Chapter 27
Rory
We parked a block away and went on foot. Sixty men, an army of Irish Clansmen, had one mission and that was to save our own. For me, it was to save my woman. She, of course, didn’t know it yet, but I was not going to take no for an answer when this was all said and done.
With each step we took towards the dilapidated meat packing plant, my heart pounded harder in my chest for fear of what I might find when Kat was found.
The stench of rust and decay hung heavy in the air as we crept through the shadows, weapons at the ready. I could feel the tension and fear radiating from my team as we approached the building.
We had received information that Kat was being held inside, and I would do whatever it took to get her out alive. The plan was for me to take thirty men, Declan the other thirty, and surround the building. I signaled for my men to spread out and cover all potential exits while I led the main assault through the front.
As we prepared to breach the building, I could hear the muffled sounds of armed men patrolling inside. My jaw clenched with determination as I glanced back at my team. This was it - no turning back now.
After giving the signal, we burst through the doors, catching Volkov’s guards by surprise. Gunfire exploded, echoing off the walls of the cavernous space. We moved forward, taking cover behind anything we could find.
Amidst the chaos and carnage, I searched desperately for any sign of Kat. Room after room was empty, and I couldn’t help but feel disappointment and growing dread in my chest.
But then, just as hope began to fade, I heard a woman’s cry from behind a heavy metal door. Without hesitation, I ordered my team to cover me as I sprinted towards her voice.
When I kicked open the door, my blood ran cold at the sight before me. A woman was strapped to a chair, her face bruised and bloodied. And standing over her with a knife in his hand was Volkov. But it wasn’t Kat.
Pure rage consumed me as I raised my gun and fired at him. He fell to the ground with a cry of pain, clutching his shoulder.
The woman screamed and bolted out of her chair and past me.
“Where the fuck is Kat, Volkov?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” he sneered.
I grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the wall, pressing my gun to his temple. “I’m not playing games. Tell me where she is, or I’ll put a bullet in your skull.”
He laughed, a cold, mirthless sound that sent chills down my spine. “You’re too late. She’s already gone.”
My grip tightened as fear clawed at my insides. “What do you mean, gone? Where did you take her?”
Volkov’s eyes gleamed with malice as he spat out his words. “Your precious Kat was more trouble than she was worth. Always fighting, always scheming. I got tired of her constant attempts to escape.” He paused, savoring the horror dawning on my face. “So, I put an end to her misery. Slit her throat myself and watched the light fade from those beautiful stormy eyes of hers.”
The world around me blurred, rage and anguish consuming every fiber of my being. With a roar of pure agony, I pulled the trigger, painting the wall behind Volkov with his brains. But it wasn’t enough. Nothing would ever be enough.
I stormed out of the room, blinded by rage. Every man wearing Volkov’s colors became a target for my grief-fueled wrath. I moved through the building like a whirlwind of destruction, my gun blazing, my fists connecting with flesh when bullets ran out.
The sound of bones crunching under my knuckles, the gurgling gasps of dying men. But it couldn’t drown out the echo of Volkov’s words in my head.
I lost count of how many I killed. My clothes were soaked in blood, some mine, most theirs. When the last of Volkov’s men fell, I stood in the middle of the carnage, my chest heaving, my mind reeling.
Those I had left breathing were finished off by my men following in my wake.
The warehouse became a masterpiece of violence, a canvas painted in shades of crimson. I lost count of how many fell before me, each one a poor substitute for the vengeance I craved.
When the last of Volkov’s men lay motionless on the blood-soaked floor, the adrenaline began to ebb. Reality crashed down upon me like a tidal wave, and I stumbled outside, gasping for air.
The adrenaline faded, leaving me hollow. I sank to my knees, surrounded by the bodies of those who had taken Kat from me. A guttural sob tore from my throat as the full weight of my loss crashed down upon me.
Kat was gone. My fierce, beautiful Kat. I had failed her.
Numb with grief, I stumbled out of the building into the cold night air. The rest of my team was securing the perimeter, their faces grim but victorious. I wanted to scream at them that she was dead, that they just didn’t know it yet.
Tears blurred my vision as sobs wracked my body. I barely registered the concerned voices of my men around me, lost in a sea of grief.
But then, through the haze of my anguish, I heard a familiar laugh. My head snapped up, eyes searching desperately.
And there she was.
Coming around the corner of the building, talking enthusiastically with Declan. Her auburn hair shone with the dawning of the first rays of the sunrise, her smile as radiant as ever.
I blinked; certain I was hallucinating. But she remained, solid and real and gloriously alive.
“Kat?” I croaked out, my voice raw with emotion.
She turned, her eyes widening as they met mine. “Rory? My God, are you okay?”
I stumbled to my feet, closing the distance between us in a few long strides. My hands cupped her face, thumbs brushing over her cheeks as I drank in the sight of her.
“How...? Volkov said...” I couldn’t form coherent thoughts, overwhelmed by relief and confusion. “He said he killed you!”
Kat’s brow furrowed. “Volkov? That bastard’s a liar. He tried to stick me with a needle, but I stabbed him in the leg with a rusty nail, twice. He didn’t like that too much because he had me pinned to the ground trying to jab me with it.”
“How did you get away?” I asked.
She grinned. “I kicked him in the balls and ran like hell. I made a makeshift set of stairs and was climbing out the window when someone grabbed me by the ankle. Who, no idea because I kicked them in the head and climbed through it. Landed pretty hard on the ground and had the wind knocked out of me. But then I scrambled to my feet and hid inside that garbage dumpster,” She turned to point it out, but I took hold of her face.
“Has anyone ever told you, you talk too much?”
“No nev—”
I pulled her close and kissed her deeply, pouring all my relief and joy into that kiss. She responded with equal fervor, her fingers tangling in my hair as she pressed herself against me.
When we finally broke apart, both breathless, I rested my forehead against hers. “I thought I’d lost you,” I whispered, my voice thick with emotion.
“You can’t get rid of me that easily,” Kat said softly, her hand coming up to cup my cheek.
Declan cleared his throat, reminding us of his presence. “As touching as this reunion is, we should probably get moving. Not all of Volkov’s men were in that building.”
Reality came crashing back, and I nodded, reluctantly stepping back from Kat but keeping her hand firmly in mine. “You’re right Declan. We need to get back to the house.”
As we started to move, Kat suddenly stumbled, wincing in pain. I immediately wrapped an arm around her waist to support her.
“What’s wrong? Is it your leg?” I asked, concerned.
Kat grimaced. “Guess that fall from the window was a bit rougher than I thought. Not only is my thigh hurting like a bitch, but my ankle’s also killing me.”
I exchanged a look with Declan before scooping Kat up into my arms, bridal-style. She yelped in surprise, then laughed .
“My hero,” she teased, but I could see the gratitude in her eyes.
“Always,” I promised, pressing a kiss to her forehead as we headed back to the cars.