Page 46 of Desecrated Reign

I bury my free hand in my hair, pulling at the wayward strands. “How the fuck did this happen? I thought we had someone watching them 24-7.”

“Aye. Supposedly.” I can tell from his tone that he’s as riled as I am. “But after we left for the trials, we relied on a few men, some of whom are questionable at best. I didn’t think there would be any hassle because I left Sullivan to keep watch.”

Sullivan was one of Lorcan’s top men back when he was head of the Ulster Syndicate. Lorcan trusts him impeccably, so what the hell happened? “What you’re saying is they used the Kings’ absence to their advantage?”

“Aye.”

“Where’s Sullivan, now?” I pace back and forth, trying to dampen the rage. I can’t fucking believe this. “He had one job, for fuck’s sake. How did he let this happen?”

“I found him on the floor. Blunt force trauma to the head. By the look of it, he’s been dead a few days.”

“Motherfuckers!” I roar as I toss my head back, frustration clawing at my skin. “What the fuck do we do now? God knows how far they’ve gotten.”

“We’ll find them, kid,” His words are laced with determination. “Even if we have to lure the fuckers out.” Malice laces his tone, tipped with a side helping of vengeance.

“We’d better, Lorcan.” I draw in a breath, berating myself for not finishing Gabriel off before now. I knew I shouldn’t have let him go the night of the meeting, but I followed syndicate orders and played by their rules. Little fucking good that did me. “I swear to fuck, if he does anything to hurt anyone I love…” Thoughts of Avie and my mam wash through my mind. Finally, my eyes wander across the room and settle on my sleeping beauty stirring awake on the couch—my raised voice arousing her from slumber. Lowering my tone, I grit out between clenched teeth. “I will murder him with my bare hands. Syndicate consequences be damned.”

“He won’t get near any of them, I’ll make sure of it,” Lorcan confirms, confidence dripping from his Northern lilt. “I’m gonna see about a few things here, and I already have men out looking. Keelan is working on the cameras around the area, checking if any of them caught them leaving. My bet is he will steer clear of Killybegs, but we can never be too careful, not where Gabriel is concerned. Especially considering he doesn’t know about Donnacha. He might go looking for the brat.”

“What can I do?”

“For now, lock your doors and keep Saoirse safe. I’ll call over in the morning, and we can devise a plan. One that will put an end to Gabriel King, once and for all.”

“I don’t need a plan. It’s time to deliver his death warrant. The second I see that cunt, I’ll put a bullet between his eyes. He won’t slip from my grasp again, Lorcan. We need to finish this.”

“Aye, you’re right.”

Movement on the couch captures my attention, and within seconds Saoirse is stalking across the room, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “What’s going on?” she mouths.

“Saoirse is awake,” I tell Lorcan. “If you hear anything, let me know.”

“Will do, kid.” He disconnects the call, and a new wave of anger courses through me.

How the fuck did this happen? How did they get past the fucking army of men surrounding those cells? They had to have help. It’s the only logical fucking explanation.

Unable to contain myself from blowing a gasket, I lob the phone across the room, smashing the vase in the process. Needing to gain control of myself, I grip the edge of the piano, lower my head, and focus on my breath.

Saoirse’s hand fills the space between my shoulder blades, rubbing in circles across my bare spine. “What’s wrong?” Her voice is timid as she tries to blindly wade her way through my emotions. My jaw pops as I bite down on clenched teeth, trying to ease my heart’s rapid beats as it pounds against my ribcage. “Talk to me, Rohan,”—her hand presses against my cheek—“I can’t help if I don’t know what’s going on.”

She eases my gaze towards her, and I close my eyes, unwilling to let her see the fury brewing in their depths. I bite down on my bottom lip, then drag it through my teeth. Twisting my torso, I turn to her and take hold of her face, fingertips denting her cheeks as I tilt her chin until finally, I lock my gaze with hers, showing her the rage behind my eyes.

I step forward, and her back hits the edge of the piano, caging her in. “Oliver and Gabriel escaped while we were on the island, and knowing my father, he will be gunning for us, especially after we took everything from him.”

Her chest rises with an intake of breath, but she remains silent, staring me down with her unwavering gaze. I’m spiralling, and she knows it. But true to Saoirse, she isn’t afraid of the darkness radiating off me.

“It’s my job to keep you safe, love.” My grip on her jaw tightens. “To make sure nothing in this world can hurt you. But how can I do that when I don’t know where the monsters are hiding?”

“No. Tonight is ours, Rohan. Tomorrow we will deal with the repercussions.” I search her face, scanning for any ounce of fear, but there’s none. “I’m not afraid of Gabriel. He can’t hurt me, because you”—her hand caresses my cheek—“would never let him.”

She’s right. There’s no way he’d get close enough to breathe the same air as her without me putting a bullet through him. But that doesn’t ease the tension crawling through my veins or the need I have to tear this town apart until I find him, ensuring he can’t attempt anything.

My grip on her jaw loosens, and I try to take a step back to place some distance between us, but she grabs hold of my biceps, holding me in place. “You’re not alone in the darkness, Rí. I’m right next to you.”

Her hands roam over my chest, and a fire blazes beneath my skin. “Saoirse,” I warn, my fingers trailing down her neck as my free hand wraps around her hip, scrunching the material of my dress shirt. “Don’t push, because my self-control is hanging on by a thread.”

“Maybe I want you to lose control.” She captures my bottom lip between her teeth, daring me with flaming amber eyes. So I apply more pressure, decorating her neck with my hand. “Take it out on me, King. Unleash the rage.”

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