Page 87 of Bozo

From the corner of my eye, I see Jer and Pyro spreading out, flanking Mike. Good. We might have a shot at this.

"Your father put you up to this, didn't he?" I ask, trying to keep him talking. "The Puppetmaster. This was all his idea."

Mike's eyes widen in surprise. "How do you?—"

That moment of distraction is all we need. In a blur of motion, Pyro lunges forward, tackling Mike from the side. The gun goes off, the sound deafening in the enclosed space. My heart stops for a moment, but the bullet embeds itself in the wall, missing Gráinne by inches.

I'm on Mike in an instant, my fist connecting with his face again and again. All the fear, all the rage of the past few hours pours out of me. It takes both Jer and Pyro to pull me off him.

"Enough," Jer says firmly. "We need him alive."

I nod, still shaking with adrenaline. I turn to Gráinne, who's watching the scene with wide eyes. In a heartbeat, I'm at her side, untying her bonds.

"Are you okay?" I ask, my voice hoarse with emotion. "Did they hurt you?"

She shakes her head, tears streaming down her face. "I'm okay," she whispers. "I knew you'd come."

I pull her into my arms, holding her tight. For a moment, the world fades away. She's safe. She's here. Nothing else matters.

But reality crashes back in as Pyro speaks up. "We need to move," he says urgently. "The Puppetmaster will know something's wrong by now."

I nod, helping Gráinne to her feet. She's shaky but determined. "What about Mike?" she asks, glancing at the unconscious man on the floor.

"We're taking him with us," Jer says grimly. "He's got a lot of questions to answer."

As we make our way out of the factory, I keep Gráinne close, my arm around her protectively. This isn't over, not by a long shot. The Puppetmaster is still out there, and now he knows we're onto him.

TWENTY-SEVEN

BOZO

“Now,” I begin, my fists clenched as I get down on my haunches and come level with Mike. He’s tied to a chair, and we’re back at Jer’s abandoned hotel once again. “Where is your dad?”

Mike shakes his head, his eyes barely open from the beating he took from me.

"I told you," Mike slurs, blood dripping from his split lip, "I don't know where he is. My father doesn't share that kind of information with me."

I grab his chin, forcing him to look at me. "You expect me to believe that? After what you did to Gráinne?"

Mike's eyes flicker with something—fear, maybe guilt. "That wasn't... it wasn't supposed to go down like that. I was just supposed to watch her, report back. Things got out of hand."

"Out of hand?" I snarl, my grip tightening. "You kidnapped her, you piece of shit!"

Jer places a hand on my shoulder, pulling me back slightly. "Easy," he murmurs. "We need him talking, not unconscious."

I take a deep breath, trying to rein in my rage. Jer's right, but every time I look at Mike, all I can see is Gráinne bound and terrified in that warehouse.

"Alright," Pyro says, stepping forward. "Let's try this again. Your father, the Puppetmaster, what's his endgame? What's he after?"

Mike shakes his head again, but there's hesitation in his eyes now. "I... I don't know. He keeps me in the dark about most of it."

"But you do know something," Denis presses, calling out his bullshit. "Talk."

Mike swallows hard, glancing between us. "He... he's been working on something big. Something that'll change everything in Ireland's underworld."

"What is it?" I demand.

"I don't know the details," Mike says quickly. "But I've heard him talking about a shipment. Something coming in from Eastern Europe. Weapons, maybe drugs. Whatever it is, it's valuable enough that he's willing to risk everything for it."

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