Page 79 of The Secrets We Share

The line on the other end rings and rings, stopping on a voicemail that’s not set up. I hang up and dial again. I’ll keep calling until she picks up the phone to loop her in on what’s happening. If they’re taking Keira to the docks, I have a hard time believing Domenico won’t be there to watch over hisdaughter. Not to make sure she’s safe, but to ensure she’s doing the job he’s tasked her with.

The ringing ceases, and the irritating robot tells me again that the user hasn’t set up the voicemail box. I start again on the merry-go-round, but this isn’t working. If I can’t reach her by phone, an email might work. It’s not one everyone would have access to, but she left it for me to find. I just never needed to look for it.

It takes two minutes for a response to hit my inbox—thank fuck—but reading over her message only accelerates my worry. She wants confirmation that Domenico’s with Keira, and I want assurances that my girl won’t be in a body bag or cuffs by the time I make it down there. The only person putting cuffs around her delicate wrists will be me.

Once she arrives where they’re taking her, I should be able to get into the cameras on the premises. That is, as long as therearecameras to hack into. A new email notification dings on my system, and my heartbeat calms slightly. The plan is still a go. I let her know I’ll confirm, if possible, but Keira likely won’t be in contact.

Watching the only connection I have to the love of my life on the app, there’s nothing for me to do but sit and wait until she stops moving. The restlessness takes over, and I jump out of my seat, pacing back and forth, my eyes never leaving the monitor. Cinder watches, my anxiety piquing her senses, and her ears perk when I kick the office chair into the cabinets.

Fuck this. I need to be there with her.

It takes five minutes for me to lock up the apartment and make it to the parking garage. Keira’s still moving toward the docks, but that doesn’t mean it’s their destination. My phone connects to the car's system, and the engine roars to life, echoing against the concrete. The screech of my tires mixes with the smell of burnt rubber as I burn out onto the street, cuttingoff the oncoming traffic. I use her GPS marker to guide me, barely paying attention to my surroundings and the lights I pass through.

Ten minutes into my drive, her curser stops. Not at the docks. Well, not exactly. They’re two blocks over. Likely, Domenico’s holed up. Close enough to intervene, if necessary, but far enough to avoid problems should they arise. My foot hits resistance when the gas pedal bottoms out, throwing my body back against the seat. Horns blare as I weave through traffic on the expressway. I’ll be lucky if I make it without rousing the red and blues.

I beat their arrival time and stop a few buildings back. My BMW sticks out like a sore thumb in this part of the city. Then again, with the event at the pier ramping up to start in a couple of hours, maybe people will just assume someone parked off the property.

Scanning the buildings, I tag the SUV that likely belongs to Domenico’s men. Keira’s tracker is within one hundred yards and glows green at our proximity. Maybe I should remote access her system and let her know what’s happening. But I don’t know if she’s being watched. That could put her in more danger.

My eyes flick to the time on the stereo. Two more hours until they dock. Another hour for them to unload and get the merchandise in the truck. Sitting in here, keeping my eyes peeled, makes me feel like a PI on the case of some unfaithful husband. It’s boring as fuck, I need to take a piss, and my anxiety to get things rolling is reaching an all-time high.

Finally, a group of men rush out of the building. I don’t see Domenico or Keira in tow, and her tracker hasn’t moved much from where she started. I send the news off. She won’t like it, but now they have three targets to work with. It’s not my job to make it easier on them. They have the resources. Now’s the time to use it.

The street’s grown dark, loud music now pumping from the event venue they’re using for cover down at the docks, and it filters in through my cracked windows. The clock flicks over to eleven fifteen, and the hair on the nape of my neck stands at attention.

Any unsuspecting civilian might miss them if they didn’t know what to look for. The shadows are dressed in head-to-toe black, face masks covering everything but their eyes, while their rifles are posed at the ready to breach the building. They line up single file on either side of the door, and my fingers itch to reach for the handle and join them.

Then, everything happens in a unified instant. The doors are kicked in. Yells of a command drown out the music from the party. A flashbang lights up the inky street, and smoke pours from the doors as they breach the building.

That’s when I hear it. The gunfire popping off in succession. I’m out of the car and on my feet, racing toward the action with my gun drawn.Fuck the repercussions.Pure chaos bleeds through the building. Smoke lingers heavily in the air, making it difficult to breathe. They must have cut the electricity because the only thing lighting up the space is the muzzles of guns firing away.

“Keira!” I yell at the top of my lungs, but no answer comes.

I stumble over something big and soft, blocking my path. I cast my gaze down. The body lies in a pool of darkness.I guess the no-kill order only extends to Domenico. That’s a fucking problem.The gunfire slows, the shuffle of heavy boot steps following suit.

The deep voice of whoever must be in charge calls out, “Come out with your hands up.”

I wonder if Domenico’s locked himself away and if he’s dragged my girl into their path. I suddenly regret moving forward with Keira’s plan and not leaving his fate to my ownhands. I creep down the hall, searching for where they have him cornered. Cornered men are the most dangerous kind when left with no options but the one in front of them.

The same deep voice from before calls out again, giving him one last chance to come out peacefully. I know what comes next. They’ll kick down that door and take him by force. I pick up my pace, wishing I’d taken the hours I had in the car waiting to look up that damn floor plan for this fucking place.

The closed-off hallway ends, extending into an open space that must have been some kind of laundry plant in its time. A red glow from the emergency exit signs gives off the shapes of industrial-sized machines lining the walls, and an empty garment conveyor hangs in the center. The men from outside stand in formation on the other side of the room, focused on a small, closed-off room. They’re too far left to notice the man creeping closer with a glint in his eye and a point to prove to his boss.

I step out from behind the counter I’ve been using to conceal my approach and aim. The gunfire echoes through the concrete room, and his body hits the floor with a sickening thud. The unexpected shots draw all the heat on me. I can’t get back to my hiding spot fast enough.

Hot burning pain rips through my chest while pandemonium erupts around me. My knees buckle, razing my body to the ground. A cough rips from my chest, splattering blood across my face.Fuck, that hurts.Shouts sound from above me, and I try to keep my eyes open, but they feel heavy. There’s a pressure on my chest, but the tension releases as the darkness drags me away from the scene unfolding around me.

“Harkin!”

Her screams haul me back from the blackness creeping in from every direction. I fight to open my eyes, but can’t manage more than a crack. It’s blurry. A soft blob hovers over my face.This is it. I might be done for, but I refuse to leave this life without locking onto her beautiful face one last time to hold me over on the next plane until our souls meet again.

“Harkin, please. Baby. Fight for me. No! Don’t close your eyes. Look at me, dammit. You’re not leaving me.”

Her haunted sobs bleed through, and I tell her I won’t leave. At least, I think the words come from my lips. But maybe not. Because her screams aren’t letting up, she isn’t settling down. I want to pull her into my chest and tell her everything will be okay, but I can’t feel my arms.

Death hovers in the wings. It waits for no one when your card’s been punched. It doesn’t care if you have unfinished business or something to live for. It takes you against your will without a care, and my time is here. It’s her pleads to a God she doesn’t believe in that fill my head as I drag in my last stunted breath and finally fade away into nothingness.

THRITY-SIX

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