He means it.I can see it in his eyes.The obsession.The certainty.He'll never stop.Never let her go.Never give her peace.
There's only one way to end this.
I tighten my grip.He claws at my hands, gasping, eyes going wide.
"You had your chance to walk away," I say quietly.
Then I do what needs to be done.
It takes longer than the movies make it look, a lot longer than I want.But eventually, Declan Murphy stops struggling.Stops breathing and goes still.
I let go and step back.
He slumps onto the table and then slides to the floor.He’s dead.
I stand there, breathing hard, my hands shaking as I stare at the body.
I just killed a man with my bare hands.Deliberately.Consciously.Because it was the only way Enya would ever be safe.And I'd do it again.
The brothers move closer.Raptor kneels beside the body, checking for a pulse even though we all know there isn't one.
"He's gone," Raptor says quietly.
Pyro steps forward and puts a hand on my shoulder."You did what needed doing."
I nod, unable to speak just yet.
Rush picks up Declan's phone from the table and scrolls through it.His expression darkens.
"Tank, look at this."
I take the phone.See messages.Unsent.Drafted but never delivered.
To Enya:I'm coming for you.And when I do, you'll wish you never left.
To an unknown number:Need help grabbing someone.Woman and kid.Cash up front.
To another number:Where can I get untraceable plates?
He was planning it.Planning to take her, to hire help, to make her disappear.
The phone slips from my hand and clatters on the concrete.
"He was going to take her," I say, my voice hollow."Take Warren and make them disappear."
"And now he can't," Cowboy says firmly."You stopped him."
"By killing him."
"By protecting her," Pyro corrects."There's a difference."
Is there?Right now, standing over a dead body with blood on my hands, the difference feels thin.
"We'll clean this up," Raptor says, already moving and planning."Make it look like he left town, or like he never existed.Either way, no one's connecting this to you or Enya."
"What about the garda?"
"What about them?Declan Fahy is a ghost.No family who'll report him missing.No real ties.He'll just...disappear."
