The guy spun and fired at me. But he wasn't quick enough. I dived in low and took him down. His shot went wide, pinging off a nearby tree. A second shot grazed my left arm, but I barely noticed the pain.
I disarmed him and squeezed his neck until the light left his eyes. One down, a few dozen more to go. As tempting as it was to go hunting for more attackers, I needed to get Pixie to safety, so I picked up the guy's gun and jogged back across the lawn.
"Quick, we need to move," I ordered when I reached her. She eased out from behind the bush, hissing with pain when a thorn snagged her arm. Then she saw my blood-soaked shirt sleeve and inhaled sharply.
"You're hurt!"
"I'm fine. Now come!" Before she could protest, I took her hand and dragged her across the lawn. We reached the terrace just as something exploded by the main gate.
Conal met me by the kitchen door.
"Go to Saoirse's room," he barked at Pixie. "Keep the door locked until one of us comes for you." Instead of arguing, she just nodded and dashed away. Then he turned to me. "Let's clean this shit up."
"Where's Dec?"
"Outside."
"And the girls?"
"In Saoirse's room with Aoife's boyfriend. Ash is guarding them."
Chris, I didn't know, but I trusted Ash with my life. He'd die before he let anything happen to our sisters. Everyone else could go fuck themselves.
I grabbed a second gun and fresh ammo from the weapons store before following Conal back outside.
The half-conscious man I hauled toward the shed groaned each time his head bounced off a rock, but I gave no shits. We'd lost seven men this evening. Seven loyal soldiers.
Declan stood talking to a few of the guards, his white shirt splattered with crimson blood. My arm had stopped bleeding, thankfully, but now the adrenaline had worn off, it ached. Still, it could have been worse.
Poor Mikey had suffered serious burns when some asshole tossed an explosive device at the garage. Luckily for us, the reinforced structure protected our vehicles, with the damage minimal. Not so lucky for Mikey, who was on his way to the operating theater.
"Let me know when you have some answers." Declan glanced down at the unconscious meat suit at my feet. "Then clean up the mess."
"Sure thing." I grinned before dragging my prize away. We needed answers, and I was happy to go the extra mile to get them.
13
Verity
Saoirse and Aoife seemed remarkably unconcerned about the estate being under attack.
"I'm not watching that shite again," Saoirse grumbled as Aoife hooked up a gritty Netflix drama to the big screen. Her boyfriend sat in a chair, his face like curdled milk. The poor sap had led a boring life until he met Aoife. Now, it seemed like he regretted agreeing to be her date tonight. He probably hadn't expected to end up caught between two warring mafia factions when he accepted an invitation to the Kelly summer party.
Our guard, Ash, stood vigilant by the window, hand on weapon, ignoring the girls' bickering. Outside, we could still hear gunfire, but it appeared to have tailed off.
Hopefully, none of the guests were hurt. That would cause a problem and probably several column inches in the national press. While Declan had good working relationships with the leading journalists in this country, there was only so much they could brush under the proverbial carpet when the shit hit the fan.
My phone buzzed in my pocket.
Thea: how's the party?
Me: dangerous.
Thea: you better be joking sis!
Me: sure.
She sent a few more messages asking for details, but I ignored them. I wasn't in the mood to get into it with my overprotective sister. It had pissed me off that she'd allowed the twins to drug and kidnap me. Yes, bringing me back here was probably sensible given my father's unexpected release from a maximum-security prison, but consent still mattered.
