Page 110 of Mine
I eye the container where they’re holding Aoife while they walk forward cautiously and pry the crate open. One of the men slices open a brick, and pale beige powder spills out.
For half a second, everything holds. Then the man dips a finger into the powder and rubs it between his fingers. His eyes narrow and he twists to Cruz. ‘It’s?—’
The gunshot cracks before he finishes the word. Frankie fired—exactly the way we planned it. The man drops instantly and chaos detonates. Gunfire explodes across the warehouse. Men dive for cover. Ciaran unloads his pistol into the second Colombian before he can raise his rifle. Cathal drags me behind a steel pillar as bullets rip through the crate where I was standing.
‘The container!’ I bark. Two of the Colombians sprint toward it. They don’t make it halfway. Owen drops one. Kai takes the other as I run. Another gunshot cracks behind me. Then another. Cruz shouts something in Spanish. I reach the container and rip the door open.
Inside, a guard spins toward me and points his weapon—he’s too slow. I don’t hesitate. He never stood a chance. Not when he is the only man left standing between me and my wife. I pull the trigger and he drops to the floor.
Then I see her, barefoot and bleeding, hands bound behind her back.
But she’s alive.
My chest finally unlocks. I feel like I can breathe for the first time in twelve hours.
‘Dom—’
I cross the container in two strides, pluck a knife from my pocket and cut the ties at her wrists.
She throws herself into my arms. I wrap them tightlyaround her, breathing in the scent of her hair, her skin, and squeezing her against my chest.
‘You’re okay,’ I murmur into her hair. ‘I’ve got you,’ I tell her, like I have done a hundred times before.
Her fingers clutch my shirt like she’s afraid I’ll disappear.
Gunfire echoes through the warehouse outside. I press my forehead to hers. ‘We need to get out of here.’ She nods quickly, still shaking. I grab her hand and pull her with me out of the container.
The warehouse is complete chaos. Smoke curls through the air from somewhere deeper in the building. The sharp crack of gunfire ricochets off the steel walls as my brothers exchange fire with the Colombians.
Frankie stands near the entrance, calm as ever, pistol raised. A Colombian bursts from behind a stack of pallets. Frankie drops him with a single shot.
‘Dominic!’ he barks. ‘Move!’
I drag Aoife across the concrete floor, keeping my body between her and the gunfire. ‘Stay behind me,’ I tell her. Her fingers tighten in my shirt. We’re halfway to the door when another shot rings out behind us. Ciaran. He stands near the crate, reloading calmly while Cathal covers him. Two more Colombians are already down.
A third bolts for the side exit. Kai appears from nowhere and slams him into the wall before finishing the job. ‘Clear!’ he shouts.
Frankie nods once. ‘Out. Now. The place is about to blow.’
I shove the warehouse door open and pull Aoife out into the sunshine, across the yard, and shove her behind one of the BMWs. ‘Stay here,’ I demand.
‘Don’t leave me,’ she begs, clinging on to my hand. Hervoice cracks with raw fear. Sirens scream in the distance, closing in with every passing second.
We need to clean this shit up. It’s imperative we leave zero evidence that we were here. The cops can’t be left with anything concrete to link us to the Colombians. There are enough bodies in there to put the entire Syndicate behind bars for life.
Smoke pours from the open doors as flames begin licking up the steel walls, but it’s nowhere near quick enough to set an explosion. The gunfire inside dies away one shot at a time until only the crackle of burning fuel fills the air. Owen and Tristan rush towards us with Frankie at their heels. Kai appears from nowhere and sprints past us toward a forklift parked near the entrance.
‘What are you doing?’ I snap.
He doesn’t slow. ‘Cleaning up.’ He yanks open a fuel drum and kicks it hard, spilling petrol across the concrete and under the warehouse door. Then he pulls a lighter from his trouser pocket, flicks and tosses it inside.
Flames roar instantly. A deep boom rips through the building as the fire catches inside. Glass explodes outward, and the warehouse begins to burn. Smoke pours from the roof. Cruz’s sister darts from the building. The bitch needs to die. We don’t hurt women, but this one came for mine. That can’t go unpunished.
Ciaran and I exchange a look. He’s contemplating taking her out. It’s etched into every line of his, but he doesn’t pull the trigger.
She uses his hesitation to fire at him.
He must have anticipated because he darts to the left.
