Chapter 19 #3
Somewhere behind me, Nico does the same. The realization hits me unexpectedly. We trust each other. Not emotionally. Not personally. But with our lives. And in our world, that might mean even more.
By the time the last attacker drops, the Keegan security teams are finally beginning to regain control of the estate.
The fighting hasn't ended. But it is turning. That becomes painfully obvious the moment I look out across the foyer.
Bodies litter the marble floor. Security guards drag wounded guests toward cover while medics rush between the injured. Several attackers have already been captured alive while others lie motionless where they fell.
Then my attention catches on a familiar figure. Axel Lindberg. His security team is hurriedly trying to move him through the chaos toward safety while Erik follows close behind.
For a brief moment, it looks like they're going to make it. Then a gunshot cuts through the hall.
Axel stumbles. His hand flies to his chest before his knees buckle beneath him and he crashes onto the marble floor. Blood immediately begins spreading across the front of his white shirt.
"Axel!" Erik's roar echoed through the mansion.
Every trace of composure disappears from Erik as he fights his way toward his brother. Security teams rush forward while someone shouts for a medic, but even from where I'm standing, it doesn't look good.
Nearby, Darragh has already taken control of the situation. Surrounded by armed guards, he directs security teams through the chaos while several captured Italians are forced onto their knees.
"Take them alive." He orders sharply. "I want every one of them questioned."
As I watch more guards flood the foyer, it becomes obvious that the attack is beginning to fail. The Keegans know this estate. The Italians don't.
Beside me, Nico reaches up and pulls the mask from his face. His expression is unreadable as his eyes track the growing security presence below.
Then his hand closes around my arm. "We're leaving."
I look at him. "Now?"
"Especially now."
His gaze sweeps across the growing security presence.
"The attack gave us cover. Once this settles, they're going to start asking questions."
The implication is clear. Questions lead to us.
"The jet is waiting."
I nod. Then another realization strikes me.
My gaze immediately sweeps across the foyer, searching through the crowd of fleeing guests, armed guards, and security teams rushing in every direction. I scan the staircase, the corridors, and every familiar face I can find. My stomach drops.
"Wait."
Nico follows my line of sight. "What?"
I look around again, searching more carefully this time, but the result is the same. No Roisin.
"Where is she?"
For the first time since the attack began, uncertainty flashes across Nico's face. Only for a second. Then it disappears.
A knot forms in my stomach. "She was with us a minute ago."
Nico follows my line of sight, scanning the crowd with the same careful precision he applies to everything.
"Zora."
"No." I already know what he's about to say.
"We don't have time."
"We can't just leave her."
His jaw tightens.
"She knows this estate better than anyone. If she got separated from us, she probably found somewhere safe."
"Probably isn't exactly reassuring."
Another burst of gunfire echoes from somewhere deeper inside the manor. Several security guards rush toward the sound while guests continue pushing toward the exits.
As we step outside, the cold night air immediately hits my face. The contrast is jarring. Inside the mansion there is gunfire, blood, smoke, and chaos. Outside, the grounds are eerily quiet.
The fireworks have stopped. The lake beyond the estate is dark. The sky above us is empty. For a brief moment, I turn and look back. The manor stands illuminated against the night, beautiful and terrifying all at once.
Somewhere inside those walls is Roisin. The thought refuses to leave me.
Nico notices me looking. "She's a Keegan."
I glance at him. "That's supposed to make me feel better?"
"It means she grew up here." His voice remains calm. Steady. "She knows every hidden passage, every service corridor, every corner of that house. If things got bad, she didn't freeze."
I look back toward the mansion. The windows glow against the darkness. The estate suddenly feels much larger than it did when we arrived. Much more dangerous.
"Then where did she go?"
Nico doesn't answer immediately. When he finally speaks, his voice is quieter. "Somewhere safer than standing next to us."
The brutal honesty of the statement stings because I know he's right.
A black vehicle waits near the tree line. Our extraction. The final step.
As we approach it, flashing blue lights begin appearing near the front gates of the estate. More security vehicles are arriving.
Nico opens the passenger door. "Get in."
For once, I don't argue. The moment the vehicle begins moving, the estate slowly starts disappearing behind the trees.
Neither of us speaks. The adrenaline is still coursing through my system.
Eventually, the lights of the Keegan estate vanish entirely from view. Only darkness remains outside the windows.
We got what we came for. The mission succeeded.