Pulling myself together, I hit the call button one last time.
“Perfect timing, everything is taken care of, she leaves tonight...”
“Good…listen, Halliwell, my time is up…”
Before I have time to finish the call Liam comes crashing through my door with J hot on his fucking heels…
“You fucking spinless son-of-a-bitch, you couldn’t even come alone. You need your boy here to help…”
His fist connects with my face, and I swing back, catching him on the side of the head. He stumbles and J darts for me, but I run at him. My shoulder connecting with his stomach, he grunts, and rains down punches on my back as I push him backwards. I manage to get him on the floor, but Liam grabs me from around the neck and pulls me off his friend. I grab at his arm as he squeezes. I can hear him laughing as J lands punch after punch into my stomach, my chest and my face, I kick out, but I’m not making much headway.
Liam’s grip around my neck eases a little and just when I think I have a chance to move, he throws me slamming my head into the side of the counter. I’m momentarily stunned, I shake my head to try and dust away the clouds when I see something silver in the corner of my eye, I move just in time as J swipes at me with a blade. The fucker misses and I launch for him again, pushing him back then swiping his legs out from under him. He hits the floor again and I spin, and duck just before Liam clocks me across the head.
I punch him in his balls and he doubles over, taking the opportunity while I can, I land a quick punch into the side of his head and he goes down. He looks like he’s out so I turn my attention to J, but he recovered quicker than I thought and he elbows me on the side of the head that already took a knock. The sudden pain and the feeling of sickness overwhelms me, I turn just in time to see Liam raise his gun.
I don’t feel the bullet, but I hear it leave the chamber.
I see the smirk on his and J’s faces, then I hear them laugh.
I stumble back, grabbing for the counter to steady myself. My breathing becomes shallow, and I suddenly feel cold. I feel my strength ebb away, as my knees buckle. Then Liam is there again, in my fucking face. “I told you your time was up.”
I laugh, “Yeah, for once in your miserable fucking life you were right.” My knees finally give out and I hit the floor, kneeling I look back up at him.
“You may have killed me, but you’re a coward, you couldn’t do it alone. And by the time my brothers are finished with you, you’ll wish you were dead.”
He places his boot in the centre of my chest and pushes me, so I fall on my back. I’m losing feeling in my body, there’s nothing I can do to fight him off.
He kneels beside me, his face inches from mine as he whispers in my ear. “Here’s one last thought for you, I’m off to Ireland tonight, and I’m going to have some fun with your little whore before I sell her to the sickest bidder I know.”
I hear him and J laugh, as my eyes flicker closed, the darkness calling me. He thinks he’ll win, he’ll never get his hands on her. He doesn’t have the reach to get to Nora, I’ve made sure of that, he has no idea one day he’s going to lose it all.
I hear a voice calling out to me, it feels like I’m under water. I know someone is calling to me, but I can’t make out who it is.
Then hands, I feel hands on my chest pushing down. Oh fuck it hurts and try to suck in a breath only my throat feels like its full, I cough and something wet hits my face, forcing my eyes open. Everything is blurry around me, but I can make out a shape kneeling over me, it’s familiar, but I don’t know who.
The shape above me calls my name again. “Rory, hold on brother the paramedics are almost here, I need you to hang on…please…”
Then it hits me, Finn…no, I forgot he was coming for me today, shit, he shouldn’t be here. I feel a crippling level of guilt wash over me; he was never meant to see this.
I want to apologise to him, but I’m fading too fast, I whisper the only thing I can manage, “Liam.” Before the darkness consumes me, and I die on my kitchen floor. Knowing that my woman is safe, and that my brothers will one day have everything they need to take this fucker and his organisation down.
Chapter 22
As much as I don’t want to do this, I know I have to.
The grief I felt over losing Rory almost consumed me, all because I wouldn’t open up. I can’t allow that to happen again, not now.
Now that I have a family, I have Liv, and Maddie to think about. They are my life.
“Brother…” Killian gets my attention.
“You don’t have to do this. Take it home, read it with Liv. Then call us when you need us, we’ll be there.”
I look to my left at Liv, my beautiful woman. She is my light, my hope. She places her hand in mine, my grip tightens, and she squeezes back, then her thumb runs across my knuckles. Settling back in her seat, she doesn’t say anything, she doesn’t need to. She already knows my choice, hell the woman probably knew it before I did. I know she won’t let go of my hand, her constant touch will ensure I stay in the light. It will ensure that my demon won’t take hold.
Looking back at Killian I shake my head. “Nah brother, I’m gonna need you all beside when I read this. I can’t read this alone.”
I can feel my demon waking up. This isn’t good, I haven’t even started to read the fucking letter, I can’t lose it. But then Maddie appears in front of me.
