46. Ryder
A gunshot rings from below deck. I duck behind a crate as three men jog toward the shot.
I can sense her. She’s close. I find Taylor at an entrance crouched. He lifts his finger to his mouth to shush me. My heart is pounding. What if that bullet was for her?
He peaks down the hallway satisfied with the distance between us and the men. He gives me a nod to proceed.
Shoulder to shoulder we line up and take our shots. Three shots. Three assholes down. The metal of the hallway reverberates the sound and I can feel it in my bones. Inching down the hallway we come to the last door.
Two hallways branch off on either side, but I know she’s in here. I peer in the window to see auburn hair spread across the floor and my heart sinks. I burst in to find Devina and MaryClaire lying on the ground, covered with a man and the blood that is still oozing from his body.
I rush to her, brushing the hair away from her face. Taylor sits beside me checking MaryClaire’s pulse.
“Vi, I’m here. Please get up baby,” I plead.
Her lashes flutter until her eyes gradually open. There’s my girl. MaryClaire begins to cough next to her.
They are both alive.
They are alive.I chant to myself.
I pull Devina up by her shoulders until she is seated in my lap and begin examining her for injuries. Her hands are bound. Taylor opens a switchblade to release the girls. The moment Devina’s hands are free, she throws her arms around my neck. “I knew you’d come,” she whispers against my neck.
I want to hold her close. I never want to let go. I press her to me knowing I won’t be satisfied until we are one. But we have to go. Now.
“It was Ivan,” MaryClaire says as she looks up at Taylor. I don’t know much about her, but I know she has never experienced our world and she’s likely in shock from it all based on how calm she is.
I help Devina to her feet as Taylor scoops MaryClaire up in his arms. We begin to make our way to the hall and aim for the door we entered.
Nearly there, we halt at the sight of a large figure blocking our exit, but let out a sigh of relief when we realize who it is.
Declan.
“Christ,” he murmurs taking in the sight of the women latching onto us.
“Let’s go,” I bark as we burst past him.
Shots ringing out from our right force us to turn left and away from the ramp leading back to the dock.
Nearing the front of the boat, we run out of places to go. Turning around to assess an escape route, I see that we are nearly surrounded. I tuck Devina behind me, shielding her from the asshole standing before us.
Ivan makes his way through an army of men, his heavy boots hitting the floor with a stomp.
“Declan Sullivan,” he purrs. “I see I finally got your attention.”
“What exactly do you want, Ivan?” I ask as Declan and I look at each other curiously. What does this have to do with Declan?
“The Sullivans took something from me six years ago,” he began his taunting, pulling a large blade from his belt, “Your father was a lot easier to control back in the day. But you, well you didn’t even care when your precious Hannah was taken.”
Declan’s face pales and my ears ring.
“You gave her the drugs,” Declan says with confidence.
Ivan chuckles. “I wouldn’t have had to send a message if you hadn’t cut off my business!” He shouts into the night sky like a fucking maniac. His eyes seer into Declan like a rabid animal that needs to be put out of its misery.
His men stand at attention, waiting for instruction. Devina’s nails pinch my skin as she holds on for dear life.
The slight motion of a shadow pulls my eyes to the right. Ronnie sits on top of a crate with his shot lined up.
“It looks like I got more than intended when I picked up your sweet baby sister. Good thing he spared you before setting that fire, princess.” He says to Devina, and she becomes stiff behind me.
“What do you mean he?” I ask.
“Oh, you don’t know? It would seem you Totaros are keen on keeping secrets in the fam-,” He stops as a bullet strikes his shoulder.
Gunshots erupt as his men turn to fire back toward Ronnie. Declan and I pull out our guns, taking out the men closest to us while Taylor pulls the girls away behind a wooden crate. “We have to jump!” He shouts at them.
I look back, connecting with Devina, nodding for her to go, but I know she won’t leave without me.
“Don’t you fucking dare, Devina!” I shout back towards her before aiming at my next victim. The last thing I need is her trying to take another bullet for me, but I can see it painted on her face that she’s more than willing.
One by one Ivan’s men drop. Bodies collect at our feet as Declan and I inch forward.
Familiar faces appear before me and I realize Ronnie must have called in the calvary.
Ivan’s been shot in the leg and he pulls himself away.
“Not so fucking fast,” Declan approaches him, gun drawn. “This is for Hannah.” He doesn’t wait for a reply as he pulls the trigger exploding the back of Ivan’s head across the deck. He kicks him with his shoe to roll him over.
I’ve done my fair share of torture, but this is grotesque and barbaric. Gray matter splattered inches away from my feet. I fight the urge to vomit.
Our men push the remaining army to their knees waiting for instruction. It only takes me a moment to decide. They hurt my sparrow. They tried to destroy her, take her from me. They all must die.
I nod to Ronnie, who gives the order. In unison, my men fire, leaving the remaining men in a pile in front of us.
I turn to see Devina peering around the crate. I’ve tried to keep this all from her. I tried to shelter her, just as Declan had in the past. But I know that if I don’t want to add to her nightmares, she will need to see our enemies dead at her feet to be convinced they won’t come back to hurt her.
MaryClaire, who has finally come to completely, marches toward Declan. Staring down at Ivan, she lifts her foot and drops it intentionally onto his face, stabbing him through the eye with her heel.
“I just had to make sure,” She says as one of our men succumbs to the urge to hurl.