Page 20 of The Eraser

The men shuffle out of the house, leaving only a few of us behind—Thomas included. Maverick looks beyond pissed, and I have a feeling that he's been begging Jerry to let him go at the cop. Knowing Maverick, it's taking a lot of restraint not to go at him.

"Thank you for waiting," Jerry says to me. "I know you and Maverick are going to want to go to ground and find the fucker, but I'm urging you both not to."

I sigh. "Who is this cop, Jer?" Why the hell isn't he letting us at him?

"He's working for CAB along with the gardaí."

Fuck. The asshole is working with the Criminal Assets Bureau. Which means any property that they deem is purchased from criminal activity will be seized. Now it makes fucking sense as to why he's not wanting us to go after them. He's waiting to see what they have and who they have their sights on.

"So we wait," Mav growls.

Jer sighs. "We wait and see what the asshole is going to do. We're all ready to take him out the minute he gets too close."

I don't fucking like waiting, but right now, that's what we'll have to do. It takes years to build a CAB case and this fucker's just started. Jer's insiders within the gardaí are earning their pay checks with this information. We have time. We just need to ensure that any and all avenues the cop tries to go down end up coming to a dead end. Which means it's time to get the hackers working on this shit.

"Go," Jer says. "Stay low and make sure you check that you're not being watched."

I nod. "Also check that there are no trackers or surveillance equipment on any of your properties," I tell them. "I'm off. I'll talk to you soon."

I exit the house, my nerves on edge. Fuck. When I get this antsy, I kill. I won't be able to do that tonight. But soon. Soon I'll do what I crave and feel the thrill of taking a life.

ChapterEight

JESSICA

I hearthe hushed tones of my dad's men. The past week has been chaotic to say the least. On the rare occasion they’re here, the men are anxious, and Dad has been on his best behavior. It's the first time since Mam died that he hasn't hurt me in over a week. Things are so crazy that I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. I'm still on edge, still cautious when around anyone, and I'm very hesitant to talk when around people. I'm so used to anything I say being twisted into something it's not, just to give my father a reason to lash out.

Over the past week, there's been so much chatter. My dad is pissed at Jer for replacing him with Maverick. I'm not sure why he's surprised. Maverick is Uncle Jer's nephew, his only nephew. There's no way he'd turn his business over to my dad, who's been nothing but a fucking pain in Jer's ass over the last few years. Since Mam died, he's been a liability. I've overheard them speaking on numerous occasions, all of which ended up with me being hurt in some way.

I gently make my way down the stairs. I'm leaving the house to go out to the dance studio. If Dad's around, it will only cause an argument. He hates me leaving the house this late at night. He wants to know what I'm doing and who I'm with. He despises it when I go out with my friends, as he takes that to mean I'm out with a boy and doing things I shouldn't be—his words. If only he knew that I've only kissed one person and that happened last week. My lips still tingle whenever I think about it.

I have known that Stephen watches me since the first time he did it after Mam's funeral. I can feel his heated gaze on me, especially when I'm dancing. At first, I thought it was weird, that he was a creep, but the more it happened, the safer I felt with him doing it. I look forward to the days he’ll watch me. I long for just a glimpse of him, something that rarely happens.

"Jess," I hear the low tone of my cousin. Spinning on my heel, I turn and see Maverick standing in the hall with a small smile on his face. "Sneaking out?"

I shake my head. "Don't need to sneak," I tell him. "I was walking out the front door."

Since Mam died, I haven't really seen any of my family. I get it; my cousins are a lot older than I am. They have their own lives. But it sucks. I wish I could spend time with them, but sometimes things don't work out the way we hope. It's weird, because I've seen Maverick more than I've seen Auntie Nicola or Callie. I suppose that's because he works for Jer and stops by the house a lot.

Maverick chuckles. "So you are. Does your da know you're leaving?"

I lift my shoulders and shrug. "He's busy, but go ahead and tell him if you must."

"Calm down, Jess. I won't say anything. I just need to know that you're safe."

I sigh. I'm always defensive and I'm not sure why. Whenever I'm questioned, I feel the need to try to defend myself, but it comes out a little bitchy. "I'm fine, I promise. I'm just going to the dance studio. Sometimes I need to let loose."

His grin widens. "I understand that," he tells me. "We all have our own ways of letting loose. Yours is probably safer and less psychotic."

I raise a brow. "Probably?" I ask with a laugh.

"Eh, probably. Now go. Don't stay out too late and please, for the love of God, be safe." He holds out his arms. There's a slight hesitation to his movements, and I feel bad. I've been so standoffish that he's unsure whether or not I'll return his hug.

I step forward into his embrace and his arms close around me, tightening as they do. "Thanks, Mav."

"You need me, call me," he says thickly.

I nod. "Thank you. I'll go now. I should be back by ten. It's not that far."