Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 93048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 465(@200wpm)___ 372(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 465(@200wpm)___ 372(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
“Wait, I can help, please—”
I push her into the office. She glares at me. “Just stay,” I order and slam the door shut.
Niall rushes over. “There’s at least twenty men out there,” he says, sounding grim. “I called Uncle Eddie and he’s on the way with more guys, but they’re at least ten minutes way.”
“How many do we have?”
“Eleven, but a couple of the uncles aren’t very mobile and won’t be great in a fight. Gregory’s also rocking some high-powered rifles.”
“And we have handguns.”
“Plus a couple shotguns we keep behind the bar.”
I stride past him. Outmanned and outgunned. It’s the worst possible situation, but it could be worse—if Valentina hadn’t shown up like this and Gregory appeared without warning, we’d be completely fucked. It would’ve been a bloodbath.
If I survive this, I owe Marco. Which leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
The mood in the room is dark. I gesture for Seamus to join me and shove a shotgun into his hands. I take the other one. “We’re next to the door,” I tell him. “The second they try to come through, we blast them into pieces. First you, then me, and we alternate like that, you get it?”
“Got it.” Seamus racks his weapon and gets into position.
I’m proud of my men. They’re in a very bad spot, but they’re ready to fight with barely any prior warning. I nod at Niall, who goes to make sure everyone else understands the plan, and take the other side of the door opposite Seamus. The makeshift barrier of tables plus some glass doors is all we have to hold the bikers at bay.
It’ll have to be enough, at least until backup arrives.
“You good?” I ask Seamus.
He grunts and shoulders his weapon. “Good.”
“For the family, brother.”
“For the family,” he echoes.
Then the shooting starts.
Chapter 35
Ronan
It seems that Gregory decided not to take any chances. Instead of busting in and putting his guys in danger, they light the whole front of the bar up with some serious high-caliber bullets. Glass shatters and breaks, showering me and Seamus with shards. Bullets rip through the walls and thud into the bar, into the tables, into the booths. Bullets tear chunks of wood and plaster, sending tiny missiles all through the air. There’s a scream of pain, followed by loud cursing, and the shooting just keeps going.
I can’t do anything but curl up and stay low. More than a few holes are ripped in the wall above me. Seamus is cursing loudly and keeping his arms above his head. Based on the noises further into the bar, only one person is injured so far—and I just keep thinking, if we hadn’t been warned, this would’ve been a nightmare.
At least Valentina is safe in the office. At least she’s not in the middle of all this. Gregory has no reason to hurt her—he’s just here for me.
The shooting stops. It’s abrupt but happens all at once. The sudden cessation of noise makes my head hurt, and I risk looking around. Niall’s kneeling next to Cousin Jacob and trying to stem the flow of blood from a wound in his chest. Red spittle and bubbles form on his lips as he gasps for air. Seamus is staring, and I have to grab him by the shirt and force him to look away.
“They’re coming,” I tell him through my teeth. “Get your shit together. You ready?”
“Ready,” he says and turns to the door as a figure starts kicking it open.
The barrier of tables rattles. The glass is mostly blown out, and whoever’s trying to get in starts cursing. He reaches in to knock the tables back, and that’s when Seamus leaps up.
The shotgun is a sonic boom. The biker in the doorway screams as his chest is blown to raw hamburger. He falls back, blood spraying from his body, and there’s cursing and angry yells from behind him.
I’m up next. I’m up and aiming as three more bikers turn to face me. I pull the trigger, blasting the man closest, and hitting him half in the face and half in the neck. His skin and flesh shreds to gore and viscera as he topples backward with a bloody, horrible gurgle.
I drop back down. The bikers return fire, but they’re spraying in fear now. Seamus stays still, waiting for his chance, and there’s a yell from outside again. Seamus pops up, fires, and there’s another scream, but this time the bikers get their shit together, and charge.
The barrier doesn’t hold. I fire a shot into a biker’s chest, sending him flying back, but it’s not enough. Seamus shoots as he retreats to the bar, and I’m sprinting after him as bullets scream after me. I dive over, landing in an ugly heap, and I hear Niall’s shout as our men open fire.
It’s a glorious, horrifying cascade of bullets and death. The bikers trying to get in through the front door and the broken-out windows are an easy target. There’s no cover, no dodging or hiding, and even though their weapons are more powerful, they’re right out in the open caught trying to get past our barrier.