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Finn’s vision sweeps over me, and then he glances at Lorcan. “Something else came to me tonight. FB-fucking-I, Kimi. Ring any bells? ’Cause, I gotta tell you, it was like a fucking chorus of bells in my head this morning.”
Whatever he’s remembered, it’s still not quite clear, or I’m pretty sure I’d be dead by now, whether or not Lorcan stands in his way. The men behind me tighten their grip.
“They landed on the property,” I admit. “We’ve been checking into it.”
Finn’s smirks. “Checking into it. Easy when you’re on the inside.”
“Who are you accusing?” Lorcan’s been silent to this point, but his gun is still gripped in his hand aimed at Finn. If anyone fires, we’re dead. Already, it seems almost impossible we’ll make it out alive.
“You go home, brother. You don’t need to see this.” Finn’s attention is locked on me.
Lorcan keeps his gun trained on his brother, but he steps in my direction. “I’m not leaving. Not unless Kim’s coming with me.”
“She’s rotten. Eating holes in our organization.” His posture is full of menace as he shadows him.
“We ate holes through the fabric of her life years ago,deartháir mor.”
I close my eyes, and my jaw tightens. “Lorcan,” I say. “Don’t.” I snap my eyes open, but it’s too late. He’s put it together.
“You fucking knew?” His voice booms out through the warehouse. “You fucking knew she was no good?” He stalks toward him, rage etched in his features.
I strain against the men securing me.
Lorcan holds his ground, the gun steady in his hand. “You kill her, you might as well fucking kill me. ’Cause I’ll hunt you down.”
“I don’t give a shit if we ripped her life to shreds years ago, brother. I don’t care if she’s got some sort of magical vagina that lures good men to insanity. And I don’t give a shit if you’re coming for me. ’Cause she’ll already be dead. You don’t keep a rabid dog as a pet,deartháir beag. You put it down. No matter how much you love it.”
Finn’s looking at his brother during his speech, but then he whirls toward me, gun raised. Lorcan’s voice travels along a tunnel as he screams for him to stop. The gun discharges.
A searing white-hot feeling slices through my chest. When I see the burning spot, blood is spreading out from the wound. My knees buckle, but the men behind me keep me upright.
Everything is moving in slow motion as Lorcan shoots Finn, takes out two of the men above and then tries to make his way to me as he’s fired on from above. He’s sprinting and weaving as the bullets fly.
White-hot pain springs up in my foot and my thigh, and I realize I’ve been hit again. The men behind me tug me toward the offices. My instinct is to fight, but I’m sluggish, heavy.
Without warning, the pressure on my arms is gone, and I almost stumble face-first into the cement floor. But Lorcan’s there, catching me around the waist, dragging me with him as bullets ping off every surface.
From behind, a flash grenade goes off. He jerks forward, collapsing onto the ground.
Somehow, he breaks our fall. We’re side-by-side, and the shouts of the FBI echo in the distance. I need to tell them we’re here. We need help. I open my mouth, but I can’t force out any sound.
My head falls to the side, and I meet Lorcan’s gaze. His eyes are glassy, dazed, unfocused. The black shirt on his chest appears wet, and I will my hand to touch him. But I can’t.
My whole body is so heavy. And I long to close my eyes.
“Lorcan,” I murmur.
It’s the only word I squeeze out before everything goes dark.
Chapter Forty-Four
Iawake to the steady beeping of machines and the hum of a hospital. I haven’t been hospitalized for a few years, but I’d recognize the sounds anywhere. And the smell. Antiseptic. Enough to sour my stomach on a good day.
It takes a moment for me to remember why I’m here, what happened. The room is empty of any visitors.Lorcan. Last time I saw him, he looked like he was bleeding out. A bubble of panic forms in my chest. I fumble for the call button and hit it before I lose my nerve. Closing my eyes, I wait for the whoosh of the door opening.Please let him be okay.
“Ah, you’re awake.” Dai Qing smiles at me as she makes her way to my bed. Behind her, a nurse comes bustling in.
She checks my equipment and then leans on the bedrail. “How are you feeling?”