Page 77 of Deliver Us From Evil

He continues to struggle. I have to make him see reason. And there is only one way.

“I’m sorry, mate. For everythin’. I’ve fucked up, so I did. I’ve fucked up a lot. But the one thing which I didn’t fuck up was punchin’ ye in the gob when we first met as kids ’cause I knew we’d be best mates for as long as we lived.”

“We should have killed them when we had the chance, but yer pride…” he says, incensed I’ve allowed it to get to this.

“This has always been about pride, honor! That’s all I have left,” I reason, begging we work together because I don’t want another enemy.

“That’s all I have now too…Amber…she’s dead.”

My brain refuses to accept his words as truth. “Naw, it’s not so.”

Tears spill from his eyes, explaining his anger, justifying his vigilante act. He has nothing left to live for. “I came home…I thought she was asleep. She was on the bed—”

A sob spills from him, breaking me. I want to express how sorry I am for his loss. And there is only one way to do that.

Jumping up, I gesture with my chin toward Shane. Ethan is keeping him under control. “Cover me.”

With a newfound purpose in life, Cian does as I order. We run toward the police car, Cian and Ethan covering me as I charge for Shane. He springs up, gun trained on me, but I don’t give him a chance to breathe as I headbutt him.

He staggers back, and there is no time to recover before I kick him in the stomach. He drops to his knees, wheezing for air. Ethan shoves him onto his back, keeping him pinned to the ground with one knee as he searches him for the keys to my cuffs.

When he finds them, he punches Shane in the nose, breaking it.

Cian reaches for Shane’s gun, which lies feet away. I recognize the look in his eye. It’s one which I’ve seen reflected in the mirror since I was five years old.

“Yer to blame,” he snarls, eyeing Shane who lies on the ground, bleeding and wounded. “All of youse are.”

Anyone who sided with Sean is the enemy, and they should be treated as such.

When Ethan uncuffs me, I reach for his gun and, without pause, walk toward Shane. He peers up, recognizing what this means for him.

“You can’t kill a policeman,” he says, shuffling backward on his elbows. “This will be the end. Once and for all. Y’ll be locked up for the rest of yer lives.”

“So be it then.” Without hesitation, I shoot Shane between the eyes.

His badge means nothing to me. Nor do his threats.

The night sky is replaced with silence as no more blood will be spilled—for now. Ethan, Cian, and I stand over Shane’s corpse, all three of us not feeling a thing.

“We’re goin’ to drag his arse into Sean’s gaff,” I instruct coolly. “And we’re goin’ to show his colleagues what a dirty pig he was.”

The boys nod, understanding we need to move quickly. No doubt backup is coming soon.

Gripping his feet, I drag him toward the back door. Cian picks up a brick and smashes the window, where he climbs inside. Ethan and I wait for him to let us in.

“Ye held yer own, cub,” I proudly say to Ethan.

“I learned from the best, brother,” he replies, which touches me deeply. Even though I’m not his brother, he won’t see me as anything but that.

The door opens, and Cian holds it open so I can drag Shane’s cooling corpse inside.

I dump his body in the hallway, not caring where he falls. I need to attend to other pressing matters.

“We need to find proof he was workin’ with Sean. I’m sure Sean has paperwork here to blackmail Shane. That’s how he works.”

We take off into a sprint toward Sean’s office, and when inside, we quickly search drawers and filing cabinets for any incriminating evidence. I need something to make this look like a business deal gone wrong as there is no way we are taking the blame—again.

“Gotcha, you fucker,” Cian curses in elation as he holds up a piece of paper.

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