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CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Sean

WITH THE CONFERENCE room being no more, Killian, Grady, Callum, and I have begun meeting in the basement. There was a whole section of the area that had previously been unused. It’s not glamorous, but it’s functional when I don’t want to be too far away from Tara.

Killian had a meeting with the other two families earlier today. Ivan had secured us our biggest win to date. He found Patrick’s safe house. The little fucker was there, but was able to get out through an escape tunnel in the basement that led to the neighbors shed. Ivan’s team didn’t find it in time to follow him. He’s in the wind. We cut off all avenues of funding he had coming in, so soon he won’t be able to pay the few soldiers he had managed to convince to betray the Doyle family.

Without the money, we are confident, it’s only a matter of time, before they all abandon him too.

“What would you all think about the three families joining in a new venture?” Asks Killian.

I look around the table at my friends, my brothers, curiosity on everyone’s face. “What kind of venture?” I question.

“Ivan proposed we solidify the alliance in a more permanent manner. A joint criminal syndicate if you will. One where all three families seat equally at a table to decide the fate of the city.” He explains.

We sit in silence for a moment, mulling over the implications of what that could look like. If we worked together, we could join finances, split profits, make our reach in law enforcement go further, have a monopoly on the drugs and weapons in the city.

“Interesting, who would….” Grady is interrupted by the sound of metal hitting metal in the corner of the room.

What the fuck? No one else is down here. Another light tapping noise sounds from the same spot. Do we have fucking rats? I get out of chair, and pull my gun from my holster. There isn’t much light in the corner. The only thing over here is the laundry shoot that goes up to my office. I stalk closer until I see a few objects on the ground. A pen and a stapler.

“What the fuck?” I say aloud.

Callum comes over to join me. “Is Tara throwing shit down the shoot to get your attention?”

Huh, maybe. But why?

I look at my phone, there are no messages from her. I press the button to dial her number. She doesn’t answer. It just rings and rings until I get her voicemail. Strange.

“Maybe she’s pissed at you?” He offers unhelpfully.

Before I can respond, I hear another sound like tapping of metal. Something else is coming down the shoot. It’s something small.

The moment I see it, I know in my gut something is wrong. It’s her wedding ring. “Fuck.” I shout as I run for the elevator. Callum, Grady, and Killian are hot on my heels. The elevator doors open the moment I get my code in. All four of us have our guns out.

The doors open and I peer out cautiously. There is no one in th hallway. Nothing to signal the distress I know Tara is in.

Then I head her scream. A blood curdling scream.

I take off running for my office. Knowing already from the clues she dropped for me, that that is where she is. I’m almost to the door when another scream is roared. This time it’s a male voice.

Further down the hall I hear what sounds like a fist fight. I pay it no attention as my focus is on Tara.

I burst into the room. Gun up and ready. Across the room, with the desk between us, is my wife. The arm of a man I don’t recognize around my wife’s neck. His other arm holds a gun to her head.

From the corner of my eye, I see a second man down on th ground. He’s rolling and crying in pain. His hands covering parts of his face. Taking a split second to look at him, I see he has one of my wife’s knitting needles sticking out of his eye.

Holy fuck that’s gross.

Fuck yeah my wife is a bad-ass.

“Lower you weapon, or I’ll shoot her.” Snarls the man holding my wife.

I don’t lower my gun. “What’s your name?” I ask instead. “What do you want?”

“I want what was promised to me.” He barks.

I watch as Tara’s hand creeps along the desk, edging closer to her other knitting needle. The yarn of her latest project still attached to it. Knowing what her objective is, and know I can’t shoot him until she’s out of harm’s way. I play into her hand. I take a half-step to my left. Making it so the man pulls my wife to the left. She’s so close. One more half step.

“Quit fucking moving or I’ll shoot her.” He growls as he takes that last partial step Tara needs. Her fingers grasp the needle.

With needle in hand, she looks up at me and smiles. I don’t smile back. Not yet. I can’t give away the plan. Instead, I motion with my eyes that I want her to aim for his left leg. It’s the same side as the arm that is holding.

She gives the barest of nods, closes her eyes, and breathes in deep.

A split second later, he is screaming, she is running, and I fire a single shot and the scream cuts off.

I go to move to Tara, to wrap her in my arms, but instead of running to me like I thought she would, she moves back over to the body I just dropped and begins to kick him. “Don’t threaten a mama bear and her cub.” She starts yelling as she lands kick after kick. Then suddenly she stops and throws a hand over her face. “Oh fuck.” She grumbles.

“Oh fuck.” I say as well. Then run to grab the garbage can. I forgot the baby doesn’t like blood.

As she hugs the trash can to her chest, I lead her out of the room and into the hall. Down the hall a bit, next to the doors of her and Laura’s office are five unknown men. Three are alive. Two lie on the floor, seemingly dead. Oscar’s nose looks broken, and Laura has a cut on her forehead, and a bruise forming on her cheek. Rian is leaning against a the wall holding a bloody towel against his side with Callum at his side opening a medical kit up.

Killian looks unscathed along with Grady, though there are a few drops of blood on his shirt. “You alright Tara?” Killian asks.

She gives a little smile. “Yeah. Thanks for coming so fast.”

“Smart thinking on your part to use the laundry shoot.” Comments Grady.

“Thanks. I’m just glad you guys heard it.”

I give a little laugh. “Not going to lie, I thought it was rats at first. Then thought you were tossing stuff because I did something to piss you off. The ring was the clue that got me running. I know you love that ring.”

“I do.” She says as she snuggles up into me. “Is it over now?” She asks.

“Not quite.”

“You going to finish this?”

“Fuck yes. Need the streets safe for you and out family.”

She nods her agreement, then mumbles something about needing a pickle. “I’ll get you one on the way to the hospital, I want to make sure you and little nugget are okay.”

“Deal.”