Page 78 of Dublin Charmer

Kieran follows the path the officer is indicating, and we continue, driving parallel with the river. Behind us, Sean follows the same path, the other vehicles falling in line.

My phone buzzes. Text from Sean:Devils mobilized. 30+ heading to compound.

Some of the tension in my chest eases. The Devils are at least on the right side of the fucking river.

“Take the Port Tunnel.” Even as the words come out of my mouth, I know it’s our best chance. The Dublin Port Tunnel is a major road tunnel that connects Dublin Port to the M50 motorway and the wider national road network. It is a dedicatedroute for heavy goods vehicles and buses with more than twenty-five seats but let them try to fucking turn us back.

“You think?”

“Aye, do it. Ask forgiveness, not permission.”

I text Sean the plan, hoping our luck will hold out and he’ll get the message. The towers on this side of the river seem to be working. Sadly, the one that services the area of our family home is not.

I glance back and am happy to see Sean is still behind us and the other vehicles behind him. Then I text the family chat room and Bryan, Brendan, and Tag.Again.

Hopefully one of them will get the message in time.

Nyx

The SUV jerks and slides as we finally make it onto the compound grounds. My stomach drops at the sight of the smashed gate, twisted metal hanging from its hinges. Bodies litter the driveway. The eerie stillness sends ice through my veins worse than any storm.

“We’re too late,” Finn whispers, leaning toward the windshield trying to see up the laneway to the house. “Almost all of them are ours.”

Gio’s hand finds mine in the darkness. “Should we go?”

I meet his worried gaze and shake my head. “No. This is as much our fight as it is theirs. We’re taking Gravely down.”

Kieran slows the vehicle as we approach the main drive fork.

“Stop here,” Finn commands. When the SUV halts, he turns to Kieran. “Jump in Sean’s truck and join the main fight at the house.”

“What are ye plannin’, boss?” Kieran asks, already reaching for the door handle.

“I’m taking Gio and Nyx to the stables, not the house.”

Kieran’s face scrunches in confusion. “What the fuck for?”

“Because there’s a tunnel from the war room to the stables from when this was a working castle. There’s a safe room below. If my brothers got the message in time, that’s where the wives and family will be.”

“Slán leat,”Kieran says, before disappearing into the sleet.

Through the back window, I watch him sprint toward Sean’s approaching truck.

Finn rushes around the SUV and slides into the driver’s seat, hands already on the wheel before the door closes. “Hold on.”

The vehicle lurches forward, cutting across a snow-covered field rather than following the main drive. Headlights illuminate the way as we wrap around a frozen pond, past a gazebo, and end by parking in front of the large wooden structure.

“Nyx, ye’ve got Gio. Stay behind me and move fast.”

I check in with my little brother. “Are you good to walk?”

He shrugs. “I’ll manage. Just don’t get yourself killed. After all this, I’m looking forward to the two of us not being dead.”

I laugh. “Si, me too.”

Finn gets out first and opens my door. The two of us run around to the passenger side of the truck and I help Gio get out and onto his feet while Finn searches the darkness, his gun raised and ready.

Inside, the barn is surprisingly warm. The sweet smell of hay and animals fills my senses. Several stalls line the walls, all of them empty except one.