I’m a McCarthy, and we don’t ever go down without a fight, but I’m not dumb either. I know I need help, and it’s time to call in the cavalry.
I grab the phone off the passenger seat and take a screenshot of the location before opening up my message app and creating a new conversation with Ronan.
I attach the screenshot of the location and click send., Then I type,
Hi, it’s Ciara. I found Mila. This is our location.
I wait for a reply to let me know help is on the way, but the minutes tick by and nothing happens.
What sounds like a gunshot pierces the night followed by a shrill scream.
Mila.
Fuck. We are out of time. I can’t wait anymore. I have to save Mila.
Ronan hasn’t even replied to my message, he won’t come in time, won’t be able to help, but I can’t leave my friend in there any longer.
This is my fault, so I have to do something.
Me
OMG, there was a gunshot. I can’t wait anymore. I’m sorry. I’m going in. I’ll let you know as soon as I’m out with Mila. Please hurry.
I lockthe screen and grab the baseball bat from the passenger footwell before stepping out of the car.
The warehouse looms ahead, the metal exterior rusted and covered in what appears to be bullet holes, the sight of which makes my throat burn.
The main entrance must be around the other side, but there’s a side door to my right, held open by an old brick.
The gap is small, so it might not be guaranteed that I can slip through unnoticed, but I have to try.
Another scream.
My guilt climbs higher and my heartbeat pounds in my ears as I creep forward, wincing every time the ground crunches beneath my feet as I creep around the side and duck behind a pile of discarded crates and boxes, crouching low as I try to listen for any signs that there are guards on patrol. But after a minute or so, the only sounds are my heavy breathing and distant traffic.
The orange security lights provide barely any visibility, soit’s highly possible that someone could be lurking in the shadows out of my line of vision, but it’s a risk I have to take if I’m to get to Mila.
Taking another steadying breath, I tighten my grip on the bat and dart out from behind the crates, toward the side door.
I keep to the shadows as I approach, but there still seems to be no sign of people close by.
This is my chance.
I’m going in.
This might be the craziest and riskiest thing I’ve ever done, and it’s all I can do to hope that it won’t be the last.
Chapter Forty-Five
RONAN
The secondwe pull away fromThe Blackthorn, I put my foot to the floor as I head toward Mila’s apartment. Horns blare as I swerve through the traffic, but I don’t care. A speeding ticket is the least of my worries when my wife is god-knows-where.
My chest tightens as I think of Ciara’s fate if I don’t find her.
She might be a pain in my ass, but she’s also the woman who has thawed my ice-cold heart.
Cormac sits in the passenger seat, glued to his phone, and he checks in with some of our guys posted all over the city.
