Page 179 of Three Irish Kings

The fifteen seconds to have the feed up start now, and I take that time to approach the tree that will get me inside.

When the seconds tick to zero, I climb the tree and jump over the fence, rolling as I land, and drawing my gun. I stop rolling and get on my knee, gun aimed in front of me.

Creeping across the yard, I check my surroundings constantly. So far, no hostiles, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t here. We know there are at least a dozen.

Keeping as hidden as possible, I make my way closer to the house.

Something wheezes by my face asthunks in the wood of the tree right beside me.

I don’t think. I turn around, lowering to my knee again, and aim my gun, firing a single bullet.

Unlike him, I don’t miss.

Looking around, I make sure no one else is around and then head to the now dead guard and drag him behind the closest bushes.

As I drop the body, another bullet whizzes by me. It grazes my cheekbone and blood trickles down my face.

Fuck, that burns, but I can’t think about it now, I need to act.

Almost as if on autopilot, the gun lifts and as I squeeze the trigger, the bullet hits home between the fucker’s eyes.

He falls over into the white roses, splattering them red.

Men start coming out like a swarm of bees, and I get in the zone.

Bullet after bullet, men fall around me, but they keep on coming.

I’m numb, killing men like it’s my job–which it is.

For years, I feared turning into a monster. Now, I welcome it. These fuckers are standing between me and the love of my life, as well as our child.

I’ll reap a thousand souls and deliver them straight to Hell if I have to, but Iwillsave Isla.

Something hits my flesh, once, twice, my arm, my leg, my torso, but I keep going. It doesn’t hurt. Nothing hurts. Nothing but her absence.

Each man down is a step closer to my girl.

A trail of blood follows me, mine, theirs, but I don’t care. I won’t stop.

There’s one man eating a sandwich. He turns when I approach, mouth open, and my bullet enters through his mouth and pierces the back of his head.

Before his body hits the dirt, I’m already moving.

Two men run at me from the left, and I take them out.

Cormac is well protected, but all the protection in the world couldn’t save him from me. He’s lucky I’m not here for him.

Yet.

I don‘t know if I’ll make it out of this, but at least Isla will. The baby will. I’ll make sure of it with my dying breath if I have to.

As I advance, I come face-to-face with yet another guard.

He’s fast.

I’m faster.

When his body hits the floor, a second man shows up. They are like cockroaches coming out of the sewer.