Then the shouting starts.
There’s a crash, and the sound of a body being thrown against a wall.
I flinch and squeeze my eyes shut, pressing my fists to my mouth to stop the scream threatening to break free.
Oscar murmurs something in my ear, but I don’t hear him. All I hear is the chaos behind him.
All of the shouts and grunts of pain mix together so that I can’t tell who is winning and who is losing, but more importantly, who is still alive.
My mind fills in the blanks with every possible horror until there’s a final, sickening crack that echoes through the air. And then, nothing.
Silence.
Oscar tenses against me, his grip faltering just enough that I take my chance.
I twist free before he can stop me and bolt toward the house.
“Riley!” His yell is sharp with panic.
But I don’t stop. I can’t. I need to know if Kieran is alive.
Before I reach the doorway, Kieran appears. His chest heaves with every breath, and there’s blood smeared across his knuckles.
His eyes find mine, but I force myself to look past him to where Sean O’Keefe is lying sprawled on the ground, his limbs twisted at unnatural angles and his expression completely slack.
The sight knocks the air out of me.
My legs give out, and the world tilts, but Oscar’s arms are around me, catching me before I hit the floor.
“Is he dead?” Oscar asks.
Kieran says nothing as Ronan appears, his expression completely devoid of emotion. Without a word, he raises his gun and fires one final bullet at Sean’s head.
“He is now.”
“Oh, god,” I breathe as I watch the pool of blood start to grow beneath Sean’s head.
He’s really dead.
It’s over.
I lift my gaze to Kieran’s, and the moment our eyes meet, it’s like all of the fury drains out of him, leaving behind something so raw it almost hurts to look at him.
“Kieran…” I choke.
Oscar releases his hold on me and steps away as Kieran approaches and cups my face with his bloodstained hands.
“Riley…” His voice cracks. “I’m so sorry.”
My vision blurs with tears as I look at him, still barely believing that he’s here.
“You came for me.”
“Of course, I did.” He rests his forehead against mine. “I should have let you explain the situation with the baby, but more importantly, I should have listened before flying off the handle.”
“Kieran—”
“I should have trusted you. I said things I can never take back, and I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to make it right.”
