Page 49 of The Sicuro

“Boss,” I cut him off before he can continue.

“Non-negotiable.” My words are sharp as I subconsciously check that the weapon isloaded, and the safety is on before I slip it into the waist of my skirt at my lower back.

“Let’s go.” I purposefully walk towards him, and he lifts his chin slightly nodding his agreement before stepping off and holding the door for me. We walk out the back of the bar and David and some of his men are already waiting in cars. David approaches us.

“Two men have gone ahead on bikes, they are going to check out the locations that we know have been used in the past.”

We climb in the car, and one of David’s team looks at me and then at Anders.

“Drive.” I demand, clearly not to be challenged. It feels like time has stood still, I don’t allow my mind to run away with what could be happening. About twenty minutes pass and a call comes through the cars Bluetooth, it’s David.

“We’ve got his location. He’s in a bunker, one that’s been prepared for situations that would usually be in our control. I’ve sent you a pin.”

“How many?” Anders asks.

“The four outside have been dealt with, unsure of inside.”

“Tell them to hold outside.”

“Understood. Anders, they were O’Connell’s men.”

As soon as I hear his name the anger sweeping through my body heightens. I should have killed that prick at the first opportunity, I hear Anders mumble.

Anders looks at the driver, who pushes his foot down and starts speeding his way throughthe traffic to make it to the open roads towards The Manor, but it doesn’t stop it feeling like time has stood still.

‘The location is roughly a mile and a half into the woods, we will go in and bring him back to The Manor to clean up.”

“I will be with you.” Again, my words are curt making it clear my decision is not to be questioned.

Anders tells the driver to get as close as possible in the car. As I step out, I can feel the heels of my shoes slightly sink into the ground and Anders looks at me with an eyebrow raised. I stare at him and nod to start walking, to which he gestures to the bikes which the car pulled up next to. I climb on behind Anders, and David and one of his men climb on the other. The anger burning in me keeps my senses intensified as we quickly weave through the woods arriving at David’s men a lot quicker than if I walked. The sun is starting to set, and being this deep in the woods means that we are losing light fast. I can smell the trees, dirt and metallicness of old stale blood. David’s men look at me with the same concern as the other did.

“Situation.” I ask bluntly. They glance over at Anders who nods for them to proceed.

“The four men that were guarding have been dealt with, they were O’Connell’s men. We’ve kept one alive, he’s tied up to a tree and gagged.” He responds with a smirk on his face.

He continues to tell us that they got one of the others to look into O’Connell again butthere has still been no sight of him since the boat incident, but also still no body.

“Any thoughts on inside?” David asks.

“Unsure of the manpower, but it can’t be a large number, these ‘units’ tend to only have a couple of rooms at the end of the corridor.”

I try and think about what the next steps should be but can’t clear my mind from wanting to get to Gabriel.

“David and I will lead, you follow,” Anders nods to me, “two follow behind you and two stays put out here.” His words are direct, and I take a step forward ready to follow them into whatever hell is residing in there.

Anders forces the door open, it’s a dark forbidding path that slopes down, the walls are supported with wooden sleepers, lights hanging from the top with the wiring exposed. It’s restricting width not allowing you to walk more than two abreast. With the size of Anders and David, they need to walk with one slightly behind the other. I follow behind them, they have their guns raised and ready as do the two men behind me. The deeper we go, the more ominous it becomes, I keep my chin held up waiting for something or someone.

We reach a dead end with a door to the right, Anders looks back at me and I step to the side of the door, behind David, one of the men stays behind me and one steps behind Anders so that we are all flanking the door. We stay silent, I can hear voices coming from inside the room. I close my eyes so I can concentrate on them. I can hear two clear voices, they are irate with each other.

Anders, David, and the two men gesture to each other, but I can’t work out what they mean. Anders puts his hand out low, meaning for me to stay put.

David leans his shoulder and forces his way through the door with ease, instantly shouting at the men in the room directing them to put down their guns, Anders is beside him.

“Shut the fuck up and put the gun down.” Anders repeats, his words are sharp and intense. The men are all screaming at each other to put guns down, none of them giving up. The two men in the pathway with me remain silent, listening, waiting for something. I close my eyes once again focusing on the voices, imagining where they are.

I can hear that David is on the right of the room, and so is Dale, his shaking voice giving him away. Anders is further away on the left with an older man, I think it’s O’Connell. I remove the gun from my waistband and click off the safety. I go to peer around the doorway and as I do, David’s man behind me pulls me back but not before I see Gabriel tied to a chair, duct tape across his mouth, bleeding. I spin mouthing to him to back the fuck off.

I step through the doorway, gun raised, immediately pulling the trigger, shooting Dale, and hitting him in the neck. The gun I’m using doesn’t have a silencer making the shot ring out. David and Anders look at each other both thinking the other has pulled their trigger. Dale is on the floor choking on his blood as he grips his neck trying to stop it flowing from him. I turn my gun on O’Connell, who is now staringat me. Anders still has his gun pointed at him too.

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