Some men were fightin’ it out with fists, others had pulled guns and were shootin’ blind just to hit a body and take it down. Keenan made eye contact with me and nodded toward the steps. There was a secret passageway between the walls, and if Oran got to it, he would have the advantage. He could shoot at us or hide out. Settin’ the place on fire and havin’ him run out was another plan, but timin’ might be an issue with how we’d made an entrance.
I was about to take the long, dim hall to the steps, but a man grabbed Keenan from behind, gettin’ him in a chokehold. Fiona announced herself with a banshee cry and jumped on the man’s back. With her teeth bared, she slit him from ear to ear.
I rushed the hall, takin’ the steps two at a time, and caught Oran in his office right before he made it to the secret passageway. Whoever was ahead of him had closed it off. He banged on the door, cursin’ whoever it was. He turned and faced me with his gun in hand.
Our weapons were pointed at each other.
We started to circle.
“Your father stole from me,” he said, sweat drippin’ down his face like a storm raged in his head and the rain was comin’ from his hair.
I grinned at him, and refusin’ to mess around with useless words, pulled the trigger. He pulled his too, but it was too late. My bullet struck him in the head first. He had a sword hangin’ on his wall. I removed it from its place and disconnected his head from his body. Using his hair to lift his head, I kept it high as I moved.
The men all stopped fightin’ as I walked through.
They all knew.
I’d won my spot as the Beast of Boston.
The Craigs were out.
The O'Callaghans were in.
Just to make sure they understood, I rolled his head like a bowlin’ bowl against the counter. It stopped in the center, the glossy eyes starin’ at the men. The bartender made a screechin’ noise and then hit the floor. My eyes scanned the crowd, attemptin’ to make eye contact with each man who had worked for the Craigs.
Fiona and Keenan came to stand next to me, along with my men. Cash and his men surrounded us.
Sirens cried in the distance.
Cash touched me on the shoulder, then squeezed.
We had to move.
Outside, the air smelled frozen over with smoke and blood.
Keenan and Fiona hustled to get to the car. Cash was right in front me. I took the rear.
My breath was comin’ out in pants, and my heart pumped as if it were still after blood.
I felt it, though, a second too late.
Someone behind me.
A tap on my shoulder.
I barely had enough time to turn around, but that brief second caused the knife to stick in my shoulder and not my neck.
The knife sliced down, tearin’ my skin from muscle. The same spot that had just healed from the gunshot wound.
I went down to my knees with a roar.
Through the fog of the moment, I heard whistlin’, and then three arrows pierced the man who was screamin’ at me—You stole her! You’re going to die! Not much of a BEAST now. You’re—
Wack, wack, wack!
His hand.
His arm.
