“I think you’re forgetting you’re not the one in control. I am. Your mom and I had a lot of catching up to do.”
Ice fills my veins. “Fuck you! Don’t you fucking touch her. I’ll kill you so you can never touch her again.”
“You sound like a child, Shai. That’s not how this works. Are you going to be good so we can get this over with?”
Rory’s hand squeezes my shoulder hard, but I don’t think he realizes he’s doing it. Cillian must see me wince, though, and reaches over, placing his palm on Rory’s hand, his hold immediately loosening.
“Where the fuck are you?”
He gives me an address. Across the room, Rian and Conan are looking at Rian’s phone, I assume at the location.
“I don’t have to remind you to come alone, right?” Jagger asks.
“Who the fuck am I going to bring with me?”
“Good. I’d hate to have to hurt Kat. It’ll be so nice to have you both home again.”
My blood feels like sludge trying to move through my veins. I hate everything about him—the way he looks, talks, breathes…the fact that he’s my father. I would die before I went home with him again, before I allowed my mom to do it.
“You have one hour.” Jagger ends the call.
“He thinks he’s in control,” Conan says.
“He’s always been like that.” I stand. “He’s cocky, but not in a way that’s warranted. I can’t tell you how many times others have had to fix his mistakes.”
“And now he’ll die,” Rory says coldly.
“Let’s get you mic’d up, Spike,” Finan tells me, my heart racing as he places a small camera in the button on the collar of my shirt.
Rian and Dean pull up the house on Dean’s laptop, Rian pointing to the screen. “We’ll park the van here while Shai goes inside. Finan will stay in the van and monitor what’s going on with Shai. We can hear you through our comms, but Fin will be our eyes. The rest of us will split up in the woods surrounding the house. No one goes in until Shai gives the word.” He gives Rory a pointed look. “You can do this, son. Iknow you can. I get it. It’s fucking hard when it’s the person you love, but we have to do this the right way.”
I hold my breath, unsure how Rory will respond, but he only nods and says, “I know what I’m doing.”
Finan claps his hands together. “Let’s go get our toys and get the fuck out of here, then.”
Ollie and Aislin stay behind. This is the first time I’ve been allowed in their secret room, and I can see why. It’s full of drugs, ammunition, and weapons.
“You know how to shoot?” Conan asks.
I have my handgun that I’ve never actually shot—well, not at a human, just at targets, but still I nod. I’m a good fucking shot. We showered and changed hours ago, everyone in all black as we arm ourselves to the teeth. It feels like all the emotion inside me is shut off, all the fear and worry. I don’t have space for it right now. All I can do is focus.
Ollie hugs us tightly before we go, holding on to Cillian longer than the rest. They whisper hushed words to each other, making promises, I’m sure, the way Rory and I did earlier, and then I’m on my way to Rory’s car to go face my demons.
Rory walks over to me, twisting a spinner in his fingers that I saw Cillian give him a few minutes ago. “I love you,” he tells me again.
“I love you too.” I take his mouth, pushing my tongue inside, making even more promises to him that I intend to keep.
“Let’s fuck shit up.” He gives me a wide, manic grin, then runs toward the van, jumping on Cillian’s back, making me smile.
*
The house isan older farm-style home without neighbors for miles. It’s snowing, light flakes hitting the windshield as I sit here, taking a couple of deep breaths before I go in.
I’ve never done something like this before. It’s not the same as holding up some random person and stealing from them. I’m not afraid of Jagger, but of fucking this up. Of getting my mom hurt, or the people currently putting their lives on the line for me.
I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to feeling something else as well, that tinge of excitement building in my gut. What’s wrong with me that I’m craving something like this? But then, this same flame had been reflected at me when I looked at Rory and Cillian. Dean and Tiernan. And all it did was make me feel more at home.
“I’m heading in,” I say softly. “Two men at the front door.”
