Page 91 of The Silencer

Lisa grins."I like Liam.What about you?Have you thought of any?”

I smile, thinking about the names I've been considering."I really like Aiden.It means 'fiery' in Irish.Seems fitting given everything we've been through."

Lisa nods approvingly."Aiden is a great name.Either one will be great."

"We haven't settled on anything yet," I add."But it's nice to think about something positive for a change."

Just then, we hear the front door open downstairs.Lisa and I exchange a glance before hurrying out of the room.As we reach the bottom of the stairs, I see Emmanuel, Maverick, and Stephen entering.Their faces are grim, and my heart sinks.

"What happened?"I ask, moving to Emmanuel's side.He wraps an arm around me, pulling me close.

"Dead end," he says tersely."The lead didn't pan out."

I can see the frustration and anger simmering just beneath the surface.I wish there was something I could do or say to make this better, but I know there isn't.

"We'll figure this out," Maverick says, his voice hard."Whatever it takes."

As the men move into the living room to discuss their next move, Lisa and I exchange worried glances.The tension in the house ratchets up another notch, and I can't help but wonder how much more of this we can take before something breaks.

I follow Emmanuel into the living room, needing to be close to him.As I settle beside him on the couch, he takes my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.It's a small gesture but it helps ground me.

"What's our next move?"I hear Stephen ask.

Jer, who's been pacing the room, stops and turns to face the group."We need to change our approach.We've been reactive, waiting for them to make a move.It's time we go on the offensive."

Before anyone can reply to him, Henry, Denis, Danny, and Malcolm Gallagher enter the house, Denis carrying a briefcase."We've got a problem," Denis says, rage billowing in his eyes.

"What now?"Stephen bites out.

Denis lays the briefcase on the table and flicks it open.Lying inside are bullets.

“Tell me you’re fucking joking,” I hear Emmanuel growl as his body tenses.

“Where did you get this?”Maverick hisses.“Why the fuck is Lisa’s name on one of them?”

I take a closer look and my heart races as I realize just why they’re angry.The bullets are lined up in a row, and each one has a name.

Callie, Melissa, Raylee, Jessica, Lisa, Clodagh, and Alastríona.There’s an empty space which means a bullet is missing.My stomach flips as I realize it’s where Ava’s name should be.

“Someone had better start explaining,” Emmanuel snaps as he gets to his feet and starts to pace.

“This was left at Ava’s grave.I called Pyro; he checked and they found one lying on Hustler’s grave.That one had every single old ladies’ name that belongs to the Fury Vipers MC.Then I called Makenna, and they checked Stefan’s grave.There’s one there too.Again, all the women’s names on the bullets.”

I bite my lip to stop the whimper from escaping me.There are tears stinging my eyes.God, what is happening?The sofa dips and two hands grip mine.Jessica on one side and Lisa on the other.

“Fuck,” Stephen shouts.“Tell me we know who the fuck is doing this?”

Henry Gallagher steps forward.“Makenna has cameras on the graveyard where Stefan was buried and we have the same on the graveyard where Ava is buried.But, gentlemen, there’s more.”

I squeeze the girls’ hands.Of course there’s more.

“Portia found one on Kelvin’s grave, as did the Marianos on their mother’s grave.Whoever is doing this, they’ve been doing it for a while.From what we believe, Kelvin Acaster was their first victim.”

I have no idea who these people are, but judging by the looks on everyone’s faces, Henry’s revelation is huge.

The men start talking about logistics and what to do next, but my mind is wrapped around the bullets lying in front of me.One with my name, and the two girls who are like sisters to me.

“Who’s Alastríona?”I ask.I know all the other names except for that one.Callie is Denis’ wife, Melissa is Danny’s, Raylee is Malcolm’s, Jessica is Stephen’s, Lisa and I are with Maverick and Emmanuel, and the empty space belongs to Ava, who was Freddie’s.But who does Alastríona belong to?

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