Page 91 of Exile and Embrace

Dawson kills another one of the men while I sling the bag over my shoulder.

He groans as a bullet lodges into his thigh. “Fuck, that hurt. Get out of here, Finn.”

I shoot another man as he runs toward us, blood spreading across his white shirt as his body falls to the ground.

One of the men runs back to the SUVs.

I follow behind him, grabbing him by his collar and hauling him out of the vehicle.

He groans as I throw him to the ground and stand above him, my gun pointed at his head.

He grins and spits at me.

My finger curls around the trigger and a second later, he’s dead.

I get in the SUV and slam the doors shut before gunning the engine to life.

I’m going to make the drop, and then I’m going to talk to Cillian about what the hell this was.

Cillian is sitting behind the desk in his home office when I walk in late the next evening.

Becca gives me a small smile and gets up from her chair.

She clasps her hands together as she looks at me. “How is Ava doing?”

“She just needs a little more time. I’m sure that she’ll come around eventually, but the last couple weeks have been a lot for her to process.”

Becca looks at me like she’s expecting me to say more.

I keep my mouth shut.

She might be Cillian’s wife, but my loyalties lie with Ava.

The sooner Becca learns that, the better.

Becca nods and leaves the room, her head hung low.

Cillian looks up from his paperwork, leaning back in his chair. “You know, I was wondering how long it was going to take you to walk in here. Especially after I got a visit from Christian Herrera.”

I stand taller, focusing on not reacting to his words. “Alright.”

“Close the door.” He waits until the door is closed before crossing his arms. “Want to tell me why Christian would ask me to keep an eye on you and make sure that you’re okay?”

“Only if you want to tell me why you sent several men after me and Dawson.”

He smirks. “When I get a visit from the former cartel leader in Tennessee, I tend to pay attention. If you have connections to Christian Herrera that I don’t know about, it makes me wonder what else you’ve been hiding, Finn.”

Right now, I could tell him everything and risk leaving his office in a body bag. Although, if he’s talking to Christian and already knows the truth about everything, then lying to him would only result in said body bag.

I link my hands together behind my back, looking down at him. “My name is Finnigan Byrne, and I was sent here to kill you.”

Cillian leans forward, his smirk dropping. “Well, now that you’re finally willing to tell me the truth about yourself, why don’t you sit down and tell me everything?”

Though it’s a question, his tone makes it clear that my only option is to start talking.

“I was sent here by my father to kill you. He and the rest of the Byrne mob are still in Virginia, but they are expecting me to kill you in the next couple days so they can take control of Oregon.”

Cillian’s folded arms land on the table. “And what exactly are you going to do? You’ve had many chances to kill me already over the course of the last couple months. And yet you didn’t.”

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