Chapter 38
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Ezekiel
“This is it,” Malachi double checks the map on his phone before adding. “The location Cohen gave us.”
We’re standing in front of a giant container at the port, Riley right next to me,. On her right is Malachi and Levi behind us, with the rest of my men on standby, hiding until I give them the green light.
“I want you to take a deep breath,” I turn to Riley. I want to reach out and squeeze her hand or maybe kiss her and tell her everything will be okay. “And remember to never leave my side if anything goes south.”
Riley nods, her eyes full of determination. “I’m ready.”
With that, I give my men the green light, and they join us. Malachi picks the lock up, opening the large doors. The moment the doors fly open, the air fills with muffled screams and cries from the girls inside.
“We’re not going to harm you!” I shout. “We’re here to help.”
One of the girls closer to the door recognizes Malachi and relief washes over her face. I notice their hands and legs are tied, with their mouths tapped shut.
“Oh my God…” Riley sounds horrified, but then she takes me by surprise and rushes inside, shouting Mia’s name.
I follow her, carefully scanning everything inside to make sure that the girls are alone. Once I’m sure there is no one else there, I focus on Mia. Riley’s arms are wrapped tight around her and both girls are crying.
“Over here!” Malachi shouts from the front. “We got company!”
“Go!” Riley shouts. “I’ll help them out.”
I nod at my men to stay with her there, then place a quick kiss on Riley’s lips, my hand lingering on her arm a little longer than necessary before turning around and rushing outside to join the fight.
Behind me, I hear Riley trying to help the girls calm down as she’s untying them one by one along with the men I’ve left with her.
Outside, all hell broke loose in a blink of an eye. Almost as if Devlin knew we were coming and set a trap. His soldiers are everywhere. I jump on the back of one of them as he’s trying to strangle Malachi from behind. My weight is enough to distract him so Malachi can put a bullet in his head.
“Take cover!” Levi shouts, immediately jumping behind another container to hide from the flying bullets.
I shoot one of the guys that tries to get to the girls, his blood splattering on the one that was about to step out of the container. Her scream gets mixed with the noise of the guns and punches. I watch Riley grab her by the arm and try to pull her out of the way.
The sight of Riley is enough of a distraction for one of the soldiers to take their chance and try to shoot me. The bullet flies straight in front of my face, and I turn around to face him when I see Levi shoot him.
I nod in the direction of my brother and together we face another two men. Time seems to be standing still and I keep an eye on Riley while we make sure Devlin’s men stay away from her and the rest of the girls.
That’s when I see him.
He walks out from another container, a gun in his hand and wearing the same ugly suit he always does. I once heard dad tease him, when they were still friends, about owning fifty identical suits. Devlin didn’t deny it.
However, that is the least of my issues now. I scan the dock to find Riley and see her rushing back to the container where the girls are, completely unaware that Devlin is just a few steps to her right.
I point my gun at him without a trace of hesitation, ready to shoot the son of a bitch, but he’s faster and he grabs Riley.
“No!” I shout, both of my brothers turning to face me.
I run towards Devlin as fast as I can, knowing that I can’t let him hurt Riley.
I will rip him to pieces with my bare hands if he only as much as touches a hair on her head.
The memory of Malachi being taken and tortured only a year ago flashes in front of my eyes and I can’t think straight.
I can’t let that happen to another person I care about. Especially not Riley.
Riley tries to kick him off her, but his arm around her tiny frame is too strong and she looks helpless as he carries her further inside in the labyrinth made of containers.
“Devlin!” My voice is full of hatred and disgust as I call out his name. “You better surrender if you want to live to see another sunrise.”
“You really have no clue what it looks like when you’re not the one holding the upper hand.” His malice crawls under my skin and when he stops and turns to face me, with his arm wrapped around Riley’s neck and shoulders, I see the terrified look on his face.
His gun is now pointed at Riley’s head and I know he doesn’t bluff.
My heart stops, the world around me falls completely silent, the deafening roar of gunfire becoming a background noise. The only thing I can see is the cold steel of Devlin’s gun pressed against Riley’s head, and the sheer terror in her wide, beautiful eyes.
“Let her go, Devlin,” I growl, my voice dangerously low. Every muscle in my body is tense, ready to spring forward. “This is between you and me. Let. Her. Fucking. Go.”
Devlin lets out a harsh, mocking laugh. “You think you can dictate the terms to me, boy? You’re just like your father.
Foolish.” He squeezes her tighter, his forearm crushing against her throat.
Riley gasps for air, her fingers clawing desperately at his arm.
She tries to throw her weight backward, kicking her leg out to strike his shin.
“Stop moving, you little bitch!” Devlin spits through his teeth.
In a flash of pure malice, he pulls the gun away from her head and whips the heavy barrel down across her cheek.
No. No, no, no.
Before Devlin can pull the trigger, I lunge forward, not caring about the angle, or the risk.
I only care about ending him once and for all and I’m not going to stop until he is dead.
Devlin fires a shot, but his aim is thrown off as I slam my entire body weight into him.
We crash to the ground and I manage to twist my body, shielding Riley from the impact as she frees herself from his grip.
Devlin scrambles, his eyes wild as he points the gun directly at my chest. But I’m faster and fueled by pure rage and I grab his wrist, slamming it against the gravel until it clatters away.
“You touched her.” My hands find his throat, my vision tunneling into a red haze of fury. “I told you I’d rip you to pieces.”
He gasps, trying to claw at my face, but I hold him still with the weight of my entire body as I press the cold gun directly beneath his chin. He looks up at me, and for the first time in his miserable life, I see real, paralyzing fear in his eyes.
“Go to hell,” I pull the trigger.
The moment his body goes entirely limp beneath me, I scramble backward, rushing over to Riley. She’s standing barely a few steps away, trembling.
“It’s okay,” I wrap my arms around her, pulling her tight to my chest. “It’s over now, you’re safe.”
The wailing of high-pitched sirens fills the air, rapidly approaching. Now it’s really over, and this time we have proof that the Kavanaghs are not involved in the trafficking.
“Mia…” Riley’s voice is trembling as she speaks but her eyes search the port for her friend.
I glance at Malachi who is wiping the blood from his face. Thankfully it’s not his blood. His eyes meet mine and he gives me a thumbs up, then I notice Mia and the rest of the girls standing behind him.
“She’s safe,” I whisper into Riley’s hair. “Are you hurt, Riley?”
She shakes her head rapidly. “Thanks to you,” she says, a tear sliding down her cheek.
“Hands in the air!”
The police takes control of the scene.
What follows is another taste of chaos. We’re all separated and interviewed by the police, including the rescued girls after they have been checked by the paramedics.
I’m used to this, so I don’t break a sweat talking to the police and neither do my brothers.
But my eyes never leave Riley. I’m close enough to be able to hear her conversation with the police officer and I can’t help but admire how brave she is.
She knows exactly where she can tell the truth and where she has to bend it.
I have to fight the urge to cross the short distance between us, pull her in my arms and never let her go.
She stays by Mia’s side, who’s still completely terrified, but thankfully not hurt physically.
I learn from the officer interviewing me that after tonight’s events, they no longer suspect the Eden and their attention will fully be on Ronan and the Devlins.
“That should be all for now,” the person in charge finally wraps up my interview and I do my best to maintain my attention on him. “If we have any additional questions, you’ll be called in for another interview at the station…”
I know exactly what that means, they’re still not backing off of my family, but I’m not worried about that. It comes with the job. “Thank you, officer. Please, don’t hesitate to contact me and my family if you need anything from us for this investigation.”
He nods, closing his notepad, as his eyes move to the girls. I can see it written all over his face, he’s desperate to protect them from the bad guys. And in his eyes, I’m not entirely a good guy either.
“You’ve got a loyal one there,” Malachi’s voice snaps from my thoughts. “She cares about you, Zeke, but I’m not sure she’s aware of what she’s gotten herself into.”
“I think she has a pretty good idea.”