Chapter 24
Kat
When Wren pulled up to the estate, my mind was still reeling from everything that happened. The revelation about my grandfather’s death, the chaos at the warehouse, and now Tomas on the loose - it was almost too much to process. But there was no time to dwell on it. We had a job to do.
Declan and Wren were headed to the hospital after they dropped Connor, Rory and me off. While we walked toward the house, Rory’s arm was around me the whole time. Despite everything, I couldn’t deny the warmth that spread through my body at his touch.
We stood in front of the stairs leading down into the basement, and he looked at me with concern in his eyes. “You should take a break and get some rest,” he suggested. “We still need to go out on the lower patio for this.”
I shook my head stubbornly. “I’m fine, I just want it to be finished.”
He nodded. “Fair enough.”
He motioned for me to follow, and we went downstairs, through the entertainment room to the bay of French doors. Through the glass we could see that Marcus sat under a light already tied to a chair, with two buckets set on the patio stones beside him. His face was a mess of bruises and dried blood as Chris and Max stood guard, looking grim. I felt a twinge of pity for Marcus, quickly followed by disgust as I remembered what he’d done.
Rory stepped aside when he opened the door, allowing me to proceed, but I stopped within a few feet once outside, sticking to the shadows. “Let’s make this quick,” he growled, grabbing a bucket of water. “We need answers, and we need them now.”
I watched as Chris and Max tilted the chair back that Marcus sat on, then covered his face with a cloth. My stomach flip flopped as Marcus started thrashing and choking beneath the fabric as Rory poured water onto it. I wanted to look away, to yell at them to quit, but I knew this was necessary. These were the ugly realities of the mafia world.
After what felt like an eternity, Marcus managed to gasp out, “Stop! Please, I’ll talk!”
Rory yanked the cloth away and stepped back, a look of cold determination upon his face. “The code in the notebook. What does it mean? ”
Marcus coughed and sputtered, his eyes wild with fear. “It’s... it’s a ledger. Every woman we’ve trafficked to Volkov. Their ages, physical descriptions, special ‘skills’... and how much he paid for each one.”
I felt bile rise in my throat. “You sick bastard,” I spat, my fists clenching at my sides as I stepped into the light.
Marcus’s eyes widened when he heard my voice. He swung his gaze towards me and a new kind of fear crossed his face, likely at the memory of his balls being crushed and yelled, “Keep that fucking bitch away from me!”
Rory’s fist flashed out and caught Marcus on the jaw. “You don’t get to speak to her like that,” he muttered with deathly calm.
When he came to stand beside me, I looked up to see a mix of anger and sorrow in his steel-blue eyes. His jaw was set, and his brow was furrowed in determination. “I’m sorry he called you that. I’ll make it right,” he murmured, just loud enough for me to hear.
He turned to look at Max and Chris. “Take out the trash and dump him at the waterfront when you’re done,” Rory ordered, his voice low and commanding. To me, he said, “Come on, we’re done here. Let’s get you to your bed. ”
Without another word, he picked me up and carried me up the stairs. By the time we got to the first floor, he set me down on my feet. “Kat, I’m sorry. I don’t want to drop you. Do you think you can walk upstairs?”
I nodded, and he wrapped his arm around my waist. My leg throbbed with each step, and I had to stop to rest twice, but once we were in the hallway upstairs, I couldn’t wait to flop onto my bed.
“Easy now,” Rory murmured, his arm tightening around my waist as I stumbled. “Almost there.”
We reached my room, and he helped me inside, easing me down onto the bed. I winced as my injured leg protested the movement.
“Let me take a look at that.” He stooped over and grinned. “I promise not to be a perv.”
For a minute I was confused. Until I felt his hands working the button of my jeans and then the zipper. True to his word, there was nothing pervy as he pulled them down over my hips. I could hear the rip of Velcro as he gently pulled on the tensor bandage and unwrapped it from my thigh. I felt like a rag doll as he rolled me onto my side. I could feel the heat of his gaze on the back of my leg, and even then, everything was good, until he touched it.
“Still a little bruising right here,” he murmured, softly as he gently brushed the back of his knuckles against my skin. Little sparks of electricity coursed through my veins at such an intimate touch.
“It’s fine,” I insisted, trying to ignore the way my heart raced at his nearness. I sat up and pulled the blanket as I did, covering my half naked body. “Just a bit sore.”
“It’s hot.” He stood and looked at me, one eyebrow raised skeptically. “I don’t believe that it’s just a bit sore. Stay put, I’ll grab some ice and painkillers.”
Before I could protest, he was gone. I flopped back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. What a mess this had all become. I’d come here looking for answers about my family, and what I found was a man that rubbed me the wrong way. And I was starting to fall for him.
He returned moments later, ice pack and pill bottle in hand. “Here,” he said, handing me two small white pills and a glass of water. “These should help with the pain.”
I swallowed the pills gratefully, then hissed as he pressed the ice pack to my swollen leg. “Jesus, that’s cold!”
“That’s kind of the point, darlin’,” Rory chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. For a moment, I allowed myself to really look at him. The strong line of his jaw, the way his dark hair fell across his forehead, those steel-blue eyes that seemed to see right through me...
“Like what you see?” he teased, catching me staring.
I felt heat rush to my cheeks. “You wish,” I murmured, pulling my jeans up as I moved to get off the bed so I could walk him to the door. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, but I need some sleep.”
He put his hand on my shoulder, “Stay there, I’ll see myself out.”
He started to turn away but then stopped. “Kat, wait.”
I looked at him, my heart suddenly racing. The intensity in his gaze made my breath catch in my throat.
“About earlier, at the warehouse...” he began, his voice low and husky. “I meant what I said. I shouldn’t have done that. It was... wrong.”
I swallowed hard, trying to ignore the disappointment that bloomed in my chest. “Right. Of course. No worries, it was just the heat of the moment. I get it.”
Rory was quiet for a long moment, his hand stilling on my leg. When I finally worked up the courage to look at him again, his eyes were intense, searching mine.
“And if I said it did mean something? Because just so you know, I want to do it again,” he murmured softly.
I swallowed hard; my mouth suddenly dry. “Rory, I...”
A sharp knock at the door interrupted what I was about to say. We both jumped, startled by the sudden intrusion.
“Kat? Rory? Are you in there?” It was Connor’s voice, urgent and slightly panicked.
Rory sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah, we’re here. What’s up?”
Connor burst into the room, his face pale. “It’s Tomas. He’s here.”
My heart leapt into my throat. “What? How?”
“No idea. But I imagine it was his companion,” Connor said, shaking his head.
Rory’s eyes narrowed. “Companion? What the hell do you mean by that?”
“You’ll see. He’s outside, demanding to see Declan.”
Rory cursed under his breath. “Who’s with him?”
Connor’s eyes darted between us. “Melor Volkov.”
The room fell silent as the weight of his words sank in. Rory’s jaw clenched, his eyes hardening.
“Stay here,” he ordered, already moving towards the door. “Lock it behind me and don’t open it for anyone but the family that lives in this house.”
“Like hell I will,” I snapped, pushing myself off the bed. My leg protested, but I ignored it. “This is my father we are talking about, Rory. I’m coming with you.”
For a moment, it looked like he might argue. Then he nodded, a hint of pride in his eyes. “Alright. But stay behind me, got it? Connor!”
“Right here Rory,” he responded.
“Call Declan and tell him to get his ass home now,” he muttered, heading towards the staircase.
“Already did.” Connor replied. “Him and Wren are on their way, and I gave your mother the code for the panic room and told her to take the dog with her.”
“Should have let Killer loose, maybe he would have taken Volkov down,” I said.
“No,” Rory grunted. “Guaranteed he would have attacked me instead.”
I chuckled as we made our way to the front door. But once there, the tension in the air was palpable. I could hear raised voices coming from outside - one I recognized as Tomas’s, the other Volkov’s.
Rory paused at the door, his hand on the knob. He looked back at me, his expression grim. “Ready?”
I took a deep breath and nodded. Whatever was waiting for us on the other side of that door, we’d face it together and hopefully soon because I was fading fast.
Before Rory pulled it, he looked at Connor and said, “Stay here. If this goes sideways, you call in the army, got it?”
“Army?” I muttered. “What do you mean by army?”
“An army of our men,” Connor explained. “I have them on standby as it is.”
“Good,” Rory said. Then he turned the doorknob and opened the door and what we saw was Tomas sitting in a chair in the middle of the circular driveway with Volkov pointing a gun at his head.
My heart raced as I took in the scene. Tomas’s face was a mask of fear and confusion as his fingers gripped the armrests of the chair.
Rory’s hand immediately went to his hip, but Volkov’s eyes snapped to us, and he stilled his movement.
“Ah, there is the wannabe son of the great Tomas MacGallan,” Volkov drawled, his accent thick. “And with a little friend, one that I want. Where is Declan?”
“He’s on his way,” Rory growled, as he tucked me behind him, his other hand still hovering near his concealed weapon. “Now why don’t you tell us what this is all about, Volkov?”
The Russian’s lips curled into a cruel smile. “Patience, boy. All will be revealed in due time. For now, I suggest you and your pretty, little friend there take a seat. We wouldn’t want any... accidents.”
I felt Rory tense beside me, but he slowly guided us both to the cement bench against the outside wall, his eyes never leaving Volkov.
“What do you want?” Tomas asked, his voice steady despite the gun aimed at his temple.
Volkov chuckled darkly. “What I’ve always wanted, old friend. The codes to your offshore accounts. The location of your hidden caches. And most importantly, that beautiful woman there.” He looked at me, and I felt like throwing up. “I’ll be keeping you for myself.”
“Like fuck you will,” Rory growled, half rising off the bench. I pulled him back down beside me as Volkov tsk’d.
“Aww, how sweet. You better listen to my woman there Hennessy. You wouldn’t want to get yourself shot trying to play the gallant hero now, would you?”
The tension was palpable, like a taut wire ready to snap at any moment. I could feel Rory’s body coiled with barely contained rage beside me. A muscle twitches along his jaw from clenching it so tightly that I feared his teeth might crack.
Volkov’s eyes gleamed with malicious glee as he savored the power he held over us. “Now then, Tomas, shall we begin? The codes, if you please.”
Tomas’s gaze flickered to Rory and me, a lost look in his eyes. “I... I can’t,” he said, his voice hoarse.
Volkov sighed dramatically. “I was afraid you might say that.” In one fluid motion, he swung the gun away from Tomas and aimed it directly at me as he put a phone to his ear and muttered something in Russian. “Perhaps this will motivate you.”
Time seemed to slow as I stared down the barrel of the gun. My heart pounded in my ears, drowning out Rory’s shout of protest. Just as Volkov’s finger tightened on the trigger, five SUVs surrounded us .
I barely had time to register what was happening as the doors flew open and a flood of men in dark suits poured out of the vehicles, their faces cold and emotionless. Before I could even think to react, rough hands grabbed my arms, yanking me off the bench.
“No!” I heard Rory shout, his voice raw with panic.
In the commotion, I heard him yell at Connor as he struggled against two burly men, “Get Tomas to the panic room!”
As much as I hated the thought of re-injuring my leg, I spun around in the air and delivered a devastating roundhouse kick to both of my assailants. A slight twinge ran up my leg as both men crumpled to the ground, but I landed on both my feet. Seeing Connor usher Tomas inside, I scanned the grounds for Rory. My heart lurched painfully in my chest when I saw him go down thanks to a blow to the back of his head. “Rory!” I screamed, but my voice was lost in the chaos as Volkov started yelling something in Russian. No sooner were the words out of his mouth and his men ran for their vehicles.
I noticed only one of the Russian’s cars remained as I rushed over to Rory’s side and helped him sit up. “Where the hell did they all go?” He asked, looking bewildered .
I glanced around, half expecting Volkov to be standing behind me, but when he wasn’t, I shook my head, “I don’t know. It doesn’t matter.”
Just then, the SUV that was left behind exploded, and I was torn from Rory’s arms, flying through the air.