“Seriously, Rian, if you want to help her, cut the shit.” Nolan moves back toward me.
“Can I lower the gun?” Callum asks.
My mind’s a mess. I feel the darkness closing in tight around me, and I can barely breathe. Daley’s taken, and Aiden’s dead, and the Turks aren’t the kind of people to forgive a blood debt. If they think Daley is to blame for the deaths of those two hitmen, they’ll kill her, too.
I can’t let that happen.
I have to focus. Daley’s the only thing that matters now. She’s not dead, only taken. The Turks would’ve made sure we knew it if they’d killed both Daley and Aiden. She’s alive out there somewhere, which means there’s a chance I can get her back.
Nolan and Callum, they’re just cowardly fucks. They have no power in this family and never did—though I guess Callum is the new heir since he’s the next oldest after Aiden.
But they’re not going after Daley. They won’t put their lives on the line.
I will.
“You can lower the gun.”
I take a step back. Callum keeps the weapon out, but he stops aiming it at me, the barrel dipping down to the floor.
I turn and walk across the office. It’s just me and the brothers right now. Fergal is somewhere else, dealing with this mess, arranging a funeral and a wake for his dead boy, but I’m itching to get out there. I can’t stay in this house for long, not when I know Daley’s somewhere, suffering.
“Here’s what we know,” Callum says, and I detect a hint of nerves in his tone, just a slight warble. I try to focus on the facts of what’s happening right now, because if I don’t, I’m going to do something aggressive and stupid.
But I keep hearing Daley’s moans and tasting her lips, and rage ripples down my spine.
“Aiden and Daley went into the meeting with minimal backup,” Callum continues. “A single guard, and he’s dead. We had people stationed around the restaurant, just in case something went down, but whatever happened inside went fast. Aiden never had a chance to send a distress signal. But when the Turks left in three different cars, and Aiden and Daley never came out, we followed them to three different locations. I’m sure Daley is in one of those three places. We’ve been surveilling them closely. Half the fucking clan is out on this right now. Nobody’s entered or left any of those three buildings since it all went down.”
Nolan speaks up next. “We sent men into the restaurant after the meeting. They found Aiden’s body lying on the table like it was the meal. His throat was cut ear to ear, and there was blood everywhere.”
“And Daley?”
“No sign of her. I think she’s still alive.”
I nod to myself. I have to hold on to that. She’s still alive, which means I can get her back. “Three locations. Where are they?”
“All three are in Delco. Two houses and an empty office complex. The houses we were aware of, but the office must’ve been constructed in the last few months. It’s brand-new and currently empty. She could be in any of them.”
I take several deep breaths. My hands are trembling, but having a problem to focus on right now helps a lot. I need clarity, and I can’t flip my shit right now. Daley needs me to be at the top of my game. She needs me to think.
“We have to grab one of their guys,” I say, beginning to pace. “Get him to talk. Three buildings is too many. We have to narrow it down to one or two.”
“The Turks are all hiding right now,” Nolan says. “They know we’re out for blood. Not a single guy is on the street right now. They’re all hunkered down.”
“Waiting for what?” I frown at the window, mind working through the layers of this. “Why keep Daley alive? They knew killing Aiden would be a slap in the face to your father. They knew that would guarantee an escalation to this war. So why do it at all? And why keep Daley?”
“We’re not sure,” Nolan admits.
“Unless they think Daley is the key to fixing this.” I look at Callum, head cocked. “She was going to marry one of their guys, right? What’ll happen if they follow through with that?”
Callum’s face pales. “You think they’re going to force her into something?”
“After they fucking murdered her brother in front of her,” Nolan says quietly, jaw working in rage.
“What do you think your father will do if his daughter is married to one of their guys?” I stare at Callum, daring him to give me some bullshit answer. He knows his father as well as I do. He knows how Fergal Halloran works.
“They’ll still bleed for killing Aiden, even if they have Daley and marry her to one of their family. It won’t stop us.”