By the time Brennan picks at the lock on the chains and I manage to get Cormac to his feet only by shouldering most of his weight, my phone buzzes in my pocket.
I shift Cormac’s weight so that I can reach into my pocket, not wanting to miss it in case it’s Riley.
“Yeah?”
“Kieran?” Ronan barks. “You need to get the fuck out of there.”
“What?”
“It’s a trap. Cormac was being set up, and someone is on the way to finish him off.”
I stop dead in my tracks and glance sidelong at Brennan.
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“I know. There’s no time for me to explain, I need you to trust me. Get the fuck OUT!”
The words knock all of the air out of my lungs.
“We’re heading out now.” I hang up the call.
“What’s happening?” Brennan grunts as he adjusts Cormac’s weight.
“Ronan… He’s saying this is a trap. Cormac was being set up this whole time.”
Brennan’s face drains of color. “That can’t be right.”
“Well, I don’t feel like hanging around to find out, so I suggest we move.”
We make it to the car by sheer luck. We lay Cormac along the backseat, and I slam the door shut before quickly climbing behind the wheel and hitting the accelerator.
Gravel sprays up behind us as we tear out of there just as two SUVs screech to a stop outside the warehouse, but by the time the men exit, I’m too far away to see any of their faces.
“Where do we take him?” Brennan asks.
The best option would be back to Ronan’s place, but from the state of Cormac’s injuries, I don’t think he has that long.
“The hospital.” I push the accelerator to the floor, praying that Cormac can hold on until I can get him to a doctor.
The moment Brennan and I carry Cormac into the ER, the nurses rush him through triage, determining him as having multiple fractures and possible internal bleeding. Before I can even ask any questions, they’ve got him on a gurney and are wheeling him into a trauma room, leaving Brennan and me to pace back and forth across the waiting room with all of the other anxious family members.
I sit in one of the plastic chairs with my elbows on my knees, staring at the floor.
“I hate this.” I feel just as out of control as when Riley was missing. “I need to do something so I can stop feeling so damn useless.”
“Then go home and be with Riley. I can call you if there are any changes.”
I lift my head. “You sure?”
“I’m good,” Brennan says as a particularly attractive nurse walks past and offers him a smile. Trust Brennan to find the silver lining no matter how fucked up the situation is.
“At least if you catch anything, you’re in the right place.” I slap him on the shoulder. “Call me every hour.”
“I’ll do my best.” Brennan’s smile doesn’t fully reach his eyes. It seems even he has his limits when it comes to pretending everything is fine.
By the time I leave the hospital, dusk is starting to settle over the city, making it look almost peaceful. But I know better.
My phone rings before I even reach the car with a call from Brennan.
