Page 27 of All We Want

He chuckles darkly. "Talkin' doesn't bring back what they took from me."

I raise an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Well, kidnapping me isn't going to fix that either."

His smirk widens, and he steps closer. "Oh, I think it will, mil. Now I'll have the means to make them understand what it's like to lose something precious."

I sigh heavily, propping my fists against my hips. “I really need to have a word with Sue about who she lets into my office.”

“Yes, you do, a stór.”

I’m already turning but the man wraps a hand around my arm and jerks me toward him, putting me in front of him. I yelp at the sudden pain, but stop breathing when he presses the gun into my temple.

Declan and Aiden are both standing on the other side of the doorway, their bodies out of the door frame but their arms holding guns steady and aimed at the man who has me.

“Ya alright, rós beag?” Aiden’s voice is filled with concern but his entire focus is on the man behind me.

“Yes,” I breathe out and the gun presses harder into the flesh of my temple.

“Dia dhuit, Caleb.” Declan’s voice is cold enough to cause frostbite. In the very short time that I have known him, I have never heard his voice so ice cold, and I am thankful it isn’tt directed at me.

“Declan.” The response from Caleb is accompanied by him pressing the gun harder into my temple. I can’t stop the flinch crossing my face. I hear a growl from Aiden, but Declan holds out a hand in his direction to silence him.

Declan’s gun doesn’t waver. “Ya know, when I realized wha’ file had been taken I though’ it odd. But didn’a give it a thought after we got it back. But then mo stór told us who she took it for.” His gaze remains unyielding as he speaks, his voice slicing through the tension in the room. "Caleb, you should be dead," he states, his words carrying the weight of a history between them.

Caleb chuckles, the sound low and menacing. "Ya tried, but I'm still standin'. Not so easy to get rid of, am I?"

Declan's voice turns colder. "You should've stayed dead. Now you've involved her," he motions towards me, "and that's a mistake."

Caleb's one good eye narrows. "Involved? She's just a pawn, a means to an end."

I feel a flash of annoyance at being referred to as a pawn in this dangerous game. The tension in the room is palpable, and the gun pressed against my temple serves as a constant reminder of the perilous situation.

Declan's expression remains impassive. "What end, Caleb? What game are ya playin'?"

Caleb's scarred lips twist into a cruel smile. "The game of revenge, Declan. The one where I make ya suffer like I suffered."

Aiden growls in frustration, and Declan shoots him a warning look. "Ya killed Simone," Caleb sneers. "And now, I'll make ya feel the same pain."

Declan's eyes narrow, and he doesn't flinch at the accusation. "We had a government contract, Caleb. You were killin' people with no justification, just for the fun of it. Simone was helpin' ya."

Caleb's laughter echoes through the room, harsh and devoid of any warmth. "Justifications, contracts. All excuses to make ya feel better about pullin' the trigger. You're no different from me."

Declan's expression hardens. "Simone was helpin' ya kill innocent people. She made her choice."

Caleb's grip on me tightens further, and he spits out, "And now, I'm makin' mine. How could ya even accept a contract to take out ya own blood? Have ya gone so far down the rabbit hole that ya willin' to kill family?"

Chapter 23

Scarlette

Declan's response is cold and measured. "Family? Ya no family of ours, Caleb. Ya just a stain from the past."

Caleb scoffs at him. "Stain? We're blood. Flesh and blood."

Declan shifts slightly, his eyes never leaving Caleb's. "Half-blood, Caleb. We all share a father, but that's where it ends. We even left Ireland to get away from you and your mother. You were crazy even back then."

Caleb's voice contorts with anger. "Ye all abandoned us, Declan. Left us with nothin'."

Declan's voice remains steady. "We left to escape the madness. You and your mother were a never-ending nightmare. Da wanted a life away from the violence and chaos you brought."

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