Page 167 of Deceived Wrath

He pulls out his phone and dials Ronan.

He keeps his voice low so as not to wake Scout. “We’re ready to move. Keep an eye on the perimeter.”

His tone is calm, but there’s an edge to his voice that gives him away. He keeps Ronan on the phone as he backs out of the garage, his eyes furiously scanning the surroundings for any sign of danger as his bloodied hands grip the wheel.

I keep my eyes focused on the road ahead.

All we need to do is make it to Kieran’s house, and then we’ll be safe.

Though for how long, I can’t be sure.

Chapter Thirty-Six

CORMAC

The city lightsblur past the windshield as I speed away from the penthouse.

Ronan follows close behind, covering my blind spots.

Every second we spend on the road is another second I put Scout at risk. For all I know, Smirnov could have a dozen more cars ready to ambush us at any second.

The thought has me pushing the accelerator to the floor.

I catch Fiona bracing her hand on the dashboard as I swerve in and out of traffic, but she stays silent.

“Daddy? Are we there yet?” Scout mumbles, half asleep, from the backseat.

“Almost.” I glance in my side mirror to make sure Ronan is still behind me.

“But I want to see the stars.”

I look in the mirror to see him gazing up at the night sky through the sunroof.

I exhale through my nose, trying to calm the tension coiling in my chest.

Every instinct tells me to stay focused, to keep my eyes on the road and my hands steady.

He doesn’t realize the danger we’ve just escaped, and I want it to stay that way.

“Try to go back to sleep, okay?”

“Are my cousins coming to the sleepover too?”

Fiona’s eyes are on me, but when I go to reply, my words get stuck in my throat.

The world is closing in from every side. All I can see in my mind is Scout trapped inside the wrecked car, covered in blood and bullet wounds, as Adrian Smirnov laughs.

“Fiona,” I choke.

Without missing a beat, she turns in her seat and grins at Scout. “They sure are. But remember, they’re babies, so they’re a lot smaller than you, so you’re in charge of keeping an eye on them. Can you do that?”

“I can make sure they don’t eat too much candy or fall off the couch!”

“That’s a great start.”

I keep my eyes forward, trying to focus on the road.

Every word he says, every little laugh or giggle, is another reminder of what’s at stake. If anything goes wrong tonight, Scout, Fiona, Ciara, Riley, the kids… They all become vulnerable.