Trevor gravely nodded again. “This is between us. If you can find leverage against him that I might be able to use to reopen negotiations, that would be my preference. But he’s already told me he’ll kill Maisie and Rupert and anyone else who stands in the way of getting his daughter back. Even though she doesn’t want to return and is legally an adult.”
Old nightmares struggled to roar into Aisling’s mind, even sitting there in a nice house and eating delicious food.
She shoved them away. “If I kill him, we don’t know what kind of trouble that’ll spark. Doesn’t he still have a couple of older sons rolling around out there?”
“I’m beyond that point. Use your best judgment based on the situation. The only thing I ask is that you do everything possible to remain anonymous, however it plays out. I would prefer no collateral damage, especially of clueless humans, but if that occurs…”
He shrugged. “Faegan wants to turn this into a war. He also seriously underestimates me and my resources and allies. He doesn’t know me and assumes I’m a ‘genteel arsehole,’ as he put it. What he doesn’t understand is that I have no problems getting my paws bloody, and never have. But I’ve been smart enough to keep it quiet. Just because I choose not to show my teeth at the slightest provocation doesn’t mean I can’t or won’t sink them into someone’s throat. I will protect you and provide you safe passage to the States, once the situation is resolved, along with a new identity. I’m reluctant to bring them back here until it’s safe. And I don’t want them to spend the rest of their lives in exile, living in fear and looking over their shoulders.”
“Banishing me after, then?” she darkly joked.
He offered her a weary smile. “If not America, then you tell me where you wish to go. Anywhere in the world. I will make sure you are amply provided for. I assumed you’d want to try living in the States for a while because you might find a larger pool of eligible partners. My contacts there have people positioned in government offices and can get you a residential visa before building an entire new identity for you. And the Targhee Pack would, I’m sure, happily employ you as an Enforcer. Or if you wish to remain here, I’ll set you up with a new identity and flat and salary.”
“Guess a normal life can’t happen for someone like me.” When he obviously started to protest, she held up a hand. “Untwist yer knickers. I meant as a shifter, not as a lesbian. I’m a shifter with PTSD from the war and the other shite, to boot. None o’ that’s yer fault.”
“Have you ever thought about counseling?”
“I appreciate yer concern, but I deal the way I deal.”
Trevor smirked. “But I’m not sure even your Irish shifter liver can handle how you deal.”
“Ain’t hurt me yet.” She forced a smile. “Now, let’s get down to business. Tell me everything ye know about this feckin’ cunt.”
Late October, Eight Months Ago
Bloody hell!
Aisling ran through the woods on two legs because she wasn’t sure if she’d need to shoot someone, and she didn’t dare drop her gun just to gain speed.
When she’d lost the bastards in a traffic jam her instincts screamed at her, which was why she finally abandoned the car on the side of the motorway, jumped the barrier separating the road from the land bordering the huge estate where the safe house was located, and called Garrison, Trevor’s Head Enforcer, to immediately send more people to the safe house.
And to evacuate Maisie, Rupert, and Tamsin.
She wasn’t sure what was going on, but it was damned suspicious that one of Tamsin’s older brothers was driving in this particular area when, as far as Aisling knew, he hadn’t ventured farther east than Bristol in months.
And he had two of his mates with him.
She’d been tracking Faegan but had lost his trail two weeks ago. She’d hoped tracking his sons would provide a lead and had people staking out the sons’ homes 24/7, but there was no sign of Faegan. Trevor’s updated orders to Aisling, now that Maisie, Tamsin, and Rupert were back on British soil and Faegan had still refused all negotiations, were to terminate Faegan immediately and with extreme prejudice. When the man had first dropped off Aisling’s radar, she’d missed the fucker by maybe thirty minutes, if that. Since then, he’d gone to ground and, despite her best efforts and Trevor liberally spreading money around to their usual snitches, Faegan still eluded them.
Feckin’ cunt.
She prayed more of their people were converging on the house, but she wasn’t in charge of security for Maisie, Tamsin, and Rupert. Her sole mission was finding and neutralizing Faegan Lewis.
By any means necessary.
Less than a quarter of a mile from the house, Aisling heard the first gunshots. Swearing, she adjusted her course to approach from the front instead of taking the shorter way around to the back of the property, as she’d first intended, because she didn’t want to get shot by one of their own people.
Outside the house, she found one of Trevor’s Enforcers shot dead in the back of the head. Another man lay dying not far from him, one of the men who’d been with Tamsin’s brother, his throat ripped out. Aisling barely broke stride as she fired a bullet into his skull on her way past him, headed for the door.
Inside, she heard the sounds of battle. As she ran through the open door, in the front hall Tamsin’s brother was rearing back over a fallen Maisie, knife in hand, to plunge it into her chest.
Without thinking, Aisling snapped off two more shots, straight into the back of his head and killing him. Before he could fall on top of Maisie, Aisling grabbed his body and threw him to the side.
“Where’s Tamsin and Rupert?” Aisling screamed, turning, her gun still at the ready. Maisie, bloody and wounded and lying on the floor, weakly pointed toward another room.
Aisling bolted for the doorway and found Rupert sprawled on the floor next to the disemboweled body of another man. She thought Rupert was dead, but his eyes fluttered open when she called his name and reached down to check his pulse.
“Rupert! Where’s Tamsin?”
