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  It took her barely thirty seconds to pick the lock on the back door and then she was inside. She found it amazing that Dwyer’s security was so lax but then again it fit in with his arrogance. He assumed no one would ever dare break in here.

  It was tempting to have a nosy around and discover more about her nemesis but she didn’t want to leave any trace of her presence here, so she settled down in the kitchen to await his return.

  Ryan and Mark almost crashed into each other as they were both making their way through heavily overgrown terrain.

  “Christ,” said Mark. “Thank God it’s you.”

  “Are you okay?” said Ryan, clapping him on the shoulder. He thought what a stupid question that was. Mark’s face was covered in bruises and scratches. He was cradling his left arm and limping on his left leg.

  “I’ll live. Is everyone okay? How about the Boss?”

  Ryan could see Mark was genuinely concerned about Jules, which was a relief after what Carter had just tried to do. “She’s fine, we all are. They’re all looking for you.”

  “And the fucking traitor?”

  “Dead. He got a shotgun in the face.”

  “That was too good for him,” he glowered.

  “I couldn’t agree more. Let’s get you to hospital.”

  “That can wait. We need to finish this first.”

  “I appreciate the support but you’re in no fit state.”

  “I can still fight.”

  Ryan doubted it but didn’t have the heart to disappoint him. “Let’s find the others then we can get out of here. These woods are probably crawling with ticks.”

  Ryan slung an arm around Mark’s waist and helped him hobble back up the hill, Mark grimacing with each step on his injured leg.

  They found the others had met back at the top of the hill, two cars with Dane and his men inside waiting for them.

  “Thank Christ you found him,” said Jules.

  To Mark’s surprise, she hugged him.

  “You look like shit,” she told him.

  “Thanks Boss,” he smiled.

  “Right, we’re taking you to hospital.”

  “I can still fight,” he said determinedly. “I want to finish this.”

  “You’re not fighting on that leg. You’re going to hospital for a well earned rest where you’ll be fussed over by some fit nurses.”

  “Actually, when you put it like that…”

  “It sounds like one of your fantasies, I know.” She patted his uninjured arm. “You’ve done us proud. We’ll take it from here.”

  “Bugger. I wanted to put a bullet in Declan’s head.”

  “That’s my pleasure and it’ll be a knife in the throat.”

  “That sounds good too.”

  “Dane, can one of your men take Mark to hospital?”

  “Course. Gunther can take him.”

  Jules’s lips twitched with amusement. All Dane’s men had tough guy names. “Good old Gunther. The rest of us will stick to the plan. I just hope Declan and his friends haven’t got bored and buggered off thanks to Carter the cock.”

  “I never did like him,” said Dane. “His eyes were too close together.”

  “Now you tell me. And there’ll be no more additions to the inner circle. You can’t trust anyone these days.”

  CHAPTER 48

  Archie wandered the streets, panic finally starting to set in but he wasn’t thinking about the police officer he’d shot or anyone else. He was thinking about Ben, his new brother. His replacement.

  “What happened in there?” demanded Craig, running alongside him. He’d missed all the action because he’d nipped into the corner shop for a can of pop. “I heard the bang. You shot someone, didn’t you?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Who? One of your family?”

  “No,” he retorted. “Just some arsehole copper.”

  “Oh,” said Craig, almost disappointed. “I thought you might have shot Riley.”

  “He’s not there, he’s still in hospital.”

  “Which hospital? We could go round there and finish him off.”

  “I don’t know where the hospital is. He’s in one the family uses when they want to hide someone who’s sick. Aunty Jules and Uncle Mikey stayed there when they’d been shot.”

  “That is so fucking awesome,” exclaimed Craig. “Have you seen their scars?”

  “No. They wouldn’t show me.”

  “Crap,” he sighed. “So, where to then?”

  “Dunno but the police are looking for us.”

  “So what? We’re underage. They can’t put us in prison.”

  “They have places to put kids our age. Riley threatened to send me to one if I did something bad again. He’ll definitely send me there after this.”

  “Which is why we need to get rid of him.”

  “For fuck’s sake, I don’t know where he is,” he yelled. “And it doesn’t matter. Mum hates me now,” he said miserably. “She said she’s sick of me.”

  Craig shrugged. “My mum’s always hated me. You get used to it.”

  But Archie wasn’t used to it and it hurt. He thought of her shielding Ben with her body. He bet she’d never do that for him. “And I’ve got a new brother. Ben,” he said with distaste.

  “When did that happen?”

  “She’d just had him on the floor in the front room.”

  “What, just now?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Bloody hell, did you see it?”

  “Yeah. He was covered in blood and horrible stuff.”

  “Woah, awesome,” murmured Craig. “Did you see your mum’s, you know?”

  “Shut the fuck up Craig.” Archie looked around at the sound of more sirens. “We need to get away from here. They’ll be looking for us.”

  “Where shall we go?”

  “I’ve got an idea. Come on.”

  The two boys broke into a jog as the sirens got closer.

  “Well thank you Carter,” muttered Jules. “Thanks to him delaying us we don’t know whether it’s safe or not to go in.”

  They were all crouched in the woods beyond the perimeter of the clubhouse, Jules’s car already parked alongside it, uncertain whether to proceed or not.

  “The area looks clear,” said Axel, one of Dane’s men, scanning the trees with his binoculars. “But I can’t say for sure.”

  “Thank you, very helpful,” sighed Jules. “Well, only one way to find out.”

  When she attempted to stride out of her hiding place Ryan grabbed her arm.

  “Relax big bruv,” she told him. “Declan won’t kill me outright, this is his revenge. He’ll want me alive so he can gloat first.”

  “You’re wearing your vest?”

  She nodded. “Don’t worry, more lives than a cat me,” she said before stepping out of the undergrowth.

  They all held their breath as they watched Jules saunter out of the tree line and head towards the cabin, as though she’d just been out for a walk, every one of the men in admiration of her courage.

  She reached the door without incident and turned to scan the surrounding area. No one was there.

  “It’s safe lads,” she called. “Time to get into position.”

  She took two of Raven’s sonic devices out of her pocket, holding one in each hand and smiled.

  “Are you sure this is it?” whispered Ronan.

  “Yes,” whispered back Declan.

  “But there’s no one here. The car we saw on the news has gone.”

  “They could have nipped out for something.”

  “We’ll just have to wait,” said Jordan, lowering his binoculars, who hadn’t let being shot in the leg slow him down. He was lying on the ground behind a large tree with them, watching the cabin. The friend Ronan had invited from Ireland had brought a second man with him and they were stationed in the trees to the left of the cabin, both carrying sniper rifles with orders to injure but not mortally wound Jules. That was Declan’s pleasure only.

  Jorda
n startled the others when he suddenly sat upright. “A car’s coming.”

  “I don’t hear anything,” replied Declan.

  “Jordan has the hearing of a bat,” said Ronan. “If he says a car’s coming then a car’s coming.”

  They hunkered back down to watch as the black Volvo they’d seen on the television entered the clearing. At first Declan thought he was wrong, no way would any of that lot drive such a mundane car but to his surprise Jules was behind the wheel. When he shifted with excitement, Ronan clamped his hand down on his arm, indicating for him to remain still.

  The car rolled to a halt at the side of the cabin and Jules got out, whistling.

  “Let’s move,” said Ronan.

  Silently they moved out of their hiding places, weapons raised, Jules failing to hear their approach as she produced the keys for the cabin and slid one into the front door.

  “Don’t move Jules,” yelled Declan, flanked by Ronan and Jordan, aiming their guns at her.

  Slowly she turned to face them.

  “Why the fuck are you grinning?” demanded Ronan, her reaction making him uneasy.

  “That’s how she always looks,” Declan told him. “She’s nuts.”

  “I was wondering when you’d show yourselves again,” she said. “I should have known you’d strike when I was on my own. After all, that is what you do - attack lone women. You didn’t even have the balls to go after Shane up close and personal.”

  “You bitch,” yelled Ronan, indignant at his courage being called into question.

  He took a step toward her, intent on punching her in the face but Declan pulled him back. “Don’t, that’s what she wants you to do so she can use her blades.” He looked back at Jules. “Put your hands up.”

  “I was hoping you’d say that,” she said, raising her hands.

  Declan just had time to register the device she held in each hand before a stabbing pain pierced his eardrums. He fell to his knees, gun falling from his hand and vomited into the grass, Ronan and Jordan collapsing either side of him.

  Jules had drawn her gun, ready to shoot them down when a bullet struck the wall of the cabin beside her head and it hadn’t come from the three tossers writhing in pain on the ground.

  “They’ve brought more men,” she yelled for the benefit of the others, ducking around the side of the cabin while tugging the ear plugs out of her ears.

  More firing started up from another direction, pinning her down where she was, meaning the others were unable to make their approach.

  She was on her own.

  “Holy fuck, she’s trapped down there,” exclaimed Dane.

  “We need to draw their attention away from her,” said Ryan.

  “On it.”

  Ryan grabbed his arm when he tried to charge out of the trees. “Get your emotions under control. She won’t thank you for dying for her.”

  Dane was astonished that his feelings for Jules had been so easily discerned. “You’re right, she’d call me a dick.”

  “Yes she would. Now Dane, take two of your men and approach the sniper’s position from the east. Make lots of noise but keep low. Those woods are too dense for them to get a fix on you but it will take their attention off Jules. Bruiser, Shane and I will tackle Declan and the other two.”

  “Which way’s east?” frowned Axel.

  Dane rolled his eyes. “This way,” he said before plunging into the undergrowth, Axel and Brick following.

  “Are you up to this?” Ryan asked Shane, sliding a clip into his pistol.

  “You fucking bet I am,” he replied, one side of his face badly swollen and bruised. “What are we doing?”

  “This,” he said before racing towards the cabin, firing.

  “I thought a genius would have something more subtle in mind,” muttered Shane before following, Bruiser bringing up the rear.

  Jules fired around the corner of the cabin at Declan and his friends, being careful to keep out of sight of the snipers. When the three men ducked she hurled one of her knives.

  “Yes,” she said when it sank into Declan’s left thigh. He cried out and fell onto one knee.

  “You’ve got tougher since you worked for us,” she yelled. “You’re still a useless bell end though. Even Cathy was too much for you.”

  “Christ you’re a mouthy cow,” yelled Ronan. “No wonder so many people want to kill you.”

  Ronan and Declan rushed around the opposite side of the cabin when Ryan, Bruiser and Shane raced down the slope, firing. Jordan however ran at Jules. She fired, hitting him in the abdomen. She was so shocked when he didn’t go down that he was able to crash into her, shoving her hand holding the gun up into the air and they tumbled to the ground, Jordan landing on top of her. He punched her in the face, hesitating when she released a moan of pleasure, the corner of his mouth cocking into a smile as her body undulated against his.

  “You wish,” she said, bringing up her leg and catching him in the side of the head, knocking him sideways. “You’re fast for a fucking tortoise,” she added when he rolled and sprung to his feet, blood staining the front of his t-shirt. She drew her second knife and threw it. The blade sank into his stomach, beside the bullet wound.

  Beyond him Jules could see Dane and his men approaching the sniper hiding in the tree line who was able to hear their approach but couldn’t see them and was randomly firing in their direction, missing completely. Caught up avoiding his fire, Dane had failed to notice the second sniper sneaking up on him from behind.

  “No,” she breathed. “Fuck off tortoise man,” she said, punching him in the face and shoving him aside. As he stumbled backward she snatched up his dropped rifle, took aim and pumped several bullets in the sniper’s direction. The first two missed because of the distance but the third was true, striking him in the chest and dropped.

  The first sniper released a wail of rage when he saw his friend fall and turned and fired at Jules. She leapt behind her car with Ryan, Bruiser and Shane, grimacing when bullets struck the metalwork.

  “Loki,” she cried. “Those bastards are going to pay for that.”

  While the second sniper was distracted, Dane and his men shot him down.

  “Shit,” exclaimed Declan to Ronan. “There’s only us left.” He still had Jules’s blade stuck in his leg and he didn’t dare remove it in case he bled out.

  “I’ve faced worse odds,” said Ronan determinedly.

  He watched Jules, Bruiser, Ryan and Shane race inside the cabin and slam the door shut. He removed his backpack and tore it open. Declan’s eyes widened at the sight of the two hand grenades inside.

  “Our main targets are in there,” said Ronan. Let’s throw these through the window then get the hell out of here.”

  “Great idea,” grinned Declan, sweating from the pain in his leg, firing in Dane’s direction to keep him and his men at bay.

  There was a massive bang and the side of the cabin exploded outwards, knocking them onto their fronts and showering them in shrapnel. The hand grenades rolled from Ronan’s hand. One still had the pin in but he’d already removed the pin from the second one.

  “Run,” he cried, scrambling to his feet and staggering sideways, throwing himself around the back of the cabin with Declan as a second bang filled the air, sending up a shower of earth and grass.

  The explosion flung Declan facedown into the dirt, agony in his leg from where the blade still protruded. He tried to rise but was pushed back down by a boot on his back, the pain making him scream as the foot ground against the splinters embedded in his skin.

  “Don’t move dickhead,” said Jules’s voice.

  Ronan was similarly restrained by Ryan.

  Their hands were cable-tied behind their backs and they were marched into the cabin, Declan coughing and spluttering from the dust the two explosions had kicked up, a high-pitched whine in his ears. They were led into the cabin, one wall of which was practically gone. Bruiser stood in the centre of the room, looking terrifying with his bald grazed head a
nd shotgun clutched in his hands.

  “How did you…,” began Declan.

  “Just a little trick with the gas pipes,” said Jules before kicking him to his knees.

  Shane entered the cabin through the front door dragging a half-unconscious Jordan, who was bleeding from his bullet and stab wounds. Dane and his men, along with Shane were outside, starting the clean-up.

  Finally it occurred to Declan that this had all been a set-up. They’d already been here waiting for them to come. “You fed the media that footage of this place, didn’t you?”

  “Course we did,” replied Jules. “They’ll be disappointed to learn that their juicy story about an unscrupulous property developer is all bollocks. Never mind, I’m sure they’ll find another one, there’s plenty of the bastards out there.” Her trademark smile split her face in two. “You always were slow.” She waved a hand in the direction of Ronan and Jordan. “Kill them.”

  “No, please don’t,” was all Ronan managed to cry, his macho image crumbling in his last few seconds of life before a bullet from Ryan’s gun knocked him onto his front.

  Jules’s order snapped Jordan back into consciousness and he actually hissed at her as Bruiser took aim at the back of his head and pulled the trigger.

  “Wow, a vampire tortoise,” said Jules, grinning down at his inert form, his head practically gone. “We might have just killed a new species.”

  “You’re still a gobshite,” Declan told her.

  “Always will be. It’s what makes me so likeable. Well Declan, any last words? Try and make them less stupid than the usual crap you come out with.”

  “I did it for Amber. One day your family will pay for what you did to her.”

  “What we did to her? Are you fucking serious? She sided with Katia and gave her the address of our wedding reception so she could kill us all, including our children.”

  “Liar.”

  “I’m fucking not. She wanted us all dead because she was a selfish bitch who loved no one except herself.”