Page 102 of Redeem Me

‘As I’ll ever be.’ I smooth a hand over the front of my suit and glance up at the front window. Ivy is nowhere to be seen, but Orla’s little face appears, pressing against the glass. My heart flips in my chest. I wave goodbye, blow her a kiss and pray it won’t be for the last time.

Killian has paid the hospital security staff to make themselves scarce. The cameras have conveniently gone down. There will be no trace of us ever being there.

I’ve been over it and over it in my head so many times.

Ask the questions.

Do whatever it takes to get the answers.

Put an end to Danny.

Put an end to the O’Connors.

Put an end to the incessant rage roiling beneath my skin.

Forty minutes later, we reach the Blackrock Clinic, Dublin’s most expensive private hospital. I should know. I’ve been paying Danny’s medical bills for the past two years to keep the fucker alive so I could kill him myself.

Killian, James, Sean and Rian are already in the carpark waiting for us, grim-faced and glowering. The slight swell beneath their suits assures me they’re armed. I run a hand over my own weapon, a Walther PPK nestled discreetly inthe inside pocket of my jacket. A sleek, sharp folding knife is concealed in the other.

I’ve never killed a man before.

I’ve done some questionable things over the years to protect my family and our businesses, but I’ve never taken a life. Now the time has come, the moment I’ve spent years waiting for is within reach, the revenge I’ve been relishing suddenly doesn’t seem so sweet.

It seems tragic.

But I will do whatever it takes to uncover the truth and protect my family.

My brothers nod in a silent greeting. Even Rian doesn’t open his trap. There are no words. Every cell in my body vibrates with nervous anticipation. I glance at my fingers. Despite my internal turmoil, they remain steady.

We stride in through the sliding doors and are met with white walls, white floors and spotlights so bright they’re blinding. The reception desk and hallways are deserted.

‘Third room on the right,’ Killian says without any hint of emotion.

The sound of our shoes on the hard floor echoes off the sterile walls.

When we reach the door, James places a palm on my chest, halting me. I swear he must feel the pounding of my heart.

‘You don’t have to do this.’ His eyes are so dark, it’s impossible to distinguish his pupils from his irises. ‘I’ll do it. You don’t have to have any part in this.’

‘I do.’ I reach for the handle before I change my mind.

Chapter Forty-Five

CAELON

I hear the gentle beeping of a life support monitor before I see the man it’s attached to.

Man? Huh, coward, more like. O’Connor’s dog. Henchman. Whatever. He’ll be bleeding and pleading for his life any minute now.

I slip into the room with my brothers at my heels. Adrenaline courses through my blood, fizzing through every cell of my body. My pulse pounds in my head like a war drum.

Danny Bourke lies on a trolley bed, half reclined, with his eyes closed peacefully, as if he doesn’t have a care in the world. His complexion is smooth and sallow, his skinny arms tucked tightly beneath the covers from the elbows down. His biceps have wasted away beneath his sagging skin. My eyes home in on the subtle rise and fall of his chest, watching as his heart beats sturdily, while mine has barely survived.

The Danny I remember was a mountain of a man, ripped and muscular, built like a brick shithouse.

The man who lies before me is weak, withered and built like a bird.

I kick the bed which slams against the wall with a crack.Danny’s eyes jolt open, wide and white like a rabbit trapped in a snare. They dart wildly around the room, from me to my brothers, fear flashes over his features.

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