Page 45 of Dark Succession (The O’Malleys #1)

T eague held Callie as she struggled. “It’s me. Don’t scream, angel. It’s me.” She finally went still, and he allowed her to turn in his arms to face him.

“Teague?”

Carrigan slipped next to them. “You’re about an hour too late, but I’ll forgive you if you get us out of here without anyone being shot.” She turned as Aiden ghosted up next to them. “You too?”

“Contrary to what you believe, I do care.”

“Whatever.”

If he let them, they’d end up in a full-out argument right here in the middle of Halloran property.

“Let’s go.” Teague turned without waiting for an answer.

The trees weren’t spaced closely together, but they were large and cast strange shadows.

If they were careful, they should be able to get out of here before his father and Colm Sheridan attacked .

Even as the thought crossed his mind, gunfire sounded from somewhere close by. He spun on Aiden. “We’re supposed to have another hour.”

“Don’t look at me. I didn’t know shit about this.”

He realized he was still holding Callie and forced himself to let go. “We do this quick and quiet. I’ll take the lead. Aiden will bring up the rear. You move when I move.”

Both women nodded, which was a token of just how scared they were.

Fuck, he was scared, too. If he got this close and lost either one of them?

It was unthinkable. He checked the surrounding area, but there wasn’t a bit of movement, though the sounds of fighting were growing by the second.

It was now or never. He squeezed Callie’s hand and then darted out into the open area, nearly sprinting to the next tree.

Silence.

He turned back as Callie followed his movement exactly—a quick rush from one tree to the next. And then Carrigan. Teague moved as soon as his sister reached him, rushing to the next tree.

Again, silence.

This is too easy. Why aren’t there more guards out back? If I were Victor Halloran, I’d—

Gunshots, this time far too close.

He whirled around in time to yank Callie to his chest as a spotlight shone on the gap between the two trees she’d just run through.

A man yelled, “I see you, you little bitch. You’re not going to make it to the property line.

” Teague didn’t recognize the voice, but Callie flinched.

Obviously she knew who spoke. He wanted to ask her, to reassure her that she wasn’t being taken back there again, but it was false comfort at best .

Instead, he leaned around her. The harsh light gave him a clear view of his siblings despite their cover behind the tree. They couldn’t stay here. It was only a matter of time before men came to flush them out—right into the path of that gun.

Aiden knew that as well as he did. He jerked his thumb in the opposite direction.

All those childhood games of hide-and-seek in their Connecticut home, teaming up against the girls, came in handy now.

He and Aiden had been speaking without words for years.

His brother would take Carrigan in the opposite direction, splitting the enemy.

It didn’t magically make their odds good, but bad was still better than suicidal.

He nodded. God go with you, brother .

With effort, he put the fate of his siblings aside. He couldn’t afford to be distracted right now—not with Callie’s life in his hands. Teague pulled a second gun from his ankle holster. “I trust you know how to use this?”

She checked to make sure it was loaded, and slammed the clip back into place. “Your sense of humor is suspect.”

“That’s what everyone keeps telling me.” Despite the situation, he grinned. “I missed you, angel.”

“I… I missed you, too.”

“And if you ever think of trying some shit like this again—”

She pressed her fingertips to his lips. “Can we talk about this when we aren’t in danger of being killed?”

“If you insist.” He kissed her, light and quick, and then turned to survey their options.

The fence was a few short yards away. There was every chance that there were more men on the other side of it, but as long as they were on this side, they were sitting ducks.

He motioned. “I don’t suppose you can climb that? ”

“Give me a boost and I can.”

It would slow them down, but there wasn’t any other option. “Okay. Count of three.”

A shout went up behind them and someone opened fire. He glanced back to find Aiden and Carrigan pelting away from them. “Three!”

She flew next to him, keeping up easily.

He hit the fence first and went down on one knee.

“Up.” She didn’t hesitate to put her foot into his cupped hands.

He lifted with all his strength, regretting her startled yelp as she soared over him, but there was no time for courtesy.

He barely waited for her hands to disappear off the top of the fence when he jumped, grabbing the rough wood and hauling himself to the top.

Pain blazed through his side, almost sending him toppling back into the Hallorans’ yard.

He clung to the fence, gritting his teeth.

Fuck, fuck, goddamn it, that hurt . It took all his strength to fall on the right side—the street side.

Teague hit the ground hard enough to drive what little air he’d retained from his lungs.

He wheezed out a breath and rolled onto his back, his entire world made up of a red haze of pain.

Instantly, Callie was next to him, concern in every line of her body. She lifted a hand and gasped. “You’re bleeding.”

“I think… I was shot.” He managed to get a breath in, but the sheer agony of it made him regret his decision. Did he really need to breathe?

Voices sounded on the other side of the bushes shielding them. “They came over around here somewhere.”

“They couldn’t have gotten far. ”

He tried to keep his harsh breaths quiet, but it was nearly impossible. He was vaguely aware of Callie shifting her stance on the gun in her hands. She touched his chest, though whether it was in comfort or warning, he couldn’t say.

The bushes in front of them parted, and she raised the gun. The man’s startled yelp was cut off halfway through, the shot knocking him back. She looked sick but determined. “You can’t run, but you need to move. I’ll draw them away—”

He grabbed her arm with all the strength he had left—a pathetically small amount. “Don’t you fucking dare. You did the noble thing once…” An agonized breath. “No more.”

“They will finish what they started and kill you.”

He wasn’t sure what clued him in. It might have been a scuff of a shoe on pavement. Or maybe the slightest shifting somewhere below the level of consciousness. It didn’t matter. He yanked Callie down on his chest a second before shots fired, biting the fence where her head had just been.

She rolled off him almost immediately, aiming once again, but she didn’t pull the trigger. “What if I kill someone in the building across the street?”

“Empty,” he gasped.

“You’re sure?” Her voice wasn’t anywhere near calm, but her hands were steady.

“Yes.”

She didn’t ask again. She shot once, twice, a third time, and whoever was on the other side of the bushes gave a pained cry and sounded like he crumpled to the ground. She glanced at him. “We need to move. ”

“I know.” But he suspected he couldn’t. His thoughts were fuzzy, and he wasn’t sure if that was the pain level or the blood loss.

She knew it. Damn it, he could see it in her eyes. Callie dropped the gun and yanked her sweatshirt off. He didn’t have the strength to cry out when she pressed it against his side with all her might. “Don’t you dare die on me, Teague O’Malley.”

Spots danced in front of his eyes that had nothing to do with it being night. “I love you.” Then the blackness swallowed him whole.

Callie knew the moment he passed out. She wasn’t sure if it was because of the pressure she was putting on his still-healing ribs or because of blood loss, but she dearly hoped it was the former. As long as they didn’t puncture anything, broken ribs wouldn’t kill him. A gunshot wound surely would.

A car pulled up on the street near them.

She cocked her head to the side, tracking its movement as it stopped and the doors opened.

This was it. There was no escape for either of them.

By her count, she only had five or six shots left, and to grab her gun, she’d have to take her hands off Teague’s wound.

Since the fabric was already wet with his blood, she couldn’t afford to do that.

She closed her eyes. I don’t know if you’re listening, God. I’ve made a grand mess of this. But spare Teague. He never asked for any of this . A silly, foolish prayer.

“Callista Sheridan?”

She tensed. Of course they knew her name. That wasn’t as surprising as the fact that they were yelling at her instead of shooting first. But then, they’d want their entertainment, wouldn’t they? Couldn’t have that if she was dead.

“Ms. Sheridan, my name is John Finch. I’m with the FBI. You placed a call to my office earlier today.”

She blinked. There was no way the Hallorans could know that…

but was it a risk she was willing to take?

They could be lying, waiting for her to run out into the open and then gunning her down.

She looked at Teague. It was hard to tell in the shadows, but he looked scarily pale. He needed a doctor, and quickly.

So she took a leap of faith. “I have an injured man here. He’s been shot.”

“We’re coming to you.” He hesitated. “Please try to resist shooting any of my men.”

She highly resented the amusement in his voice. There was nothing amusing about this situation. Nothing at all. “Get in here.”

The bushes parted and two men rushed to her. She tensed, waiting for the bullets to tear through her flesh, but they just shouldered her aside and knelt next to Teague. “Bullet wound to the upper chest. He’ll need surgery and an immediate transfusion.”

The other turned to her. “We have an ambulance en route.”