Chapter 1
Toller, Colorado (an hour from Denver)
Kieran’s POV
Of course, when I need cell service I don’t have any. This is what I get for thinking it would be a simple short meeting which turned into anything but that. I keep trying doorknobs on the stores on main street hoping one is unlocked in this small town. Just when I am about to give up, I turn a doorknob and it is unlocked. When I walk inside, I see that it looks to be a bakery. I walk towards what has to be the kitchen to see if they had a first aid kit. I had just found the first aid kit and sat down on top of an island when I saw a light come on. The light was coming from where I saw stairs in the kitchen that had to lead upstairs. I put my left hand on top of my gun that I had laid on the island as I hear footsteps coming downstairs. I remove my hand when I notice the shadow looks to be that of a woman. Not long after that, a woman appears at the top of the staircase. She has her dark red hair up in a bun and she is in night clothes with a robe over her pajamas. She has to be about 5’8 and maybe 180 to 186 lbs. I see she had a bat in her left hand and she is slowly walking downstairs. Once she makes it downstairs, she flips on the light. She looks around then her eyes get big when she sees me.
“I am not going to hurt you. I just need to stitch up my injury.” I say before taking off my shirt so she could see the cut that I need to be stitched up.
Sure it is a deep cut but stitching it up will have to do for now because I can’t keep losing blood.
She continues to just stare at me and I shake my head.
“Kieran Delaney; what’s your name?” I ask.
I know my family is well known in any part of Colorado but especially around Denver so she must have heard of us.
She looks away from my face then at my cut. When she sees the cut, she walks towards me then grabs the first aid kit that I had sat on the island. She grabs a chair and sits it down in front of me before sitting down.
“I can do that. What’s your name?” I ask as she starts getting stuff ready to stitch me up.
I sigh and shake my head when she doesn’t answer.
Of course, she wouldn’t because if she knows of my family then she knows exactly what we are capable of and what type of business we are in. So, she probably doesn’t want to tell me her name in case I come back later to hurt her or her family. I look at my phone to see it is now 1:30 in the morning. I groan before putting the phone face down on the island.
“Do you have a phone?” I ask.
She doesn’t answer and keeps concentrating on stitching me up. I watch her hands and the way they moved. It tells me she has done this before and by the looks of her hands, she definitely has to be a baker.
Once she was done, I touched her hands which made her jump and the first aid kit fell to the floor. She stood up almost knocking over the chair before moving away from me.
“Phone. Do you have one?” I ask holding up my phone.
She looks at the phone then at me. She points to the front of the bakery. I get down then put on my shirt before grabbing my stuff. I walk towards the front and I hear her following me. Once we get to the front, I turn to face her then she points to the wall close to the cash register. I walk that way. I pick up the phone then dial the number for my brother Donovan.
“Kieran, where are you?” Donovan asks answering the phone.
“Still in Toller; the meeting was a disaster. My car is totaled and I have a cut from where one of those jerks stabbed me. I’m in some bakery and I need you to come get me. Then we’ll plot our revenge.” I say.
“You broke into a bakery.” He says.
“The door was unlocked and I needed to find a first aid kit before I bled out too much. I got it stitched up now thanks to a woman who works at the bakery and apparently lives above the bakery.” I say.
“She stitched you up?” He asks in a shocked voice.
“Yeah but I think she is too afraid of me to talk to me even though she was willing to help without me asking her to.” I say looking at the woman.
She is looking at the front door probably figuring out she forgot to lock it.
“Is she cute?” He asks.
“Not the time. Come get me or send someone to come get me. It’s Sweet Delight’s Bakery.” I say noticing a menu on the wall not far from the phone.
“Alright. Just stay put until we get there.” He says.
I hang up the phone then walk towards the woman. She must have saw my reflection in the window because she quickly turns around to face me.
“My brother is coming to get me. I can lock the door on my way out if you want to go back to bed.” I say as she stares at me with forest green eyes.
When I notice her watching my mouth as I talk, it occurred to me that she might be deaf. I pick up a notepad that I saw under the counter then grabs a pen from next to the cash register.
Are you deaf?
She looks at what I wrote then back at my face before nodding her head.
I have someone coming to get me. You can go back to bed and I’ll lock the door on my way out. Thank you for helping me.
She reads what I wrote then shakes her head before pointing to the notepad and pen. I hand it to her then she starts writing something.
Can’t go back to bed. Have to clean up the mess you made by bleeding all over the floor from the front door to the kitchen.
She turns the notepad around so I could see it then I laugh before nodding my head.
She hands the stuff back to me before walking away. She returns a little bit later with a mop and a bucket of cleaning solution. She was still cleaning when Donovan made it. I wave goodbye at her before walking out of the bakery and towards Donovan’s Land Rover.
“She’s cute. A little young for you though.” Donovan said after he drives away from the bakery.
“She looks to be 30 and I’m 34 so not too young for me.” I say then he smiles.
“She’s deaf.” I say.
“Oh so that’s why she wasn’t talking to you. Boy you probably really scared her.” He says.
“Enough about her; let’s talk about how we are going to get back at the O’Malley family.” I say and he nods his head.
