Page 17 of Home Free

“In Ukraine,” Eudorus said.

Finn froze. With all the rambling Eudorus had done, he’d never once mentioned Ukraine or Fedir and Iryna. There had been times — times when Finn had been alone, times he would never admit to anyone else — when Finn had started to wonder if they were wrong.

If they had the wrong man, if the events leading up to Eudorus’ capture had been a fever dream.

Then he would remember the incident off the highway in New York when he and Ronan had stolen the amber sample out of the armored truck, when Eudorus had fled into the woods. He would remember the invasion of the mountain house, the dead bodies they’d buried in the forest, the retreating helicopter, the debate over what to do with Eudorus, who had been left behind by the chopper when his arm had been grazed by one of the Murphys’ bullets.

Finn would know then that he wasn’t crazy. That Eudorus was connected to the man called Achilles, the man who’d orchestrated Fedir and Iryna’s murder.

But this… this was the first time Eudorus had given any indication he was involved in Ukraine.

“What about my friends in Ukraine?” Finn demanded.

Eudorus’ face contorted. Finn was almost positive he was trying to smile.

“They were so afraid.” He spoke in accented English, Eastern European maybe. “The woman — was Iryna her name? — she begged us not to hurt her son right before I put a bullet in her brain.”

He started laughing again. It echoed off the walls and floor of the garage, ringing through Finn’s mind until he had to fight the urge to let go of Eudorus’ head to cover his own ears.

“I made him watch,” Eudorus said. “Her husband. Made him watch us kill her before we did the same to him.”

The roar rose from the center of Finn’s body, traveling up his spine, filling his head until there was nothing but the sound of it emerging from his throat.

He punched Eudorus’ exposed throat and let go of his hair.

Then he punched him again.

And again.

The sensation of his fist meeting flesh, the vibration of it through his body, the sound of bones cracking and flesh splitting, was the only thing that stood a chance of blocking out the image Eudorus had painted — the image of Iryna begging for Petro’s life, of Fedir watching his wife die, knowing the same was about to happen to him, not knowing if the men responsible would take to the woods and snuff out the life of their son.

He delivered an especially vicious blow to Eudorus’ face and the chair tipped backward, the chain restraining his arms and legs clinking as he toppled sideways to the ground.

Now Finn could use his feet and legs.

He did. He kicked the man’s torso long after he lay still and silent, kept kicking him when the garage door opened behind him, a column of light leaking over Eudorus’ prone figure.

He kept kicking even when strong arms came around him from behind, lifting him off the ground, pulling him backwards. Eudorus got smaller as Finn was dragged away, up the short staircase and into the house.

He struggled against the restraint until it relaxed enough for Finn to shove the person away from him. He stumbled, falling to the floor, and stared up at Declan.

“What the fuck?” Declan’s face was a mask of shock.

“It was him,” Finn gasped, his breath coming fast and shallow. “He was the one… he was the one who killed them.”

Understanding lit Declan’s eyes. “Wait here.” He pointed at Finn. “I mean it. Don’t move.”

He disappeared into the garage and Finn fell backward onto the kitchen tile, trying to catch his breath, trying to block out Eudorus’ words, trying to block out the image of Fedir and Iryna just before the moment of their death.

He’d imagined it a million times, and it had been like death by a thousand cuts.

But this — knowing how it had ended, knowing for sure — was worse.

He struggled to his feet, barely registering the ache in his hands, the blood dripping onto the floor.

His or Eudorus’?

It didn’t really matter. They were one now in a way Finn was just beginning to understand, Eudorus’ words forever engraved in Finn’s mind, his presence forever embossed on the image of Fedir and Iryna’s final moments.

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