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Aoife’s breathing is hard, unbroken.She’s still fighting.Then, the sharp shatter of glass breaking against the stone.A strangled curse.A heavy breath.

She’s fighting back.Still moving.Still resisting.

“Where the fuck are your men?”Ruairi rasps.

"They’re coming."My voice is low, edged with barely contained fury."But not fucking fast enough."

Because every second she’s up there alone, fighting, is another second I’m stuck down here, unable to put a bullet in Ronan myself.

Ruairi exhales sharply beside me, a mix of exhaustion and frustration."We need to get out of this fucking pit."

“No shit.”

I crane my neck, straining for a better angle, desperate to see something—anything.But all I have are the sounds.The scuffle of boots.The grunt of exertion.Then, a loud, metallic scrape.A struggle.Bodies slamming against something heavy.

“Let go of me, you piece of shit.”Aoife’s voice tears out of her, ragged and breathless.

"You’re making this harder than it has to be."

A new sound leather against skin.A crack.A sharp intake of breath.I don’t know if he hit her or if she landed another strike on him.I can’t see.I fucking hate this.

"If you think I’m walking out of here with you, you’re dumber than I thought," Aoife spits."You’ll be dead before you hit the front gates."

"That so?"Ronan breathes out a low laugh."Guess we’ll find out."

A sharp rustle.The unmistakable sound of a gun cocking.

I push off the wall, instinct taking over."Seamus, end him!"I bark, my voice cutting like a blade.

Silence.

No answer.No movement.

The pit swallows my voice like a grave swallowing the dead.For a moment, all I can hear is my own breath, ragged and useless.Above us, the chaos that once raged fades into something worse—silence.

No more gunfire.

No more fighting.

Only the sickening truth settling over me like dirt on a coffin lid.Ronan is gone.And he’s taken Aoife with him.

A raw sound tears from my throat—rage, helplessness, a vow stitched in blood.

Aoife

Ronan’s grip is brutal,his fingers knotted painfully in my hair, yanking my head back with every step.The cold bite of his gun grinds into my temple, a constant, vicious reminder of who holds the power now.He drags me through the hollow, echoing halls of the castle, each footfall ringing against the stone like a tolling bell.

When we break into the night, the cool air slashes against my skin, sharp enough to sting— but the illusion of freedom shatters before I can even reach for it.

I scan the darkness, desperate for something, someone.

Nothing.

Ronan catches the way I hesitate and lets out a low, mocking chuckle, the sound curling around me like a noose.“Looking for your rescue party?”he taunts.“I’m not as fucking reckless as Cian.I knew Eamon’s men could be bought, so I made them a better offer.”

Dread curls in my stomach.“You paid them off?”My voice is hoarse.

Ronan chuckles low under his breath."Everyone’s loyal until someone offers them more."