Rising Tides: Book 5 of the Irish End Games by Kiernan-Lewis Susan

Author:Kiernan-Lewis, Susan [Kiernan-Lewis, Susan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: San Marco Press
Published: 2015-03-20T23:00:00+00:00

14

It happened so quickly, Gavin didn’t believe it wasn’t a stunt. Yet his eyes had seen it. Seen the hatchet come up and slam down sharply onto the stump. Seen the finger fly off into the dirt. Sophia remained kneeling, her eyes large, staring at her hand, the blood running down her arm. The little finger was gone at the second joint.

“Sophia!” Breaking free of the men holding him, Gavin knocked the log out of the way and caught Sophia by the shoulders as she began to fall. Her face white with shock, she fainted in his arms. He grabbed her maimed hand and held it up while looking helplessly around. Bianca lay motionless by the fire—whether dead or alive, Gavin had no idea. He stared at Antonio.

“I did it from love!” Antonio shouted. “And trust me it’s been coming a long time.” He turned to the family members who were staring in horror at the blood on the log. “He should have been the one to correct her! I was wrong about him. He is not good for my Sophia.”

Gavin ripped the tail of his shirt in a long strip and bound it tightly around Sophia’s hand. She moaned and stirred in his arms. Benito stood in place, bare-chested and shivering, staring at the small finger on the ground as if transfixed. Gavin stood with Sophia in his arms. He watched the men who’d held him, the brother who’d held Sophia’s hand down, and the monster who stood raving before him.

The atmosphere around the campfire was one of terror and apprehension. Gavin’s need to protect Sophia—to get her away—warred with his need to attack the man who’d hurt her. His arms trembled as he held her.

Paco held a hand up in front of Gavin. “Let us have the girl. We will see to her wound.”

“Are ye daft? You’re the fecking bastard who held her while the mad bastard did it!”

“You do not know our ways,” Paco said.

“You’ll leave us tonight,” Antonio said.

Gavin knew immediately that there was no way Antonio was going to let him stay or leave alive. Sophia cried out, triggering Gavin to the decision that until then he had no idea he’d made. He turned to Paco and shoved Sophia into his arms.

“Hold this,” he said as he snatched the handgun from Paco’s front pocket and pointed it in Antonio’s face. Antonio stared at Gavin impassively as if he knew for a fact that the gun was not loaded. Or perhaps just that Gavin could never use it.

“Have you thought past this point, amico?” Antonio said, wagging a finger at Gavin. “You are thinking, perhaps, you will walk backwards out of the camp all the way to your compound?” His lip curled in satisfaction.

“Nay,” Gavin said in defeat. “You’re right. That won’t work.”

He shot him in the chest.

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