Page 1 of Unshakable

PROLOGUE

The black Mercedes slowly slid down the muddy road, the windshield wipers at full speed in an attempt to clear the view from the heavy rainfall that decorated its desolate environment. They entered the docks, home to abandoned buildings that once served as booming factories. Nowadays, the empty, decrepit constructions offer shelter to those who wished to remain in the shadows.

The car stopped in front of a block of abandoned storage units at the river. Norah Donnelly stepped out, careful not to wet her loafers in the muddy, inky puddles that were a result of a week's worth of rain. She was in her fifties, a proud woman with long copper hair that she wore in a plait, exposing a round face with a set of observant, green eyes. She eyed her most loyal henchmen with a knowing glance, before following Jerry, her husband, inside the damp building. This was a potential breakthrough and they all knew it. It had taken them a ridiculous three hours before they’d finally managed to get their hands on the two men that were now standing in this corner, faces against the wall, their backs exposed to their enemy.Captive. A ridiculous three hours of hunting down two young strangers, who couldn’t be more than errand boys. And for what? It wasn’t their M.O. to expose themselves that bluntly, which is exactly where this chase had led them. After all, they now found themselves in this godforsaken neighborhood, too damn far out of their own territory.

“Why are we here?” Jerry grunted, reflecting the irritation and worry they were all feeling. “Come on boys, we haven’t got all night. Why the fuck did you run off to this hellhole? Is this where you live?”

The two boys stood, their backs stiff, their mouths closed. Outside they vaguely heard the sound of sirens, most likely police on the job at the other side of the river. The place was notorious for street gangs and petty drug dealing.

They were brothers, hands bound behind their backs, locked together by a clunky chain that prevented either one of them from running away. They’d been badly bruised up, with blood dripping freely from their fresh wounds as they stood next to each other, surely waiting to die. Records had shown that they were from Belarus and had only been in the country for a mere twenty-four hours. Perhaps they’d come all the way over here to look for a better life for their families?Perhaps.

“Andriy and Bohdan Kotova.” Jerry approached them from behind with his boot-covered feet, sending heavy, booming sounds into the empty space. “Talk to me. You got caught inourneighborhood. And when we simply wanted to talk to you, you ran. Let us chase you all over the East Village. And then you had the indecency to yell at us. To telluswhere to shove it.” He clicked his tongue in disapproval, but Norah knew it was merely for the show. They were nervous. Hell, the entire crew was. Theyneededto smell blood to keep them going after weeks of pressure building. “So let’s have this conversation in a civilized manner, shall we? I ask, you answer. Let’s start with an easy one, who do you work for?” Jerry took the chain that had the two pairs of wrists tied together and gave it a solid tug. It forced the younger brother around to face him. He jumped at the brisk movement and started sobbing, gaze down.

Jerry hissed. The boy shook his head as thick tears fell down his bruised cheeks. “Answer me!Whodo you work for?” There was no answer from the shaken man, apart from the crying. Jerry sighed and kicked the other brother, who was still faced against the wall, in the back of the knee. The man went down with a gasp, only to be brutally shoved up by Jerry. He smashed his face against the wall and the man cried out as his nose broke, leaving smears of blood against the filthy bricks.

This was exactly the reason why Norah had refused to bring Logan here tonight. They’d both agreed on their eldest son soon taking over their organization, but he was officially still in training. This line of work was tough. And despite the fact that the money was good—and boy, did she know that it wasgood—Logan needed a good woman.Hiswoman. But he didn’t know how to love. Not yet. Logan saw women as goods. Norah was convinced that her firstborn needed someone to grow the business with. Wasn’t it through love and support that she and Jerry were able to set up The Businesstogether? Of course, he was stubborn as hell and didn’t agree, claiming that he had enough love from his family.

False. He wouldn’t survive without a special person. Their inner circle had his back, and soon Connor would graduate and come home to take on his role as his brother's right hand. But it wouldn’t be enough. Logan neededhisperson.

“Why ask us if you already know the answer?” The youngest man wailed before his voice turned into a whisper. “We never wanted this, we’re innocent. Please.”

“I need to hear you say it, come on. Who do you work for? Or do you want me to shoot your brother here and now?” Without waiting for an answer, Jerry turned around and gestured to one of his men to hand him the Glock. He pushed it against the older brother’s temple. “You know that you won’t be getting out of here alive, but I can make this a quick death if you tell me who—”

“The Void,” the man blurted out.

The Void.

An enigma built on rumors and fiction, apparently a criminal organization that had been in the industry for decades, like themselves. They only used lackeys to do their dirty work, making a faceless monster of them. Until recently, they’d never really had anything to do with them. But somehow the wind had changed, and for a few months The Void had been on their trail like sniffer dogs.

“What do they want from us?” That was the million-dollar question.

“I don’t know, they didn’t tell us.” The oldest brother sniffed as blood dripped down his nose. “When we arrived here, at the airport, a man approached us. Asked us if we needed a ride and a job. I swear I don’t know who he was. He handed us the package that you guys found and told us to deliver it to Battery Park. We were supposed to meet a guy there, but you got to us first,” he rattled off in surprisingly faultless English.

Jerry nodded. He knew the rest of the story. “Tell me about the guy you were supposed to meet.” He tapped the Glock against the man’s temple when the answer didn’t come fast enough.

“He-he’d be wearing a uniform!”

“A uniform? Like a cop?”

“No, like a suit.”

“A suit?”

The man nodded, tears welling up in his eyes. “I swear, that’s all I know. He was supposed to approach us. We weren’t told anything else. I swear!”

“What did the guy from the airport look like?” Jerry prompted. But before either of the brothers could answer, he was called off by Harry, one of their most loyal henchmen.

“Movement detected about four minutes from here. We need to leave. Now!”

Without taking his gaze off the youngest brother, Jerry muttered, “Get the clean-up crew over here now. Return those boys to sender. In one piece or parts, whatever you want. Do it quickly. Let’s show The Void they can’t fuck with us.”

The brothers didn’t even have time to realize what was happening. Two shots were fired in quick succession, execution style, and the youngest guy was the first to go down. His youthful face twisted into an expression of horror—eyes wide, mouth open—as if to make one final appeal. His brother slumped down on the next round of shots, a protective arm draped around his younger brother’s shoulder for the final time as the pair died even before they hit the ground. Less than two minutes later, their bodies were thrown into the river, the shackles connecting their bodies keeping their family ties bound until eternity.

CHAPTERONE

FRIDAY MORNING – LOGAN

Morning Sir.”

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