room, up and down the sidewalks, but despite being busy, no one lingered near him. “Problematic. The only people who knew our location were at the station. We weren’t followed into town.”
Deacon was quiet. Fionn could feel his friend thinking through the implications of his words, assessing, the pieces of the situation fitting together in his mind. The man was a master at strategy, which was why he’d risen to team lead so quickly at Global First.
“I have Mack,” Fionn said, “and he’s good, but it won’t be enough.”
“Give me twenty-four hours. Think you can hold out till then, brother?”
“I can.” He could hold out forever knowing backup was coming. A sudden spike of pain hit him, longing for his team, for Trapper and Inez and Dirado and Farley to be here with Deacon, the six of them falling into the natural rhythm that made them unstoppable. But his friends were dead, and Trapper would never do fieldwork again, his injuries from the torture Mansa had put him through too extensive. He’d always have pain, limited mobility. It clawed at Fionn that he couldn’t help his brother. It was only him and Deacon now.
He and Mack would regroup tonight, and by the time Deacon arrived, they’d have a better idea of what they were facing.
After ending the call, he walked back into the hospital. The crowds sent anxiety crawling along his skin, the knowledge that anyone could be hidden and he wouldn’t know it, but there’d been no alternative. Both Sean and Lyse had been shot, and his mam had a scalp laceration from hitting the gravel with her forehead.
Mack entered one side of the atrium, escorting Siobhan. A large white bandage covered the cut on her head, but her eyes were clear and she walked easily enough wrapped in Mack’s arm. Probably no concussion then. Relief hit Fionn like a tank.
“All’s fine,” Siobhan said. She didn’t smile; being targeted by four gunmen, watching people you cared about get shot tended to smother your smiles a bit. She grasped Mack’s shirt tightly as if afraid he’d be taken from her. “Lyse?”
Fionn nodded toward the hall they’d just come from, the same hall Lyse had been wheeled down earlier. “No word yet.”
“I’m needing to get to the station,” Mack said. “My inspector allowed me to bring Siobhan in, but he’ll be wanting my report.”
“Will they let you question the bastard?” Fionn asked. Two of the gunmen hadn’t survived the fightin’—one shot in the chest, the other in the femoral artery. A third was in surgery upstairs, but the one who’d surrendered was with the local garda. He was also their least likely source of information. The higher your rank in an organization like the Irish Cartel, the more intel you had and the bigger your balls; this guy had none.
“They will.”
“Can you trust them?” Siobhan asked, her voice low, keeping the words between them.
Mack’s face tightened. “I’ve known my inspector for years; I’ve trusted him.” He pressed Siobhan more firmly to his side. “It could be anyone.” He brushed a kiss against her forehead, right near the bandage. “I won’t be takin’ any chances, acushla.”
Mack’s gaze met his over Siobhan’s head, and Fionn could see the steel in the man’s eyes. He’d find their traitor, and they’d be regretting their decisions soon after.
“Watch yourself,” Fionn told him. “I’ll text when we finish here. You’ll be coming back to the house tonight?”
“In a few hours. Deacon on his way?” Mack asked.
“As soon as he can.”
Mack kissed the side of Siobhan’s head again, lingering this time. “Do whatever Fionn tells you to, yeah? I’m needing to know you’re safe.”
Siobhan cupped his cheek, her fingers stroking the stubble there intimately. “I will. Go do what you need to.”
Mack shook Fionn’s hand, his dark eyes drilling into Fionn’s. “I’m trustin’ ya. Keep her safe.”
“Always.” He’d given up his identity to do just that; he wouldn’t be stopping now. “We’ll head on to the house as soon as Lyse is released.”
The nurse came for them shortly after. “The bullet grazed her side. No major damage, but she’ll need to keep the bandage dry, changing it regularly.” She passed a paper to Siobhan, a hint of a smile teasing her mouth. “She can take this for pain, although she might need to half the dosage if you’re wanting her to be coherent. She’s a wee thing, and sensitive.”
That smile had him wonderin’. When the nurse escorted them back to sit with Lyse while she prepared the discharge