Page 62 of One Love

Me:A knife to a gunfight? Fucking cliche, JFC.

Fuck this shit. We need to get to the airport.

We land just under two hours after taking off and I’m restless. Sitting and doing fuck all on the flight over felt like torture. It’s good to see Enzo and Devon. Enzo used to be Marco’s underboss until he knocked Marco’s sister up—well, one of her three men knocked her up. Devon is a fucking master with knives and I can tell he’s itching for a bloodbath almost as much as I am; whereas Enzo is a quiet and lethal kinda guy who made sure we have a stack of weapons ready and waiting on the plane, silencers and all.

Fizz and Binx are heading here in the van with a shit-load of cleaning supplies. It’ll take them almost a day, but it’s necessary for us to do our jobs efficiently.

Without knowing what we’re walking into, we need to be prepared for any number of possible scenarios, and a clean up is going to be needed, no matter what. Because someone is going to fucking die today.

I’ve fucked around long enough, thinking it’s all the best for Hallie’s safety when the only option has ever been to have herwith me. It’s where she wants to be, it’s where I want her to be, and I think I’ve just been making excuses up to this point, afraid that I’ll fuck up her life somehow because I don’t know how to be a mother.

Well, now all bets are off. Guilt and sadness have ruled me for far too long. She’s coming home with me. Dmitry’s coming home with me. And I’m gonna allow myself some happiness.

There are two black Camaros waiting for us, thanks to Glitch, who is our eyes and ears for this. He stayed back at the clubhouse where Dmitry gave him details on the cameras around the Gallagher property. His text update tells me that Ronan and three other guys are still there. There’s been no movement, no one has left since they arrived.

I look around for Dmitry, but there’s no sign of him so I drop him a text as I climb into one of the cars. Shoo is driving with Tab, Flower, and Crank in the back seat. Marco, Enzo, and Devon are in the other car.

Me: Where the fuck are you?

Future Husband: Don’t freak out.

Future Husband: I’m at Hallie’s.

My heart drops. I can’t do this again. I’m not equipped to lose anyone else.

Me: Fuck, D. Just…fuck.

Me:Don’t do anything stupid. We’ll be there in thirty minutes.

It’s a forty minute journey, but with Shoo driving, it takes the thirty I predicted and we pull up to park behind Marco and the others. We’re a street away from the house and Glitch texts over a map with the best route for us to get there without being seen.

We all load up, silencers for our guns, knives for our sheaths, rope…because we want to be prepared. With a plan of action—to basically fuck shit up, save Hallie and Dmitry, and keep Ronan alive—we all move as one toward the house.

My Reapers and I enter via the back yard, using a tree beside the side wall to climb over. The security here is shit and I can’t believe I ever thought Hallie would be safe with her grandparents. The people who took her from me in the worst way.

Yeah, I was fucking stupid. Lessons learned and all that.

Marco, Enzo, and Devon use the front door because Devon likes to make an entrance. I’m more of a sneak in the back kinda gal.

Pushing the handle down on the back door, I open it slowly before stepping inside. The small corridor is empty, but I can hear muffled voices coming from the kitchen on the other side of this wall.

I can’t make out what they’re saying, but there’s laughter, and that makes my blood boil.

Marco, Devon, and Enzo enter through the front door, which I can see from my position, and I watch them silently round the corner, headed for the stairs.

Moving closer to the entrance of the kitchen, my Reapers close behind, I take a deep, fortifying breath before showing myself, gun raised.

“Where is Hallie?” I’m faced with Mr. and Mrs. Gallagher, Ronan, and one of his goons. The other two must be somewhere else in the house.

They all turn to look at me, the goon reaching for his gun before I shoot him between the eyes.

“What are you doing, girl? Do you have any ide—“ Mr. Gallagher’s rant stops suddenly as a bullet flies through his throat, and he grips at it, trying to hold his blood inside his body, but it’s no use. I know I hit an artery with the amount of blood spurting from between his fingers.

Mrs. Gallagher screams so loudly I’m close to putting a bullet inside her too, but within seconds, Tab is behind her,a hand over her mouth to shut her up. We could do without the neighbors calling the cops before we’re done here. Being in Florida means the New York mafia doesn’t have quite the same pull.

“Where is Hallie?” My voice is low, steady, calm; everything I’m not feeling inside.

“Ha, what do you think you’re going to do, Jordyn? You’re scum.” Ronan, who is stupidly unarmed, folds his arms across his chest, remaining seated on the stool at the kitchen counter.

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