Page 53 of Brendan (The Doherty Mafia)
“Did you hear what I said, Brendan? I’m sorry for doubting you and questioning your system. You have clearly been in this…business…long enough to know what you’re doing.”
“I don’t know everything,” I snarled bitterly.
“You were and you still are doing everything you can to bring Davey back. I was just frustrated. I didn’t know what was happening. We hadn’t…” Her voice quivered, she was upset, she was embarrassed. But she didn’t have to be.
“Rosalie,” I said firmly and she looked at me pleadingly. “Stop apologizing to me. You had an opinion and you voiced it. Stop apologizing for having an opinion,” I said.
She looked shocked at first and then a soft smile emerged on her face. She drew in a deep breath and then nodded.
“I’m glad you’re here with me,” she said so softly that I barely heard it.
That brought a smile to my face too.
We arrived at the barn at the same time that Tristian pulled up. Rosalie leapt out of the car in an attempt to go running into the barn and find Davey.
“Hold her back while I go check out the place,” I said to Tristian.
“No! I want to go in with you!” Rosalie screamed. Tristian grabbed her by the arm while I started to walk away.
I didn’t clearly hear what he told her, but it seemed effective. Rosalie stopped fighting him and trying to come after me.
I trained my gun forward while I slid open the barn door.
“Hello? Davey?” I shouted.
That was when I heard a sob. It unmistakably belonged to a small boy.
“Davey! It’s Brendan. Where are you kiddo?” I shouted.
Inside the barn it was pitch-black. It seemed like there weren’t even any windows there to let a dot of light in.
“Brendan Doherty?” A female voice called out.
“Come towards me, keep your hands up,” I shouted, swinging the gun in every direction. “Davey, come towards me, kiddo.”
He came running out of the dark when I least expected it. He was crying and threw himself at me with such force that the gun nearly went flying out of my hands. Then, into the light of the open door, the girl emerged.
I lifted Davey up in my arms, hugging him close while he sobbed on my shoulder. I kept the gun trained on the chick.
She had her hands up just like I told her to.
“Explain yourself. What are you doing here? How did you get Davey out?” I growled.
“I…work for them. I worked for him. But I wanted to leave. I couldn’t keep doing the stuff they wanted me to do, and when they brought Davey in, I knew I had to save him. I couldn’t stand watching a little boy being held against his wishes for the sake of some war between two mafia families.”
As the girl spoke, I heard footsteps behind me.
It was Rosalie and Tristian.
Rosalie had clearly escaped Tristian’s grasp and she came running to us now. She saw Davey in my arms and broke into tears.
Davey wriggled out of my arms. I helped him slide down and he went running to his mother. They were both crying. Tears of joy. Sadness. Relief.
I turned back to the girl who seemed to have tears in her eyes too.
I didn’t know if we could actually trust her. I had no means of corroborating her story. She stepped towards us.
“Please, you have to help me. They’re looking for me. If they find me they’ll make me pay for escaping, for taking Davey away from them.”
I looked over at Tristian.
“Handle this. I’m going to take Davey and Rosalie back,” I said and he nodded.
Rosalie and Davey were stuck to each other. She was whispering and apologizing to him while he clung to her. He still didn’t know who I was. This was my son. My own flesh and blood. I had helped to create him.
And now he was safe.
I was never going to let him out of my sight again.
Rosalie sat in the backseat with Davey. It seemed like she didn’t want to let go of him or let him out of her sight either.
“Are you hurt, honey? Did they hurt you? Did they do anything to you?” she asked as I started the car.
I looked in the rearview mirror. Davey sat with his head on his mother’s lap, looking tired. She stroked his head tenderly and at that moment I knew he was lucky to have her.
I couldn’t have asked for a better mother to my kid. Rosalie was perfect and she deserved everything she wanted. I wasn’t sure she wanted me. Why would she want to be associated with me especially now, after everything that had happened to her and Davey because I came into their lives?
“No, they played games with me. I had cookies and milk for dinner,” Davey replied, and I was relieved to hear that.
