Chapter 48

CHAPTER 48

FIONN

Sisters.

Fuck!

I can’t believe I didn’t see this! I had her at my damn house. Who knows what information she was collecting? I should’ve caught this! It’s on me.

I continue listening as we finish surrounding the place, taking our positions quietly, needing the perfect time to infiltrate. My teeth rattle as I steady my breathing, trying like hell not to rush in there and save Amara before it’s too late.

“You don’t have to do this. Please just let me go.”

Fuck, hearing my baby’s voice all broken like that… I just wanna get in there and fucking get her out, but I know I have to be smart.

I can see everything from one of the side windows, and even though she’s got her back to me, I spot Lilith’s gun at her side.

One wrong move, and she could fire at Amara. I won’t risk that.

I peer back at my brothers, all of us knowing it’s gonna be go time at any second. As soon as we’re out of here, we’re going for Fia. My men already have the perimeter around Lena’s house locked.

She doesn’t know who she fucked with. But she will soon.

“No can do,” Lilith says. “I’m afraid this is where your story ends and mine begins.”

As soon as she lifts the gun, I put a bullet in her head, glass shattering as I do.

Within seconds, she falls to the ground, and I’m running through the door.

“Amara! Sweetheart, are you okay?”

Her body shakes with heavy breathing, eyes locked on her dead sister.

“Amara! Talk to me.” I kneel before her, cutting her zip ties with a flip knife and giving her a quick once-over for any damage.

She seems okay. Physically, anyway.

She looks right past me, as though not seeing me at all. Like she’s in damn shock, though who can blame her?

“We’ve gotta get moving,” Tynan says. “We need to get Fia before anyone else they may have working for them tips off that other bitch.”

I nod, kissing Amara on the forehead as I gather her in my arms, keeping her tight against my chest as I carry her out. “We’re gonna go home soon, I promise. We just have to get our baby back first.”

She doesn’t say a word even at that, staring aimlessly, and that fucking terrifies me.

Because what if, after everything, she’s not okay? What if I’ve really lost her?

I see her before she sees me, sitting in front of the TV, eating a bag of pretzels while the woman who took her paces with a phone to her ear.

If I were to guess, she’s calling her now-dead boyfriend. It’s a shame he’ll never witness what I do to her. And it’s an even bigger shame I didn’t get to kill him myself. The amount of rage I have inside me right now for what these assholes did to my family would scare even the craziest motherfucker.

As though sensing me, Fia looks to her right, her eyes expanding as she catches me from the edge of the small rectangular window.

I place a finger over my mouth so she knows to stay quiet.

She nods, while Lena continues to pace.

“Hey, kid, stay here, okay? I need to get some water.”

“Okay,” Fia says, glancing toward me.

I motion for her to stay quiet once again, and she does.

“On my count,” I whisper to my brothers and our men. “Then you storm in through the back while I go through the front. You get her, and I’ll grab Fia.”

They nod.

I raise a finger. Then two. Once I hit three, chaos erupts.

Within seconds, Lena’s scream for help dies out as I rush for my baby girl. Before I can pick the lock, she’s there, opening the front door.

“Daddy!” Fia runs into my arms as I drop to my knees, her small body crushing into mine.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” She backs off, her chin trembling. “That lady said she was Mommy’s friend and that Mommy had to go to the doctor. I didn’t wanna go, Daddy, but she made me.” Tears fill her eyes.

My veins turn ice-cold. She made my daughter cry.

“It’s okay, baby.” I cup the back of her head, and even through my fury, heavy relief hits me.

Both of my girls are okay. They’re alive. I don’t know what I would’ve done if…

I don’t even want to think about that.

“You ready?” Cillian’s voice rings behind Fia, and she turns toward it.

“Hi, Uncle Cillian.”

“Hey, love. Are you okay?”

“I’m okay.” She pouts. “I wanna go home. I want Mommy.”

My eyes lock with my brother’s before I’m cupping her face. “Mommy’s in the car. Go with your uncle to see her. Daddy just has to talk with the lady before we go home, okay?”

“Okay, Daddy.” Her eyes light up at hearing that Amara—who didn’t say a word on the way here—is waiting for her.

It’ll break Fia’s little heart if she doesn’t talk to her either.

She gives me one last look as Cillian grabs her hand.

Getting to my feet, I drop a kiss on the top of her head. “I promise I’ll be quick, okay, baby?”

“Okay, Daddy.” She heads out the door, while I prepare to end this.

As soon as I make it to the kitchen, I find Lena on a chair with tape around her mouth, eyes stricken with fear as she takes in the six men here, including Tynan.

Her gaze widens even more when I step inside, towering over her. My mouth curls as I rip the tape from her face.

“Please! I—I didn’t do anything. I was just supposed to hang out with the kid. I didn’t?—”

“Shut your fucking mouth. You won’t speak unless I tell you to speak.”

She nods, tears filling her eyes.

“You took my daughter. Mine!” I smack a palm to my chest.

“No! It was all him! He helped that girl fake an ID. He hacked the school to get her on the list. I was just making sure she was safe!”

My temples fucking throb. That school is gonna pay for this. But right now I’m gonna start with her.

“You’re gonna die today, and I wanna tell you how before it happens.”

“P-p-p-please, I beg you!”

Removing a nine from my waistband, I fire one into her thigh, the silencer keeping the sound at a minimum. Her scream just makes me want to kill her faster.

“That’s what you get for not listening to instructions. Now…” I lower the gun. “As I was saying, I’m gonna put a bullet in your head. Then, my guys are gonna chop you up into tiny pieces, just because, before we burn you and toss your ashes.”

She sobs, bottom lip quivering.

I have no sympathy. None. She brought this on herself.

“But don’t worry. Because I’m a nice guy, I’ll make sure you and your boyfriend burn together.”

As she continues to cry, I raise my gun to her head.

“Please!”

Pop .

It’s over.

Now I can finally take Amara to the doctor, and I hope like hell that he says she’ll come out of this.

I hold Amara in my arms as she shakes and cries, unable to come to terms with the utter betrayal.

Neither can I.

She still hasn’t spoken since we got her to the underground hospital run by Gio Marino and his family, but at least she’s feeling it all. That’s progress.

We did end up finding Roy in the parking lot of the restaurant the girls ate in, stabbed in the throat. There were no cameras to catch her, but I think it was Lilith who killed him.

“She’s just in shock right now,” the doctor explains. “She and the baby are fine physically. But she needs to be home and taken care of right now.”

“Are you sure that’s it? That she’ll be okay?”

I’m damn worried about her mental state, but maybe he’s right. She needs to be home with family.

“I’ve seen cases like this. It’s not uncommon. Just give her time and space to heal.”

I blow out a breath. He’d better be right.

“Mommy?” Fia cries. “Mommy, say something.”

I hate hearing my daughter so sad and scared. But she’s one tough kid.

“Let’s take Mommy home. She just needs rest.”

Fia wipes under her eyes. “Okay, Daddy. Let’s go home.”