Page 50 of Fragile Union

Dante’s cell starts ringing and chills run down my spine. I reach into my pocket and pull out my own cell, it’s been almost three hours since I left Holly, and I’ve not heard a fucking thing from her or Finn.

Dante’s sharp intake of breath is enough to have my body going solid. “When?” he clips out. “Where?”

I look at him, needing to find out what the fuck is going on.

“We’re on our way.” He ends the call and turns to me. His face set in stone and I brace knowing whatever the fuck he’s going to say isn’t going to be good.

“The girls returned home from shopping and were ambushed. Shots fired and men down, I’m not sure who but we’re going to the hospital. Now.”

I’m already moving toward the door before he even finishes telling me what’s happened. Fuck. My guts burning, I knew I shouldn’t have left her. My gut is never fucking wrong. Damn it.

“Rome,” Dante says, his voice void of emotion, he’s trying to calm me. It’s not going to work. I’m not going to be calm until she’s in my fucking arms.

I slide into the car, Stefan’s jaw clenched tight. “Any news?” I demand as soon as Dante’s in the vehicle. Adriano puts his foot down and we set off toward the hospital.

“No, nothing. Everyone is on their way, Denis and Liam are pissed, they have no idea what’s happened to Holly or Jade.”

They’re not the only fucking ones.

Anger and worry course through me as I wait for fucking news while trying to get to the hospital. Once again, my wife’s life has been put in danger and I’m nowhere fucking near her.

Once we arrive at the hospital, my feet are moving quicker than they have before. Dante keeping pace with me and my gut sinks when we reach the waiting room and see the worry and heartache etched on everyone’s face.

Makenna’s face is pale, Denis and Danny look as though they’re about to tear the motherfucking hospital apart, and Melissa is on her cell talking low.

“Tell us,” Dante demands walking toward his wife.

It’s Liam that speaks. “Finn and Jade are in surgery. Both have been shot, Finn is critical as he lost a lot of blood and the bullet did some damage.” His hands ball into fists. “Seamus was shot in his head, he didn’t make it. Neither did Malachy. Boz and Reilly are okay, both have been shot, but will survive.”

Fuck. Seamus.

“Where’s Holly?” I ask and the whimper that escapes Edwina makes me want to punch someone. “Someone tell me where the fuck my wife is!”

“She’s gone. Whoever the fuck shot them, took her. Boz and Reilly have no idea who it was and we have to wait for Finn and Jade to find out more information,” Liam tells me.

I blink at the motherfucker. “Want to say that again?” I rumble, hoping he’s wrong.

Danny steps forward, his voice low as he tells me. “Boz said she was shot twice and she was taken.”

Pain slices through me. She's gone. How the fuck has this happened?

“Rome,” Makenna says as she takes a step toward me. “We’re going to find her.”

I swallow through the rage and despair that’s cascading through me. Once again, I’ve failed, I’ve let her down.

“What happened?” I bark out, my voice vibrating with anger.

Danny sighs, his hand running through his hair, “From what Lis has managed to find out, as soon as they stepped out of the car they were ambushed,” I watch as he swallows hard, trying to fight the emotion etched on his face. “They picked them off one by one. Finn, he tried to protect the girls but he was outgunned and outnumbered.”

My fists clenched as I gaze around the room, not one motherfucker can meet my eyes. Denis hasn’t lifted his gaze from the floor since I walked in. “What haven’t you told me.”

“Holly was shot twice, she passed out before they took her,” Denis says, tears shining in his eyes. His face filled with pain and anguish. He’s lost his father, his brother’s in surgery as is his cousin and his daughter is missing.

My knees threaten to buckle beneath me. “Tell me you have something,” I plead. Needing to find out where the fuck my wife is.

“I’m trying, Romero, I really am, whoever took her was good. Every fucking camera feed in and around Makenna’s house was hacked, and put on a loop. The same feed over and over again. I’m not giving up, I’m going to find her,” Melissa vows and she once again goes back to her cell phone where she’s typing furiously.

“It has to be those fucking Russians,” I snarl. It’s the only motherfucking thing that makes sense. Right now, we have no issue with anyone else. We’ve managed to forge a path where we’re on top and anyone wanting to make a name for themselves will be known. There are no unknowns in town, no one has tried to worm their way in.

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