Chapter 49
Targeted
Deja
“I’ll see ya later,” Cole says as he kisses my forehead.
“What time is it?”
“Four forty-five, I didn’t mean to wake ya. Sleep in. The girls are with Cassie and Laoise. Callum and Blair are with them.”
“Ugh, I hate that ya have to go out. Will ya be long?”
“No, I’ll be back by lunch.”
“Okay, I’ll miss ya.”
“I’m already missing ya,” he says and kisses the tip of my nose.
I roll over and try to go back to sleep. About ten minutes later, I know that’s not going to happen. I punch the pillow and grumble to myself.
I might as well get up and shower, then go find my girls. I miss their little faces. After I’m showered, I think about going for a run.
Maybe Blair will come with me, and Callum can stay behind with the babies. He loves being an uncle. Those girls have so many protectors.
I dress in a pair of leggings and a running top. After I’m dressed, I head downstairs to find the girls. I’m sure they’re up. The time zone difference has thrown their routine off.
Looking down at my phone, I think of calling Val. It’s about eleven at night in New York. My mind goes to last night and I smirk.
At this time of night, Val and Uri are probably busy. I’ll have to wait for later. I hear the girls before I see them. Cara is squealing her head off.
When she comes into view, I find Callum playing peekaboo with her. Liadan is in Cassie’s arms, trying to look around her to see what her sister is excited about with her nosy butt.
I go to take Liadan from Cass, but Cass scowls at me. I laugh and shake my head, but leave them be and go to find some coffee. It’s as I drink my coffee that I notice Blair isn’t here.
“Where’s Granny McGowan and Blair?” I ask.
“Mum is out in the garden before the sun gets blistering. Blair went for a run.”
“She still tends to that garden? I can still remember when Kate and I would come to help her.”
“She would love that. Why don’t ya go out there?”
“I’m going to have to fight ya to get my children back, aren’t I?”
“Ye can fight me boys for not allowing me more time with my grands. Besides, Cole is like one of my own and these two are so precious and full of personality already. Are ye planning to have more?”
My entire face gets hot. I think that was Cole’s mission last night. Patrick might already be on his way. However, I keep this to myself and give a warm smile.
“Aye, we do. Not sure when, but we will.”
“Grand, then ye should enjoy this time I’m giving ye. I don’t know how Joe and I found time to have another four after we had the first three. Little fuckers were so damn busy and nosy.”
I laugh and go to kiss her cheek. “Thank ya, Cass.”
“Ye can call me Aunt Cass, ye know. Always could have.”
“Thank ya, Aunt Cass. I’ll be in the garden with Granny McGowan if ya need me.”
“Is it okay if I run up and make a few calls?” Callum asks.
“Sure, ye go right ahead. Me shoulder isn’t what it used to be, but I can still hold me guns, or if I have to, I’ll settle for the one like me mum,” Cass says.
I jerk my head back, but then I remember Cole telling me she was shot in a shootout in Cali. Good thing we’re not expecting any of that around here. I hesitate for a moment before Cass shoos me away to go help in the garden.
“Aye, there ya are. Would ya like some help?”
“Ya know, I have four sons and five grandsons and none of them volunteer to help. Yer a good egg. Cole’s a lucky one, he is.”
“Put me to work. How can I help?”
“Will ya hand me that?” she says and points to a bag of soil.
I grab the bag she’s pointing to and carry it over to her. She pulls a blade from her little boot and slashes the bag open. I get down on my knees to help her.
The task seems to go by faster as we fall into a little banter. It feels good to talk to her in Gaelic. I haven’t missed that I’ve fallen right back into my accent while here.
We’re almost done when I hear shots fired. I snap my head up and look in the direction the sound came from. Another shot is fired, causing me to jump to my feet.
“Hurry, in the house,” I say to Granny McGowan.
She waves for me to leave her. “Check on the babes.”
As we get into the house, I find Cass with Cara and Liadan in her arms. I look around for Callum and remember he went upstairs to make some calls.
“Take cover, I’ll handle this,” I say without waiting for a response.
I dart for the bag I tucked away in the front of the house in case of an emergency when we arrived. Tossing on the holster quickly, I move out the door. My heart stops when I see Blair moving toward me, covered in blood.
“We’re being ambushed. Get back inside. We need to call for help,” she says.
I rush to her to help her inside. A red dot appears against Blair’s forehead. In a single breath, I push her down, pull one of my guns, flip across her body, and fire at the coward aiming for her. I land on one knee and take out another two.
“Ya come on me property and expect to leave with ye lives? Drop the guns and back away,” Laoise says as she pumps her shotgun. “Try me. All I need is one shot and I’ll send ya to yer maker, I will.”
“And if she misses, I’ll pump a hole through ye,” Cass says as she comes from around the other side of the house with two shotguns.
I’m in awe, but I snap out of it. Laoise makes good on her promise as the asshole laughs at her. He flies back and hits the ground.
Swiftly, I put a bullet in the head of the other one who had been coming up behind me. More shots are fired from overhead. A glance up tells me it’s Callum.
He’s on the roof with his semi-auto rifle. As Cass and Laoise help Blair into the house, I help Callum clear the rest out. We’re lucky no one else is hurt.
I run inside to see how bad things are with Blair. Callum’s footfalls thunder through the house as he comes running. Laoise is holding some towels against Blair’s wound.
The babies are crying, so I run to get to them. I can still see Blair from where I stand as I lift my girls into my arms. Tears burn the backs of my eyes.
“It’s only a flesh wound. She was just grazed,” Callum says with relief in his voice. “I can patch her up. Ye should call Brooklyn.”
Logan
An eerie feeling settles in my stomach as both my and Cole’s phones ring at the same time. Seeing LaSalle’s name, I answer quickly. While it’s still early morning here, it’s in the middle of the night in New York. Something must be up.
“Hello.”
“We were hit. They came to the house.”
“Fuck, is everyone okay?”
He scoffs. “We’re all fine. Your cousins showed up to save our asses. Sammy knew they were coming and called in the cavalry. Misha, Uri, your cousins, we’re all here.”
“What?” Cole roars.
I look up from my call and see the dark cloud covering my brother’s face. He’s vibrating with rage. I know right away LaSalle wasn’t the only one targeted.
“Hold on, LaSalle, something is going on here too.”
“No, I’ve got this. Text me the address of where they came from. I’ll handle it,” Cole barks out tightly.
He won’t look at me, so I know he’s about to do something crazy. Ireland is his turf. He’s a grown man and doesn’t have to listen to me.
In fact, I know he won’t. However, I need to know what’s going on. If LaSalle was hit too, there’s no telling who could be next.
“Kill him. He should have come to me first,” he says darkly and ends the call.
“What’s going on? LaSalle says his home was hit. Do we have a situation I should know about?” I say as calmly as I can.
“Nah, we don’t have anything. They attacked my girls at the McGowans. I’ve got this,” he says and storms out.
I sigh. “Did ya hear that?”
“I did. I’ll gather everyone here and we’ll jump on the jet. I get the feeling you’re going to need backup. I have a little surprise for you when we arrive.”
“Aye, see ya when ya get here. Let’s pray he doesn’t get himself killed.”
I end the call and pinch the bridge of my nose. This was no coincidence. We’re looking at one problem. The attack on Tasha in New York, the wedding, now this, I promise it all stems from the same place.
Brooklyn
You want something done right, you do it yourself. The disrespect—going after what’s mine right under my nose—has to be answered right now.
“How are they?” I say to Graham as I drive to the address that was sent to me.
This never should have happened. One of my own men had information about this and didn’t come forward until after the hit. It might be time for a little reorganization in Ireland once again.
“They’re all fine. Gran is giddy because she got to pull her gun out. I think we can bury the oul lass a happy woman.”
“Fuck, I’m sorry I brought this to her door. I should have left more men.”
“Ach, ya couldn’t have known. From the footage, they were in good hands. Aunt Cass still moves like a spring chicken, and Gran held her own, she did.
“Blew him right down. Aye, blew him down right where he stood, she did. DJ is something else, I tell ya.”
“I’m here,” I say and hang up.
I already have my vest on, so I load up and climb out of the car to race for the building these assholes are held up in. From my intel, these motherfuckers got in last night. However, some of these guys with them are on loan from cowards who don’t want to face me head-on.
I don’t care where they’re from or who they are. They’re going to wish their mothers swallowed them when I’m done. No one goes after my family and lives to see the next sunrise.
With a barrel on each of my guns, I move in. Everything happens in a blur. I clear the front of the building, but in my rage, I forget to use my suppressors, so they’re hot on my ass immediately.
“Fuck you,” I roar as I step out from behind some crates and blow down another ten or more of their men. I may have lost the element of surprise, but these bum-ass motherfuckers weren’t built for this. They can barely shoot.
I move swiftly to get to the upper level, where I have a feeling I will find their boss. That’s where I want to be. I want the son of a bitch who had the balls to put a hit out on my family.
Sweat is dripping down my back as rage pumps through my veins. I’m moving on pure adrenaline. Bullets hit the concrete wall I’m standing behind, only making my thirst for blood that much stronger.
I pull a grenade from my belt and toss it around the corner. The explosion shakes the building, but allows me to cross over to the path I need to move forward. I keep moving, gunning down anything in sight.
I know I’m outnumbered, but I’m also getting out of here on sheer will if nothing else. I get down the hall and come to an open door. I move in with caution. There’s a blond and a dude who looks familiar standing inside.
“Boyle?” I say and knit my brows.
Boyle McTavish was that little shit my granda was trying to marry DJ off to. Seeing his face sends blinding rage through me. Before I can pull the trigger, I’m hit hard across the back of my head.
Boyle
“Da, this good. I want him alive. She come for him, I finish job men couldn’t do. Get him up. We move.”
I bite back all I want to say. I told her this wouldn’t work, and we’ve lost two teams. I should leave now. At least with my former boss, he didn’t have me on these dummy missions.
“Motherfucker,” I bite out under my breath. “Get him up, ya heard her. Let’s go.”