Mafia King (Young Irish Rebels #2) - Vi Carter Page 0,92

mind fire a weapon. I’m staring into the face of a stranger. “We need to go.” His hand tightens around my wrist, but I can’t move.

“How could you?” I’m asking a useless question; I know that. I told him to get me out of this marriage. I made him promise.

“Are you hurt?” He’s staring at the red wine that’s splashed over my dress.

“How many are dead?” Pain laces across my heart and soul.

“Are you hurt?”

I jump at his roar. This isn’t Noel. This isn’t my brother. “No. How many are dead?” I ask again.

“I don’t know, but we need to leave right now.” He’s pulling me towards the door where some guests still scurry past. He’s dragging me out the door, and I can’t think straight.

The image of Shay hitting the ground has me tightening my eyes. “Shay,” I say his name as I’m clutched by pain that has me stopping in my tracks.

Noel tightens his hold on my arm and drags me down the hall. “He’s dead. I shot him directly in the heart. You have nothing to worry about. But we need to leave now.”

This isn’t right. I can’t leave Shay. My Shay. Dead.

“Why did you kill him?” The words tumble from my mouth, and I pull myself back from Noel.

He stops walking, his strong jaw clenched with irritation. “He took you away from us, up North. I couldn’t get to you. I’m sorry it took me so long.” He grabs my arm. “Emma, this place will be swarming with his men. We need to leave right now.”

“I loved him,” I say, but I don’t think Noel hears me as he grabs me, and I’m airborne as he slings me across his shoulder. The world is upside down as he jogs through rooms. When he halts, I nearly fall from his arms, but he slowly puts me down, and I don’t understand what I’m looking at.

My mind can’t take anymore as I look down the barrel of a gun.

CHAPTER THIRTY

EMMA

“How? I watched you get shot?” I take a step towards Shay, who still has the gun pointed at me.

“Don’t sound so disappointed.” Shay’s words are growled as he reaches into his suit jacket pocket and extracts the flask that I had bought him. “You didn’t rob a cheap one.” His grin is for show; I can see the pain behind his eyes. The bullet is still lodged in the flask that he holds. His gaze snaps to Noel.

“Drop your gun, or I’ll drop your sister where she stands.”

Noel does as Shay commands, and fear chokes me as the gun is pointed at Noel now.

“Shay!” I race towards him, and the gun swings back to me. I’m fine with that—anything to have the gun away from Noel.

“Please.” I keep my hands up. His jaw clenches, and he’s looking at me with so much pain that I nearly fold in two. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

“Remember the other day when Liam visited me in my office?”

My mind scrambles, and I find that piece of information amongst my sheer panic. “Yes, yes, I do.”

“He told me I didn’t have to marry you to keep my seat in the South.”

Confusion floods me, and I slowly drop my hands even as Shay keeps the gun pointed at me. “I don’t understand.”

Shay takes a step closer. The anger has darkened his inky eyes. Pools of hate and anger burn so brightly, I can almost feel the flames lick my skin.

I want to scream at him that I didn’t betray him, but I don’t speak.

“You came into the office then. I was going to tell you that you were free…” He sneers, and it’s like a slap. “I was so fucking stupid. I see that now.”

Noel shifts beside me, and a shot is fired. I scream and turn to Noel, who’s still standing and glaring at Shay.

“That was a warning shot. The next one will be in between your fucking eyes if you move again.” Shay’s words are growled.

“Shay.” I’m walking on eggshells. He’s too close to snapping. I’ve seen it before. The time he grabbed me by the neck, the time he lost control in the cage. I can’t allow him to take Noel from me. I just can’t.

His gaze swings back to me. “I wanted to marry you.” His words are low, and he shakes his head the moment he says the words. His laughter chills me to the bone. “I fell fucking hard for you, love.” The endearment squeezes my