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“I’m coming for ye, brother. I promise ya. Please hold on.”
“I’m sorry, Punky. I—”
But the line goes dead.
I frantically try to call him back, but his phone is switched off.
“Fuck!” I scream, blinded by nothing but mad rage. I regret my outburst as I know the twins are scared, but if anything happens to Cian…
“Punky?” Amber asks, but I don’t have time to explain. If the Doyles have Cian, all gloves are off, and no one is safe.
“Amber, go inside and lock all the doors, ya hear me? Don’tcha let anyone in.”
“What’s going on?” I know she’s afraid, but I can’t console her. I don’t have time.
“Please, just listen to me. Keep the twins safe, all right? I’ll explain everythin’ later.”
She nods quickly, sensing the urgency to my demands. “Kids, let’s go inside and put on that movie you wanted to watch.”
Hannah and Ethan look at me for guidance, and at this moment, I realize it doesn’t matter that we’re not blood. They will always be my kin.
“Go with Amber,” I say with a strained smile.
They may only be small, but they understand when something is wrong. They’re Kellys, after all, and nothing is ever right in our fucked-up world.
Both of them come running over to me, their fighting over the boat long forgotten. They cling to me tight as I crouch down to hug them.
“Yer coming back?” Hannah asks, choking on her tears.
“Of course, I am.”
Ethan doesn’t say a word.
“Yer the man of the house, all right?” I say, pushing him out at arm’s length. “I need ye to be brave for me. Can ya do that?”
His head bobs, but he’s afraid. “I love you, Punky.”
“Me too. I love ya both. Go now. A’ll see ya soon.”
I gently coax them to leave with Amber who nods, promising me she’ll look after them.
Once they’re gone, I run to my gaff and dial Rory. I don’t give him a chance to talk.
“Can ye trace Cian’s phone?”
“I’ve tried doing that all day, but it’s turned off. What’s going on then?”
“He just phoned me about two minutes ago. He’s in trouble, Rory.” I kick open my door and storm over to the painting hanging above the fireplace. Ripping it off the wall, I punch in the code to my safe.
I can hear the frantic clicking on a keyboard as I gather guns, knives, and money and stuff them into a bag. I don’t know why the Doyles have Cian, but I’m going in prepared for every possible scenario.
“Holy fuck,” he says, and I know this isn’t good. “The call came from the bungalow where yer grandparents are. He’s there.”
“Fuck,” I curse, not understanding any of this. “We’ve got to go. The Doyles have him. They think he’s me.”
“If the Doyles are there, and we go, they’ll know yer not Mike. They have Cian because they don’t know who y’are. All of yer hard work would have been for nothin’, and the upper hand ya have will be lost.”
My body is vibrating in anger. I can barely stand it. Rory is right. If I go there now, the plan to ambush the Doyles with Uncle Sean will be ruined. They’ll know that I’m not Mike and that I’ve played them, and then we’ll never get to the bottom of who’s behind all this.
