Chapter 15
CHAPTER 15
Jack had just hit the mercenary in the back of his neck with the stun gun when he heard Emily’s voice screaming in his ear, “Stop her! She’s the one! She hired the mercenaries!”
The mercenary reacted to the electronic jolt going through him and dropped to the ground. The people around him jumped back.
“He’s one of the mercenaries, like Rory said,” Jack said. “Hold him down. He’s probably armed.”
When no one moved, Jack whipped off his belt, dragged the man’s arms behind his back and wrapped the belt around them, pulling it snug so that he couldn’t get loose. Then he turned to the man beside him as one of the Garda started toward them. “Hold him for the Garda. You don’t want him to get up. He’s dangerous.”
“Stop that car!” Emily shouted in Jack’s ear again.
He pushed his way through the crowd, heading back the way he’d come. Emily wasn’t where he’d left her. On the edge of the crowd, he saw a man dressed like a Garda carrying a woman with blond hair toward a limousine.
Jack’s heart leaped into his throat.
That blonde was Emily.
He knew it like he knew the sky was blue.
As he burst through the crowd's edge, the limousine moved slowly through the people still gathering.
Jack ran, dodging people left and right.
The limousine moved faster, pulling away from Jack.
“No, no, no!”
“What’s happening?” one of his Brotherhood said into his ear.
“Limousine. Getting away. With Emily.” He pushed harder. “Need backup.”
A barricade of Garda vehicles blocked the road ahead, giving the limousine only one direction to turn. As it slowed to make that turn, Jack picked up speed, cut across the sidewalk and leaped onto the front of the limousine, landing on the windshield in front of the driver.
The limousine swerved. Jack held on, his legs sliding to the left. The limousine swerved back the other direction and slammed into something.
Jack was launched off the hood, landing flat on his back on the sidewalk, the wind knocked from his lungs.
For a fraction of a second, he lay stunned, unable to pull air into his body. Then he gasped, rolled to his feet and ran for the vehicle.
The driver lay slumped over the wheel. The back door opened, and the woman who’d been standing behind Cormac Faherty at the rally crawled out. She looked up at Jack and pointed into the limousine. “That man has a gun!” she cried. “He tried to kidnap us.” The woman scrambled to her feet and ran.
“Jack! Need help?” Fearghas Gordon shouted in the distance.
Jack pointed to the woman. “Grab her!”
As he turned, Emily emerged from the limousine, hair in disarray, her hands held high, her gaze capturing his.
A man got out, close behind her, holding a handgun pressed to Emily’s back.
The air lodged in Jack’s lungs, and he froze.
If he tried to take the man out, he could pull the trigger and kill the woman Jack was falling in love with. He’d never have that date with her. Once again, he’d lose the one he loved. Could he live with that?
Yes. He had before.
Did he want to live with that loss?
He wasn’t ready to find out. He braced himself, ready to move, given any opportunity to change the outcome.
Suddenly, Emily dropped to the ground.
Jack reacted instantly, kicking out as hard and fast as he could.
The gun went off as Jack’s foot made contact with the gunman’s hand. The gun flew free and skidded across the pavement.
Jack launched himself at the man, knocking him to the ground.
He rolled over, flinging Jack from his back and lurched to his feet.
Jack grabbed the man’s ankle and yanked hard, dragging him to his knees, giving Jack enough time to jump on his back and grab him in a chokehold.
The man rolled to his side in an attempt to dislodge Jack, but Jack held on, tightening his hold until the man stopped fighting and went limp.
For a few seconds longer, Jack held tight, angry that he’d left Emily for even a moment and angrier still that this man would have killed her.
“Jack,” Emily came to stand beside him, holding the gun in her hand. “You can let go. I’ve got his gun.”
Jack looked up into the most beautiful blue-gray eyes. “He could’ve killed you.”
“But he didn’t,” Emily said. “Let go before you kill him. I want that date you promised, and I don’t want to wait until you get out of jail.” She winked.
Jack loosened his hold, shoved the man off him and leaned over to check for a pulse.
“Is he—” Emily started.
“Unfortunately, no. Do you still have that stun gun?”
“I do.” She reached into her pocket for the lipstick tube stun gun and handed it to Jack.
Jack flipped the mercenary onto his belly and sat beside him with the lipstick tube cocked and loaded. If the guy moved a hair, he’d get it.
Emily chuckled. “You know, you could have the gun.”
“Yeah, I’d be too tempted to shoot him, and the Garda might mistake me for one of them.”
Emily’s eyes widened. “You don’t think they’ll think I’m one of them, do you?”
He grinned up at her. “A pretty blonde like you? No way.”
Several men in uniform ran toward them, guns drawn. “Drop your weapon,” one called out.”
Emily grimaced. “I hope you’re right. Otherwise, we’ll have to wait on that date.” She bent and laid the gun on the ground and straightened with her hands in the air.
The Garda, along with members of J2, sorted through the crowd, taking names and letting people go as they cleared them. The Brotherhood Protectors, with their stun guns, bagged four of the mercenaries. From what Orla revealed later, that meant only two escaped. They wouldn’t be back once the funding for their efforts ceased.
Orla was more than ready to talk. When then advised her that she could have an attorney, she said, “Screw attorneys. Screw my brother, and screw men!”
She stood in front of Cormac Faherty, screaming at him. “I worked my ass off for you, and for what? You got all the credit. You got all the glory, the perfect wife and adoring followers. Did they know I wrote your speeches? I managed your campaign. I read through everything to tell you how to vote and why. No. As far as they knew, it was you.”
Her brother shook his head. “If you didn’t want to be my campaign manager, you didn’t have to do it.”
“I didn’t mind, until the one thing I wanted, you ruined for me.”
Her brother frowned. “What was that?”
“Doran Cawley.”
Her brother’s frown deepened. “The financial advisor who was sniffing around you like a dog in heat?”
“Like a man in love,” Orla said. “He loved me, and I loved him until you ruined it. All because he was a Traveller. You talk about peace and equality among the Irish, but you turned him away because he was a Traveller.”
“Doran Cawley? A Traveller?” Cormac Faherty blinked and shook his head. “No, he wasn’t. He was just interested in you to get to me and my bank account.”
“Liar!” Orla screamed. “He loved me, and then he didn’t. All because of you. And when I confronted him, he lied as well. I was so angry.” She bent over, sobs wracking her body. “So angry, I shoved him. When he tried to...tried to...grab my arms. I shoved him again. Then he fell off the bridge into the river.” Orla dropped to her knees, tears streaming from her eyes. “Oh, God. He fell.”
“Doran Cawley was the first Traveller reported murdered,” Jack whispered to Emily. “His death was what started all this.”
Emily leaned into Jack. “I almost feel sorry for Orla. Almost. All she wanted was to be loved. She had good people killed and terrified an entire city. Yeah, nope. I don’t feel sorry for her.”
Jack pulled her into his arms. “It’s over now. Hopefully, the city can get back to normal and the Travellers can come back out of hiding.”
“I hope Rory does right by them and doesn’t breed more hatred.”
“Me, too. They’ve been through enough.” Jack looked around at the O’Briens and his team of Brotherhood Protectors. “Shall we head to the pub?”
“Yes!” his team shouted.
“Drinks on the house,” Seamus said with a grin.