Page 162 of Illicit Heir

Alaina nods and affirms, "Yes."

Lauren lifts her chin. "What would ya do, Alaina?"

She stares at Lauren for a moment, then answers, "It's not about what I would do. It's about what ya would do."

Lauren sniffs hard, then squares her shoulders. "You wouldn't think twice. You would kill her."

"Yes, I would. But that's me, not you. You have to decide and live with that decision," Alaina says.

Lauren turns to me and orders. "Kill her, Devin. Take her out. Send a message that anybody who comes after our son does not deserve to live."

Shock fills me. Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised, but I didn't think Lauren had it in her. Yet I also know she'd kill for our son. And it's the answer I wanted to hear, but I question, "Are ya sure? Once I do it, it can't be undone."

"There will be one less person trying to harm our child. So, yes. Do it and let me know when it's done."

"Ya sure?" I ask again.

"Yes. Stop asking me," she asserts.

"Okay." I kiss her head, rise, and leave the room with Brody. As soon as the door shuts. I order, "Have them take her to the warehouse."

"Done." He picks up his phone and puts it to his ear, and as I exit the house, I hear him say, "Warehouse."

When I get to the warehouse, I don't have to wait very long. In the few spare minutes, I debate whether I should torture her mum or just kill her quickly. Part of me wants to torture her for hours, but I also want it to end. My focus has to be on Lauren and our son. Plus, I still need to hunt down Caleb.

The moment she enters the room, I stop debating. I order, "Put her in cell B."

She has tape over her mouth, and her eyes widen. She tries to resist but can't. They put her in the tiny room and strap her to a chair.

She tries to fight again, but she's no match compared to my men.

As soon as they step back, I point a gun at her head and state, "Ya had the best daughter in the world, but ya couldn't see that. Ya couldn't choose her over the O'Learys. Now ya want to come after my son? Ya don't deserve to live. But just so ya know, Lauren made this choice."

Shock and fear fill her expression.

I shoot her between the eyes. Blood pools everywhere, and I direct my men, "Clean it up." I leave and get in my car.

I'm almost to Brody's when he calls.

I answer, "I'm almost back."

He snarls, "Caleb's on his way."

My pulse skyrockets. "Where is he?"

"Few kilometers from the border. I'll send you the vehicle he's in, but several of them exist. We're sending all the guys we have that way. There's going to be a full-out war."

I drive like a madman through the city. Within ten minutes, I get another call from my brother.

"Our men just took a dozen of them out. He's in the third to the last car."

"I'm on it," I say, accelerating until I spot our men in their vehicles and positioned on top of buildings, ready to shoot. Then I hear gunshots, and Brody was right. I'm driving straight into a war zone.

I stay back, letting my men take the O'Learys' cars out one by one as they use guns and bombs to explode the vehicles. But the O'Learys just keep coming. Thick smoke fills the air, to the point I can barely see. And then I get another call from Brody.

He directs, "Surveillance has three cars left. The next one is his."

"Order the men to stop shooting," I state.

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