“He sure as shit can try,” Penn snapped back, fearless.
When Alex returned, I ordered him to go get Matteo from my office. A minute later, my nephew was rushing down the stairs and didn’t stop until his arms were wrapped around Penn.
“I did it. I did exactly what you said.”
Penn sat on the sofa, taking Matteo with him. “Yeah, you did. You were so brave.”
“Like you.”
I smiled. In the midst of this clusterfuck, I reveled in the moment.
“Matteo,” I interrupted. “Alex is going to take you to your mom and dad. Owen and Livy are with them. We’ll be with you shortly, promise.”
He glanced at Penn briefly, then got up and went with Alex.
“We need to do a sweep of the house. After that, we can deal with this garbage.” I sneered at Lorcan’s men.
Penn rose and kneeled in front of the guy who’d held a gun to his head. “Maybe a game of one, two, three…what do you say?”
I wasn’t sure what he meant by that, but the murderous expression the man shot Penn told me that whatever it was, it would be the perfect game to play.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Pennsylvania
When Lorcan’sman had said “Three” and Owen had run out from his hiding place, I’d done the only thing I could think of. I’d swiftly grabbed him and wrapped myself around him. The sounds of his sobs were still echoing in my ears the following day.
Gideon thought the house was compromised, so until he was able to get security tightened and more men on the premises, he’d sent Rita, Dean, and the kids to a safe house a few hours away, with a small army to protect them. I hoped none of Lorcan’s people were aware or had followed them, and Gideon was keeping heavy tabs on his family.
He’d wanted me to go with them, but that had been a short-lived argument, thankfully. I didn’t care to take part in whatever interrogation they were doing on Lorcan’s men. All I knew was, they’d carted them off to a warehouse and I was sitting in the living room with Gideon the following day as he watched everything that happened on the big television.
“He had something like what, fifteen men take out my guys, and afterward they just disappeared and left these two behind?” He huffed. “Makes no sense. Why not make sure they got what they came for?”
“You told me you wiped out a lot of his men, right?” Gideon nodded. “Then what’s to say he didn’t hire some mercs or whatever to help him infiltrate your home but didn’t want them knowing they were kidnapping Gideon Hendrix’s kids? Maybe they didn’t even know whose house this was.”
“It’s honestly the best answer I’ve heard. And if it’s true, that means his numbers are still low.”
“Unless he’s hired protection,” I added.
Gideon’s attention shifted from the TV to me, his eyes full of fire and anger. It was the expression of a man who’d been pushed too far.
“Penn, I really wish you’d have gone with my brother.”
“What are you talking about? What’s that have to do with Lorcan hiring protection?”
“Because it’s become apparent to me that I’m going to have to get a whole lot more brutal if I’m going to take Lorcan out, and I don’t want you to see that side of me.”
I smirked and slid my hand over his thigh. “I thought you were going to be my monster.”
“I am but?—”
“No buts—well, unless they’re yours. I get it, even if you think I don’t.”
He shifted closer. “And what do you get, Penn? What do you understand about what’s about to happen?”
“Bloodshed,” I answered in all seriousness. “I’m not one for drama. I actively run from it, actually. Drifting from town to town, only staying long enough to not be memorable. Hell, when this shit started I was going to bolt, and my head is one hundred percent telling me to do just that.”
“Then why aren’t you?”
