Page 88 of The Silencer

I nod, trying to push down my fear."I trust you.Just...be careful, okay?I need you.We need you," I add, placing a hand on my stomach.

He pulls me close, pressing a kiss to my forehead."I promise, baby.I'm not going anywhere.Now, let's go get some food in you.You need to keep your strength up."

As we head downstairs, I feel a little lighter.No matter what happens, I know Emmanuel will do everything in his power to keep us safe.And for now, that has to be enough.

THIRTY-ONE

emmanuel

It’s beenthree days since Ava died and today was the day we laid her to rest.I wasn’t surprised by the turnout of people who were in attendance, but what did surprise me was Freddie didn’t turn up.That man is in pain.He’s fucking hurting and I get it.If anything happened to Clodagh, I’d lose my shit.But not going to her funeral, that’s something I’m not sure I could ever live with.I just hope he knows what he’s doing.

“How’s Callie?”Jer asks Denis.Ava was her best friend.They had been friends since they were kids.

Denis sighs heavily, running a hand through his hair."She's devastated.Barely eating, hardly sleeping.Ava was like a sister to her."

"Any word from Freddie?"Maverick asks, his voice low.

Stephen shakes his head."Nothing.He's gone completely off the grid.I'm worried about him."

"He'll turn up," Jer says, though he doesn't sound entirely convinced."Right now, we need to focus on finding out who's behind this."

I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees."What do we know so far?"

Maverick pulls out a folder, spreading some papers on the coffee table."Not much.The bullet casings from both Ava and Hustler's murders match, confirming it's the same shooter.The Ace of Hearts calling card was left at both scenes."

"And the connection to the Syndicate?"I prompt.

Jer nods grimly."It's there, but it's tenuous.We've got what Michael told us.He was working with those Harrington bastards.But we have no known Syndicate members entering the country over the past month.We have no idea who the fuck took out Ava or Hustler."

"What about Ava's time in Boston?"Stephen asks."Any leads there?"

Denis shakes his head."Callie doesn't know much.Ava was pretty tight-lipped about her new guy.All we know is that he was somehow connected to the business world there."

I frown, something not sitting right with me."It's too clean," I mutter."Professional hits, no traces left behind, a calling card that's meant to taunt us...This isn't just about revenge or territory.This is personal."

The room falls silent as everyone processes my words.

"You're right," Maverick says finally."This feels like someone's playing a game with us.But why?What's the endgame here?"

I shake my head.That’s just it, we’re missing the crucial piece of information.Once again, we have no fucking idea what the hell is going on.

Denis’ cell rings and I watch as his body tightens.“Makenna, what’s happened?”

I watch as his eyes narrow and he inhales sharply.“I’m putting you on speakerphone.Repeat what you just told me.”

“Last night, Stefan was taken out.He saw something and pushed me to the ground.He took a bullet to the chest.Fuckers left a calling card.Want to have a guess what was left?”

“A bloodied Ace of Hearts,” Jer snarls.“Are you okay?”

“Grand,” she replies, her words sharp and barely controlled.“But my husband is beyond furious and he travelled to Boston this morning.He, along with Romero and Finn, were ready to take out the entire Syndicate.”

“Why didn’t they?”I ask.If someone tried to take out Clodagh, they’d be six feet under.

“Well, when Dante and the others arrived, there was uproar.You see, we weren’t the only ones targeted.Beatrice Mariano took a bullet between the eyes while she was standing on her doorstep.The Syndicate is ready to tear the world down.”

“Tell them to fucking join the club,” Denis growls.“Did they have the calling card?”

“Yes,” Makenna replies.“And, gentlemen, the Mariano family are ready for war.They want whoever did this and they want to go at them.”

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