Page 24

TWENTY-FOUR

BOZO

Thanks to some handy hacking skills from Denis’ daughter-in-law, Melissa, we’ve been able to identify a lot of the key players within The Revenant. Not to mention their whereabouts. The majority of them are in Ireland. The fuckers are trying to make a big splash here, but it’s not going to work. No fucking way.

“Butch and his men are currently in Kildare dealing with those fuckers,” Denis tells us with a grin. “The Revenant has purchased a couple of buildings there. Looks like they’re wanting to set up a base of sorts.”

Butch is the president of the Devil Falcons motorcycle club. He and his brothers are helping us out. Chloe is Butch’s niece—of sorts. Callie and Maverick are his actual niece and nephew. He’s family, which means it’s all hands on deck. We’ve got the Devil Falcons MC, the Gallaghers and their men, the Houlihan Gang, and us. We’re going to ensure that The Revenant does not leave Ireland alive. It’s time to dismantle their entire organization and take out every single heavy hitter they have.

Pyro nods grimly at Denis' words. "Good. That'll keep them distracted while we focus on Dragomir."

Every brother is here. We need all hands on deck. The prospects are at the clubhouse with the women, not to mention a few of Denis’ men and Jer’s men. We want our women safe and we’re going to ensure they stay that way.

Jerry spreads out a map on the table, pointing to Howth. "According to our intel, this is where Dragomir's safe house is located. It's a fortified compound with at least a dozen armed guards at any given time."

"Sounds like a fucking fortress," Raptor mutters.

"It is," Jerry agrees. "But every fortress has a weak point. We just need to find it."

I lean in, studying the map. "What about access from the sea? Could we approach from there?"

Jerry nods. "It's possible. The property backs onto a private beach. It's rocky and treacherous, but it could work if we're careful."

"I like it," Pyro says. "They won't be expecting an attack from that direction."

Jer straightens. I can see in his eyes that he’s forming a plan. "Alright, here's what we'll do. We'll split into two teams. One group will create a diversion at the front gate, draw their attention. The other will come in from the beach."

"I want to be on the beach team," I ground out, my voice hard. "I want to be the one to put a bullet in Dragomir's head."

Denis claps me on the shoulder. "You got it. I'll lead the diversion team."

We spend the next hour hammering out the details of our plan. By the time we're done, everyone knows their role. We'll strike at dawn, when the changing of the guard should provide us with a moment of confusion to exploit.

As the others file out to prepare, Jerry pulls me aside. "You sure about this, Bozo? It's going to be dangerous as hell." I know he’s only asking because of Grá. He doesn’t want her hurt, and if something happens to me, she’ll be devastated.

I meet his eyes, my resolve unwavering. I’m not backing out. This is who I am. No one harms Gráinne. Not fucking ever. "I'm sure. This ends tonight, one way or another."

Jerry nods, understanding in his eyes. "Alright. Just be careful out there. Gráinne needs you to come back in one piece."

The mention of Gráinne sends a pang through my chest. I haven't told her what’s happening. I couldn't bear to see the fear in her eyes, knowing I was walking into danger. She’s got the biggest heart of anyone I know and she’d be worried if she knew.

"I'll be careful," I promise. "And Jerry? If something happens to me?—"

"Nothing's going to happen," Jerry cuts me off firmly. "But if it does, I'll make sure she's taken care of. You have my word."

I nod, grateful. "Thank you."

As I head out to gear up, I pull out my phone. I should call Gráinne, hear her voice one last time before we go in. But I know if I do, I might lose my nerve. Instead, I type out a quick text.

Me: I love you. Stay safe. I'll see you soon.

I hit send before I can second-guess myself.

The beach is quiet as we approach. It’s dark out and the wind is howling, which helps to deafen our footsteps. I can make out the silhouette of Dragomir's compound looming above us. Pretentious prick.

Pyro signals for us to halt, his hand raised. We crouch low, hidden among the boulders. In the distance, I hear the faint rumble of engines. Denis and his team are right on schedule with the diversion.

"Remember," Pyro whispers, his voice barely audible over the wind. "We wait for the signal. When those guards at the back gate start moving, that's our cue."

I nod, gripping my weapon tighter. Adrenaline courses through my veins, every nerve on high alert. This is it. The moment we've been working toward.

Suddenly, an explosion rocks the air. Shouts and gunfire erupt from the front of the compound. The diversion is underway.

"Now!" Pyro hisses.

We move swiftly, scaling the rocky incline toward the back of the property. Just as we reach the fence, I see two guards rushing toward the front, leaving their post unattended.

Raptor makes quick work of the lock, and we slip inside. The grounds are chaos, men running in all directions, shouting orders. In the confusion, we manage to make it to the main house undetected.

Gunfire begins, and I know that Denis and his men are more than capable of taking care of the guards and anyone else who tries to take them on. The Gallaghers are a force to be reckoned with.

Inside, it's eerily quiet compared to the mayhem outside. We move room by room, clearing each one methodically. My heart pounds in my chest, knowing that with each step, I'm getting closer to Dragomir.

As we round a corner, gunfire erupts. I dive for cover behind an overturned table as bullets spray the wall behind me. Pyro and Raptor return fire, and I hear a grunt of pain as one of Dragomir's men goes down.

"Bozo, Preacher," Pyro shouts over the chaos. "Second floor, he’s up there. Go get him."

I nod, understanding. While they hold off the guards, Preach and I will go after Dragomir.

This ends now.

I take the stairs two at a time, my gun at the ready. Preacher is right behind me every step of the way. At the top, I hear movement behind a closed door. Without hesitation, I kick it open.

There he is. Dragomir Popescu., The man responsible for all of this. He's alone, frantically shoving papers into a briefcase. He looks up as I enter, his eyes widening in surprise and fear.

"It's over," I growl, leveling my gun at his head.

Dragomir raises his hands slowly. "You don't want to do this," he says, his Romanian accent thick. "You have no idea who you're dealing with."

I take a step closer, my finger tightening on the trigger. "No, you don't know who you're dealing with. You fucked with the wrong people,” I snarl. “You targeted the wrong woman.”

Dragomir's eyes narrow as understanding dawns. "The nurse," he spits. "This is about that fucking nurse?"

My grip on the gun tightens, rage boiling inside me. "Her name is Gráinne," I growl. "And yeah, this is about her. But it's also about all the other lives you've destroyed. The women and children you traffic. The families you've torn apart."

Dragomir laughs, a cold, mirthless sound. "You think killing me will stop anything? The Revenant is bigger than me. We have operations all over Europe. You can't?—"

His words are cut off by the sound of my gun firing. The bullet catches him in the shoulder, and he stumbles back with a cry of pain.

"I don't give a fuck about your operations," I snarl, advancing on him. "Tonight, it ends for you."

Dragomir clutches his bleeding shoulder, his eyes wild with fear and anger. "You're making a mistake," he gasps. "I have connections, power. I can make you rich beyond your wildest dreams."

I laugh darkly. "You think I want your blood money? You think anything you could offer would make up for what you've done?"

Dragomir lunges for a desk drawer. But Preacher is faster. He tackles Dragomir to the ground, pinning him there.

"Nice try, asshole," Preacher growls.

I crouch down next to Dragomir, pressing the barrel of my gun to his forehead. "Any last words?"

Dragomir glares at me, defiant to the end. "Fuck you," he spits.

I smile coldly. "Wrong answer."

The gunshot echoes through the room. Dragomir's body goes limp, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.

For a moment, there's silence. Then the sound of footsteps thundering up the stairs. Pyro and Raptor burst into the room, guns at the ready.

"It's done," I say, standing up. "He's dead."

Pyro nods grimly. "Good. The rest of his men are dead, other than three of them. We want answers, so we want to ensure we have them all. Denis and his team have them secured."

I take a deep breath, feeling the adrenaline start to ebb. It's over. We did it. Gráinne’s safe.

"Let's get the fuck out of here," I say. "I need to see Gráinne."

As we make our way out of the compound, I can't help but feel a sense of relief wash over me. The nightmare is finally over. Gráinne is safe.

As I look at the chaos around us, the bodies of Dragomir's men littering the ground, I pray that this is the end of The Revenant. But there’s a niggling in my stomach telling me we’ve missed something.

As we make our way out of the compound, I hear sirens in the distance, growing louder by the second.

"We need to move," Pyro barks. "Now."

We all scatter, jumping into whichever vehicle is free at the moment. Our bikes are miles away. We came from a boat that’s left on the shore. As the vehicle I’m in speeds away from Howth, I feel the tension in my body start to uncoil. We did it. We took out Dragomir and dismantled a major part of The Revenant's operation.

But that niggling feeling in my gut won't go away. Something about this feels too easy, too clean. The Revenant has always been one step ahead of us.

Could we really have caught them off guard like this?

I push the thoughts aside as we approach where our bikes are left. It doesn’t take long until we’re riding home. Right now, all I want is to see Gráinne, to hold her in my arms and know that she's safe.

As we pull into the lot, I see her standing at the door, her arms crossed over her stomach. She's wrapped in one of my hoodies, looking small and vulnerable. The moment she sees me, she starts running.

I barely have time to dismount before she crashes into me, her arms wrapping around my neck as she buries her face in my chest. I hold her tight, breathing in her familiar scent. Christ, this woman is fucking everything to me.

"You're okay," she whispers, her voice muffled against my cut. "You're really okay."

I pull back just enough to look into her eyes. They're red-rimmed and puffy, like she's been crying. "I'm okay," I assure her, cupping her face in my hands. "It's over, Grá. It’s over."

She nods, tears spilling down her cheeks. I wipe them away with my thumbs, then lean in to kiss her softly. When we break apart, I rest my forehead against hers.

"I love you," I murmur. "So fucking much."

"I love you too," she replies, her voice thick with emotion.

I continue to hold her, needing to touch her. I hear Denis approaching. I turn to face him, keeping one arm around Gráinne.

"Good work tonight," Denis says, his voice gruff. "But we're not done yet. We've got those three prisoners to deal with, and we need to make sure we've truly cut off the head of the snake."

I nod, feeling that unease creep back in.

"You're right. We can't let our guard down yet," Pyro growls. “Wrath got the papers that fucker Dragomir had in the briefcase. He and Preach are going over them as we speak.”

Denis grins. "Get some rest. We'll regroup this afternoon and figure out our next move. Let those bastards stew for a bit."

As Denis walks away, I turn back to Gráinne. She's looking up at me, worry etched across her face.

"What is it?" she asks.

I hesitate, not wanting to worry her further, but I've promised to always be honest with her. "It's just something doesn't feel right. Taking out Dragomir was almost too easy."

Gráinne's brow furrows. "You think there's more to come?"

I nod grimly. "I think The Revenant might be bigger than we realized. Dragomir said they have operations all over Europe. We may have cut off one head, but?—"

"They might grow two more," Gráinne finishes, understanding in her eyes.

"Exactly," I say, pulling her closer. "But whatever comes next, we'll face it together. I promise you that."

Gráinne nods, burying her face in my chest again. "I was so scared," she whispers. "When I got your text, I knew something was happening. I couldn't sleep. I just kept imagining the worst."

My heart clenches at her words. "I'm sorry, Sunshine. I didn't want to worry you, but I couldn't leave without saying something."

She looks up at me, her eyes fierce despite the tears. "Next time, be honest. I'd rather know what's happening than be left in the dark, wondering if you're alive or dead."

I nod, knowing she's right. "That I can do. I may not be able to give you everything, but I’ll let you know what I can. We’re in this together."

Gráinne smiles, a small but genuine smile that makes my heart skip a beat. "Together," she agrees.

As we walk into the clubhouse, my arm around her waist as she leans heavily against me, I can't shake the feeling that this is just the beginning. The Revenant may be wounded, but they're far from defeated. And something tells me that the real battle is yet to come.

For now, though, I push those thoughts aside. Tonight, I'm going to hold my woman close and be grateful that she’s safe. Tomorrow, we'll face whatever may arise.