“Answer me, woman,” the older man says.
“I’m the reporter, yes,” I tell him. “Thought that much was clear.”
“You watch your tongue, or the boyfriend gets hurt.” To demonstrate, he turns to the side and kicks Nolan’s shin. To Nolan’s credit, he only hisses and winces, but he doesn’t cry out. I can’t hold it together though. Inside, I’m screaming.
I love that man. I love that fierce, loyal, beautiful man, and it kills me to see him at their mercy.
“Take off his gag as well.” He nods to Tiernan.
When Tiernan’s gag lies on the floor, he glares at Cian. “I gave you what you want,” he says. “You have no quarrel with me. What have we done to you?”
The old man shrugs. “Your sister doesn’t know to leave well enough alone,” he says. “Brings her arsehole boyfriend in here to show off his muscles, mmm? Beats up one of my own. Takes the lot of you away? Our best runner, traitor to the McCarthys?”
Nolan looks to Tiernan. “Ignore him, Tiernan,” he says. “And remember what we talked about. Remember what we practiced.”
What the hell?
Tiernan and Nolan look at each other. Tiernan nods, and Nolan begins to count. I decide to distract the others.
“You know you’re a fool to be doing this to us,” I say to the man in charge. “And you also know that Cian’s a lying sneak, don’t you?” My words might get me injured, but I’ll survive.
“You bitch,” Cian says, raising a hand to strike me at the very same time Nolan yells to Tiernan.
“Three!”
Tiernan knifes up and grabs Cian around the neck. He drags him to the ground and incapacitates him in seconds, using the skills he’s learned from Nolan and Lachlan to defend himself and overpower Cian. Nolan kicks his foot out, and the man beside him trips. Others arrive, Carson and Lachlan. Nolan’s ropes are cut, gun shots ring out, but they’ve planned this.
I feel like I need to fight, as if I should defend myself, but I’m mesmerized by the way they orchestrate this. The way they move as one is like a well-oiled machine.
Cian reaches for me, but Tiernan’s got him. Another one of his cronies tries to get me, but I roll to avoid him, get to my feet, and give him a swift, hard kick between the legs. I nail him straight in the bollox. He howls with rage and comes after me again, but Nolan’s got him. I cringe as he grabs him by the shoulders, drags him down, and knees his belly before he shoves him to the ground and grabs a gun. He points it at his head. Carson’s got the older man in the same position.
“We don’t want war, lads,” Nolan says, panting from the exertion. The Clan has the others subdued, Cian still in Tiernan’s grip. “We do want your undivided attention.”
The older man glares but he can’t move. Carson’s got a gun trained on him and Tiernan’s beside him, ready to throw down if he needs to.
“The Hurston family is under our protection,” Nolan begins. “We’re aware Tiernan was a runner for you. We’ve questioned him at length, and believe what he says is true. He has proof he cut ties with you a week ago, told you he wouldn’t be working for you anymore, and he’s under no obligation to fulfill any more contracted work.”
“Aye,” the older man says. “’Tis true. Now prove to us he isn’t a spy.”
“Can’t do that,” Nolan says. “Though it should be noted we didn’t even know he worked for you until we’d already taken him into our protection.”
The man shakes his head, and my belly clenches with apprehension. “Doesn’t matter. You know what Clan law states. If we have reason to believe he’s a spy, his life is forfeit.”
A chill runs down my spine as I watch, first one then the other.
“They’re both spies,” the man says. “And you know it. The lass does nothing but dig up dirt on the mob and publicize it. She demonizes you. We’re next.”
Nolan stands to his full height and glares. “And you’re responsible for the death of both of her parents. You’ve left four children orphaned. And you know what clan law says about that.”
Wait. What?
Orphaned?
Does Nolan know something I don’t?
It’s hard to breathe, suddenly, like someone’s pulled the plug on the air in my lungs and it’s all whooshing out of me. I’m not sad. I’m not angry. I think I might be in a state of shock.
The O’Gregors look at each other, and the leader nods. “Aye,” he says with a sigh. “I’ll have it on record I did not authorize the death of their mother.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Nolan counters. “You know the law. You orphaned the boy with no proof. You have nothing on him that says he was a spy, nothing at all. You killed his father when he worked for you, never informed him, then your men killed his mother.”