Page 159 of Three Irish Kings

Liam didn’t give us specific instructions on what to do if we crossed paths with Cormac’s men, but these people took my woman,ourwoman, so they are all going down, whether they had anything to do with it or not. They should have picked someone else to work for. I’m just sorry I can’t make it hurt more. I have no time to waste; I need to find Isla.

As I’m checking around a corner to see if the coast is clear, a man steps out of the building and lights up a cigarette.

Those things will kill you.

Holstering my gun, I tiptoe behind him, and before he even has a chance to blow out the smoke he just inhaled, I grab his head and snap his neck. Why waste a bullet that might be useful later?

I hold the man under his arms and drag him around the corner I came from to a dark area. Someone will miss him soon enough, but there is no need to openly advertise I’m here just yet.

Moving like the ghost I learned to become, I approach the door the piece of shit came out of, gun at the ready again.

Now, to see if I hit jackpot or find out exactly what’s going on here.

After checking my surroundings once again to make sure no one will take me by surprise, I turn the doorknob and open the door slowly just enough that I can get my foot in. With my gun in my right hand and the left one free for whatever is waiting for me inside, I use my foot to open the door wide enough so that I can check out what is happening inside.

One guy stands in front of me, a few feet away. He sways to a beat only he can hear, weighing little portions of white powder and bagging them. Chances are, he has earphones on, so I’ll leave him for last.

My eyes drift to the left. Nothing.

A couple of blinking lights show me exactly where the cameras are.

A sound to my right makes my eyes fly there.

Two guys are roughhousing as they play cards at a small table in a corner. The one with the lighter hair gets up and heads to a door at the end of the room.

Since there is no one else in the room at the moment, I take my chance.

A silent bullet lands in the middle of the forehead of the guy sitting at the table, his body dropping forward. The dancing queen doesn’t even flinch; just goes on with his show.

The cameras are next. Two shots, and they are out.

I slither into the room.

No more cameras are visible, so I holster my gun again and approach the dancer.

A snap to his neck, and down he goes.

A sound alerts me to someone approaching, and before my head is fully turned to see who it is, the person grabs me from behind.

Oh no, you don’t, fucker.

My head flies back. The pain piercing through the back of my head and the crunching sound that accompanies it let me know I hit my target.

The guy grunts, loosening his grip on me, and that is all I need.

Stomping down on his instep, I pull him over my shoulder, throwing him to the ground and kicking him in the face until he’s silent and still.

I don’t know if he's dead, but he's not getting up any time soon.

This is the fucker who was playing cards with the other one.

Looking around, there are two closed doors I need to check. Gun in my hand again, I start with the one this guy came out of.

I’ve wasted too long here already, so it’s time to wrap this up and move on to the next place if Isla isn’t here.

Turning the knob, I then use my foot again to open the door, keeping my gun pointed in front of me.

A small toilet. Empty.