Page 64 of Vengeful Union

“What if Pat’s hurt her?” she whispers so only I can hear.

I know what she means.

Rape.

No. I won’t even go there. I can’t even fucking think about that right now.

“She’ll be okay,” she tries to assure me.

I doubt she will be. Water is her biggest fear, and having my brother bring her here of all places will make her scared out of her mind.

“The men have arrived,” Makenna says when her phone buzzes. I watch as she deflates a little.

“I still can’t wrap my fucking head around this. He’s our brother, our own flesh and blood, and he’s actively going against us,” Cian grinds out. “I knew he wasn’t happy that Makenna became Boss, but after Da died, I assumed he laid it to rest.”

“He’s blaming her for something she has no control over,” Denis explains. “Him not being underboss has nothing to do with Makenna.”

“Sure it does. She’s the Boss,” Cian replies angrily.

Denis shakes his head. “We all have to report to Henry. He’s the leader of the Clann, and he has the final say in who’s promoted and who’s not. It’s not down to Makenna at all. She can give recommendations, but ultimately, Henry decides.”

“Patrick doesn’t know that,” he tells us. “He was so angry before Da died, pissed that his heritage had been passed by him. He thinks Makenna’s doing it because of how he reacted when he found out she had been running things already.”

“What the Boss does and doesn’t do is not his business,” I growl, fucking annoyed we’re even discussing this shit. “She’s his sister. His flesh and blood. He should have come to her and told her. She’d have set him straight. But going against her...” I shake my head, anger radiating from me. I’ll pummel the fucker to the ground for what he’s done. “Going against his own sister, that’s suicide. Everyone in this vehicle wants a crack at him. We want to kill him for what he’s done.”

Cian goes silent. I guess finding out your brother is about to die will do that. Makenna, Denis, and I have known Patrick would die from the moment we found out what he was doing. Cian should have realized this would be the outcome. The fact he didn’t proves Granda made the right decision in passing him over for the position too.

The car comes to a rolling stop. Makenna and Dante’s men are already here and waiting, blending into the background, no doubt watching what’s going on.

Stepping out of the vehicle, the men gather round, waiting for their instructions.

“No one gets past you. Anyone who does try that isn’t us, shoot to kill,” Dante instructs them.

“We have traitors among us, gentlemen. It’s time to get rid of the rats.” Makenna stands tall as she orders the men around her.

I’m fucking proud of who she’s become. After everything she went through, she could have easily become a broken shell. Instead, she learned how to fight, how to lead, how to become the Boss. She’ll always have my loyalty.

Makenna and Dante continue to instruct the men on what they want. I’m getting impatient, wanting to find Destiny. The marina is fucking huge, and it’s going to take a while before we get it searched fully.

Dante instructs the men to fan out. There are enough here to help us search, even while some stay behind to guard the exit.

The search is painstakingly long as we check every fucking boat that’s docked here.

“Where the fuck are they?” I snap, pissed that we’ve not found her. We’ve searched every fucking inch of the marina and there’s no sign of them.

“Maybe they’re not here,” Cian says, his face flushed, and his jaw clenched. “He could have moved elsewhere.”

Anger rises to the top, and I’m unable to fucking push it down. I’ve tried to keep a lid on it since I found out she was missing, but I can’t do it now. I just fucking can’t.

“Where the fuck is she?” I roar, needing to let this anger loose.

“Boss.” The anger in that voice has Makenna spinning on her heel as she faces Stefan, her bodyguard. “Look up,” he instructs.

My stomach drops and my heart fucking stops when I glance up and see a motherfucking crane—and Destiny holding on to the fucking jib, which is jutting out over the marina. She’s way too fucking high. I’ll never get to her in time. She’s struggling to hold on, fighting with everything she has.

“Who can swim?” Romero asks, his gaze sweeping the men.

I’m not a great swimmer. I’ll never get to her in time. Fuck.