Page 78 of Treachery in the Highlands
He tosses the Tommy gun to me, and I spray a volley of bullets at Fulvio's remaining men, knocking them down in quick succession, roaring like a wild man.The tables turned in an instant when the goons found themselves on the receiving end of their own firepower.All the fake mobsters are gone.
But where is the real one?
"Joey, look out!"Rachel's voice cuts through the chaos.I spin just in time to
I spin around just in time to see the real Fulvio lunging at me, a wicked-looking dagger glinting in his hand.Time seems to slow as I raise the Tommy gun, but I know I won't be fast enough.
Suddenly, a blur of tartan and flashing steel intercepts him.Rachel, her expression the picture of defiant determination, parries Fulvio's strike with a sword she must have snatched from a fallen clansman.The clash of metal-on-metal rings out, but the hefty sword makes her stagger backward.
"I thought you were gathering the women, Rachel!"
She gives me a sloppy grin.
Fulvio pulls out his Glock, aiming the gun straight at the woman I love.
"Here, Joey!"Rachel cries out, tossing me her sword.
With a mighty battle cry, I leap in front of Rachel, claymore in my hand.I catch the sword in mid-air, its weight nearly pulling me off balance.But adrenaline surges through me, and I manage to bring the blade up just as Fulvio fires.
The bullet ricochets off the steel with a resounding clang, sparks flying, the impact vibrating through my bones.Fulvio's eyes widen in shock, and I seize opening.With a roar that would make Kieran proud, I charge forward, swinging the claymore in a wild arc.
Fulvio dodges, but he's not quite fast enough.The tip of the blade catches his arm, drawing a line of crimson.He hisses in pain, stumbling back.
"Not so tough without your goons, are you?"I taunt as a rush of confidence hits me.I think I'm getting the hang of this medieval warrior thing after all.
Abruptly, I notice that all the other warriors, and the witches too, are standing in a huge circle encompassing me and Fulvio.That bastard made my life hell, and he would've killed me if I hadn't been thrown back in time.But now he is the only bad guy left.The enforcer is going down.Right now.
Rachel appears at my side, her hands glowing with an eerie blue light."Together, Joey, we do this together."
"Damn straight."
A sensation of raw power emanates from her, and the blue glow gradually spreads outward to encompass every single Scot, man or woman.We advance on Fulvio, who's now backed against a rocky outcropping, his eyes darting frantically between us and the circle of Scots who have surrounded the clearing.
"It's over, Fulvio," I growl, leveling the claymore at his chest."You're a long way from Chicago, and your mafia tricks won't save you here."
He sneers, blood dripping from his wounded arm."You think you've won?You're nothing but a punk kid playing dress-up in a kilt.I've survived worse than this."
Rachel's eyes narrow dangerously."Aye, but you've never faced a Highland witch before."
She raises her glowing hands.
Fulvio's sneer falters as he glances nervously at the pulsing blue light."What the hell is that?"
"This," Rachel says, her voice resonating with power, "is justice, Highland style."
The blue glow intensifies, spreading from Rachel to me, then rippling out to encompass the entire circle of Scots.I feel a surge of energy coursing through my body, making my hair stand on end.The claymore in my hands hums with an otherworldly vibration.
Fulvio raises his gun, but his hand is shaking."Stay back!I'll blow you away, Finnegan, I swear!"
"Go ahead," I taunt, feeling invincible with Rachel's magic coursing through me."Your bullets can't hurt us now."
Fulvio's eyes dart wildly as he aims the gun at my chest.He pulls the trigger, but the bullet dissolves into blue sparks before it reaches me.He gasps."Impossible.This can't be real, I'm dreaming or...something."
He fires again and again with the same result.
I advance slowly, the claymore glowing with ethereal light."This is for everyone you've ever hurt, you bastard."
With a primal yell, I swing the sword in a mighty arc.Fulvio tries to dodge, but he's too slow.The blade slices clean through him, and for a moment, everything goes still.
