what that woman said to me about Edward watching Elizabeth die. I never
told him about her death, however, after contemplating everything, I decided
last night I should tell him everything. Maybe if he understands what happened,
then maybe, even if I have an issue with her, he will bring his grá into
the family.
He slams the door, and I
turn to him. His green eyes are wild, and I'm actually frightened for him.
"Did you see
her?" His breathing is shallow.
"Yes."
His knees buckle, and he
falls on the sofa. "Da, please. Please, is she okay?"
I don't think I've ever
seen my son like this. My heart breaks at the sight of his welled up eyes and
broken expression.
With a soft sigh, I
answer his question. "She's fine, feisty as hell. Basically said it's my
fault that she can't be with you."
He nods his head but
doesn't speak.
"Do you think I had
something to do with your ma's death?" I can't keep the hurt out of my
voice.
He looks up at me.
"I don't think you killed her or had her killed. But why wasn't there more
security? How did he get through?"
I sigh, there are those
regrets. I should have talked to him sooner. "What do you remember of your
ma?"
Edward tilts his head
back. "I remember her being distant, spending very little time with me.
But when I was with her she told me she loved me." He furrows his brows.
"Elizabeth, she
was…" I sigh, trying to find a nice way of putting it.
"Edward, your mom was ill, she was scitsifréine.
I'd been trying to divorce her for two years. I wasn't living with you or your
mom during that time. She refused to let me see you, and she refused to sign
the papers." I ran my hands through my hair.
Edward watches me,
waiting patiently.
"I tried to keep
security there at the house, but she would shoot at them. Call the cops."
I take a deep breath. "Elizabeth hired that man to come into her home and
kill her, then he was supposed to shoot you, too, so I couldn't have you."
I look at Edward with unshed tears in my eyes. Thank God yet again for Damion
having some morals and not killing my son.
Edward runs his shaking
fingers though his hair. "He had his gun pointed at me, but he ran away.
Ma, she—ugh." He lets out a shaky breath.
I stand up and go over
to the sofa and sit next to him. "She hated me, and she hated that I had
moved on. I'm sorry that I never told you, that I'm the reason you won't
marry."
"I want her, I want
to go to her right now. I want to marry her. Da, she's like nothing you've ever
seen," he whispers his confession to me.
"I think maybe you
should."
He smiles at me.
"Yeah."
"Tell me, if you
love her so much, what was with the Russian broad?"
He begins to laugh.
"My girl can speak Russian, Gaelic, Italian, and a little bit of
Spanish."
I chuckle, "It was
her?"
He nods, smiling.
"You're lucky she didn't shoot you for calling her a whore."
I have a lot more
questions, but I know what's more important. "Go, Edward."
He pats my back and
leaves the office.
Shortly after, Esme
walks in. "Edward seems happier than I've ever seen him."
"Our son is in
love."
Translations:
scum na hIodáile~ Italian scum
Mo ghrá~ my love
Mo ghrá, is é do mian mo ordú~ My love, your wish is my command
Go raibh maith agat~ Thank you
álainn~ beautiful
Tá fáilte romhat~ you're welcome
I love the pictures of Eleazar and Marcus!
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