I would do it myself. “He’s hiding something.”
“No shit.” Kieran runs a hand through his hair.
I pause at the far end of the corridor, nodding to the two men posted at the door. “Keep your eyes on him.”
One of them, Niall, straightens as he shifts his gun to his other hand. “What if he tries to make a move?”
I level him with a look. “Then you break every bone in his body. But keep him alive, for now.”
They nod, and Kieran and I move toward the back exit.
The door groans open, and we step outside into the crisp morning air. It’s not even noon, and I already feel exhausted.
Kieran looks back at the warehouse with a frown. “Why me?”
I glance sideways at him. “What?”
“The ambush. Why was it aimed at me? If someone wants to bring this family down, wouldn’t it make more sense to take you out?”
It’s not the first time that question has crossed my mind. But now, standing here with the weight of it all pressing down on my shoulders, I think I know the answer.
I tuck my hands into my pockets. “Not necessarily. They came for you, Kieran, because you’re the powerhouse.”
He scoffs. “Flattery doesn’t suit you.”
“I’m not flattering you. I’m telling you the fucking truth. You’re the one no one sees coming until they’re bleeding out on the floor. You’re brutal and unpredictable, Kieran. You go down, and the rest of us are left exposed and vulnerable.”
Kieran is silent for a beat, then he lets out a dark, hollow laugh. “So, I’m the rabid dog they have to put down first.”
I arch a brow. “You should take the compliment.”
His jaw clenches. “I don’t want it.”
There’s a tension in him that wasn’t there before.
This isn’t just anger over the ambush. It’s something deeper and more personal than he’s letting on.
“They should have killed me when they had the chance.”
I turn to look at him properly, and his face is like stone, but his dark eyes burn with a rage I’m all too familiar with. It’s dangerous and unpredictable, just like Kieran.
He looks out over the city like it might offer him the answer he’s looking for.
“Kieran, we need to find out who’s behind this. This kind of hit was a warning shot.”
“Yeah, well… If Finn knows, he’s clearly not going to give it up easily.”
“I’m sure we can get him to break.”
We both fall silent again.
A low wind cuts through the alley between the warehouses, whistling past discarded pallets and rusted barrels. Somewhere in the distance, a siren wails.
His eyes turn to me. “Whoever this is, they know us and our movements. That safe house wasn’t just compromised; it was fucking scouted. Someone knew where I’d be and when.”
I nod, the familiar weight of paranoia settling in my gut. “Stephen’s been taken care of.”
“I think Stephen was only the beginning.” Kieran’s knuckles crack as he curls his hands into fists at his sides. “When I find out who’s behind this, I’m going to skin them alive.”
