“Your brother no doubt.”
“Andrew’s not a grass,” he yelled, spittle flying from his lips.
“He probably had no choice,” said Hayden. “The Laws and Maguires are expert torturers.”
Luke’s head sagged. “He’s dead, isn’t he?”
“More than likely. No wait, Luke,” he yelled when he tore open the back door and raced out of the house, gun extended before him.
“Get back here you daft sod,” yelled Hayden. “Jesus, he’s going to get himself killed.”
“Probably,” said Mick.
“You don’t sound concerned.”
“He’s a dick.”
“True. Hopefully he’ll get shot and that will tell us which direction the attack is going to come from.”
“Or not,” said a downcast Mick when something large and metallic landed in the garden and began belching out smoke.
They watched as Luke’s charge was brought to sudden halt as he attempted to escape the fumes but his legs buckled and he toppled facedown in the grass.
“How are we going to see anyone coming now?” exclaimed Mick when more canisters were hurled into the garden.
“How are they going to attack?” said Hayden. “They’ll be knocked out too.”
“Ever heard of gas masks,” retorted Mick.
Hayden didn’t like his attitude. He’d always been respectful before but now he was being downright insolent. But he didn’t have a go at him about it because sadly he needed him.
Ryan, Rachel and Bruiser went still when they heard a door slam open in the garden beyond the wall and someone run out, bellowing a war cry.
Ryan produced one of Raven’s gas canisters from the backpack strapped to his back and hurled it over the wall. The war cry turned to a quiet moan before petering out altogether.
Rachel and Bruiser took a canister each from the backpack and threw those over the wall too.
Ryan handed out the gasmasks and they strapped them on, Ryan scaling the wall first, gratified by all the smoke. To be on the safe side he tossed a fourth canister into the garden. He indicated for Rachel and Bruiser to follow, the three of them landing in the grass on the other side of the wall, keeping low, assessing their surroundings.
Ryan nodded and they followed, keeping close to the wall as they approached the house. The sound of gunfire still echoed from the front of the house, the attack in full swing.
Shane noticed how much more reckless Jez was being. Ever since Cathy had said she wanted a divorce he’d been a lot more lax about his personal security. With Raven and Mark providing covering fire Jez had charged through the gate of the farmhouse, a gun in each hand, shooting down anyone who got in his way. Shane stuck close to him, covering his back, shooting a man Jez had failed to spot crouched off to one side because he was so consumed by rage. Damon ran alongside him, a gun in one hand, an enormous knife in the other, joy shining in his eyes as he flung himself into the fray, looking like a viking. Shane was quite sure Damon would have scared the shit out of the real vikings. Eagerly Damon chased after a man who had been shooting at them but had run out of bullets. The man screamed as Damon raised the knife, bringing it down in his back as he tried to run away.
The front door of the house opened. They saw a grinning face and a shotgun swinging up to greet them. The grinning face erupted into a mess of red and Shane looked back over his shoulder to see Mark racing up behind them, the rifle raised to his shoulder, Raven beside him. Thank God they had their backs.
“Boss, you’ve got to calm down,” Shane told Jez, not caring whether he got told off or not. “You’re going to get your head blown off.”
Looking down the barrel of that shotgun had sobered Jez. He’d been fuelled by fury at the way these bastards had taken his life apart, the desire for revenge overriding common sense. But his kids still needed him, even if Cathy didn’t and he wasn’t about to get himself killed by one of these fucking turnips. “You’re right. Sorry.”
Shane blinked with surprise, having braced himself for a severe bollocking. “Oh, right.”
“Christ this is fun,” grinned Damon, clutching his bloodied knife, face streaked with blood splatter, reminding Jez of Frankie McVay.
Raven rolled her eyes, keeping the rifle raised as she and Mark approached the front door. They didn’t need to communicate, working in tandem, Raven taking the left while Mark took the right, the others hanging back so they could assess the situation inside.
Raven nodded at Mark, who nodded back, both reaching into their pockets to produce a small device each. They hurled them into the room, there was a blinding flash of light and the two armed men in there cried out in pain, dropping their guns and clamping their hands over their eyes. Raven and Mark stepped into the room and shot them down.
“All clear,” called Raven.
Jez, Shane and Damon piled inside after them.
Sticking close to the wall Ryan, Rachel and Bruiser approached the house, hidden by the gas. They’d glimpsed Hayden at the window, looking out at them. If they tried going through the back door he’d simply shoot them.
Rachel tapped Ryan on the arm and pointed towards a set of garage doors.
He nodded and instead they headed down the side of the house.
“Where the fuck are they going?” exclaimed Hayden, panicking when he peered out of the window and couldn’t see them.
Mick’s eyes widened. “The garage.”
“No,” he cried, rushing outside, pulling his gun. “Come on.”
“Right behind you,” he said, following him to the door. He watched Hayden vanish into the smoke, which was starting to dissipate, stuffed his gun back into his jacket and turned back into the house. He liked Hayden but no way was he going to die for him and his bitch of a wife.
Hayden raced outside, gun drawn, releasing an ‘oof’ of surprise when the butt of a shotgun was rammed into the side of his belly. He staggered but managed to dodge the second punch. Kicking out, he knocked the shotgun from the hands of the huge figure that unfurled itself before him. As the gas cleared he saw it was Bruiser standing before him. He swung the pistol round but Bruiser grabbed his arm and twisted, causing him to drop it.
Bruiser attempted to wrap a hand around his throat but Hayden grabbed his arm, pushing back with all his strength, shaking with the effort while Bruiser’s eyes burned with rage through the gas mask.
“I’m sorry about your brother,” rasped Hayden.
Bruiser grunted and pushed harder, Hayden feeling himself starting to weaken.
Distracted by a cry off to his left, Bruiser’s head snapped round. Luke charged towards him with his gun raised and fired. Bruiser was forced to release Hayden to avoid being hit.
Ryan sprang out from the side of the house and shot at Luke, two bullets slamming into his chest. Luke hesitated, body jumping as the bullets struck him but he kept on running, blood pouring from his mouth, frantically firing, Bruiser and Ryan throwing themselves out of the way. Ryan rolled and shot Luke again, this time hitting him in the centre of the forehead, pitching him backwards.
Rachel watched all this from the side of the house. She had been about to join in when she’d spied movement from the direction of the garage. The doors rolled up and she glimpsed blond hair.
Her grip on the gun tightened. Katia.
While they’d been distracted by Luke, Hayden had retrieved his gun, planted himself behind a tree and was firing back at them.
“I never wanted it to come to this Ryan,” he called while sliding a fresh clip into the gun.
Ryan pulled off the gas mask and cast it aside. The gas had dissipated to a safe level. “You caused this Hayden,” he called back, taking refuge around the side of the house with Bruiser, who had got his shotgun back and similarly cast off the gas mask. “You attacked us.”
“We had to strike first because one day you would have come for us.”
“You don’t know that. And myself and Rachel aren’t in the game anymore. Neither are Battler or Bru
iser. Our children have done nothing wrong yet you were prepared to slaughter them all. How would you feel if someone tried to blow up your children?” Ryan nodded at Bruiser, who nodded back and scrambled back over the garden wall.
Hayden didn’t reply to Ryan’s statement. What could he say to that? He discharged a shot in the direction they were hiding but it harmlessly pinged off the brick. He ducked when there was return fire.
“You’re a traitor Hayden,” called Ryan. “One day you would have ended up betraying Katia too.”
“Never,” he retorted. “I love her.”
“Well she doesn’t love you. She used you and where is she now? She’s abandoned you.”
“Not true. I sent her away to keep her safe.”
“She will never be safe from us. We’ll find her and kill her, just as surely as you killed Battler and Grant.”
“No you fucking won’t,” he roared, pumping more shots in Ryan’s direction.
Ryan returned fire just for the sake of it. He was only the distraction.
“She’s going to come back at you ten times fucking harder,” bellowed Hayden, incensed by the thought of his wife dead, murdered. He was yelling so hard he failed to notice Bruiser drop down over the wall into the bushes behind him.
“Woah,” cried Mick when he rushed through the kitchen doorway, heading back towards the front of the house and a rifle was shoved in his face. Mark Cameron was on the other end of the weapon, expression grim. “I don’t mean any harm,” he added when it appeared he might shoot.
Jez Law appeared next, accompanied by Shane and two people he had never seen before - a very attractive brunette who also wielded a rifle and a massive, blood spattered, wild-eyed redheaded man clutching a knife who looked like he was more than ready to commit butchery.
“Why should we believe you?” said Jez.
“Because it’s true. I’m only a grunt, just in it for the money. Hayden and Katia are the ones with the grudge.”
“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t let Mark shoot you in the face.”
“Because I can tell you where Katia and Hayden are.”
“Go on then.”
“Katia’s in the garage, making her escape with the kids and Hayden’s in the back garden.”
Jez nodded at Shane, who searched Mick, relieving him of his gun and knife while Mark and the pretty brunette kept their rifles trained on his head. Mick had never met Jez Law before and from what Katia and Hayden had said he’d imagined someone wet behind the ears, who relied on others to lead the way but on the contrary he looked cold and hard, his body bristling with pent-up rage.
“Show us,” said Jez.
CHAPTER 46
Rachel kept herself pressed back against the wall of the house as she approached the garage, watching Katia raise the door before hurrying back inside. Rachel quickened her pace, wanting to reach her before she drove away, pulling off the gas mask and gently placing it on the ground so she wouldn’t make a noise.
She peered around the wall into the garage but saw no one. A large dark blue four by four sat in the centre of the room. Cautiously she stepped inside.
A click of a high heel had her throwing herself down by the side of the car, the bullet whizzing over her head. Katia ran around the side of the car, shrieking with determination to kill one of her deadliest enemies. Rachel leapt out of her hiding place and smashed her arm into Katia’s wrist, making her drop the gun. Before she could shoot her with her own weapon Katia grabbed her wrist and twisted and her own weapon went clattering under the car.
“Hayden has been teaching me,” purred Katia, enjoying the surprise in Rachel’s eyes. With that she punched Rachel in the face, her smirk falling when Rachel hardly appeared to feel it, her lips curling into a smile.
“It seems he didn’t teach you well enough,” she said before headbutting her.
With a cry Katia stumbled backwards, her high heels not helping her balance. Rachel followed this up with a punch to the face then a punch to the gut that folded her in two.
“Did you think you could beat me in a fist fight?” said Rachel, breathing hard, revelling in the vengeance she was getting on the woman who had almost destroyed her family more than once. “I’ve been fighting since I was a kid you stupid, spoilt arrogant cow,” she said, kicking her in the chest, knocking her back against the wall. She wrapped her hands around Katia’s throat and squeezed while driving her knee into her stomach. “I fucking hate you,” she screamed in her face, banging Katia back off the wall, making her groan. “You turned Alex against us, you poisonous hag, you tried to kill our children. You killed Battler,” she said, voice cracking.
Katia attempted to punch her in the stomach but Rachel dodged and delivered a blow to her face that knocked her sideways, throwing her onto the hard concrete floor. Before she could rise Rachel was on her, yanking her head up by her hair, making her cry out.
“Time to pay for your crimes, bitch,” said Rachel before punching her in the face, stunning her.
Katia lay groaning on the floor, mouthing something Rachel couldn’t understand.
“Don’t bother begging for your life,” said Rachel, drawing a knife from her belt. “Because it’s not going to save you.”
“No,” cried a small voice.
To Rachel’s horror two small boys leapt out of the car and ran to Katia, shielding her with their own bodies.
“No boys,” said Katia, trying to push them away. “Run.”
While one child clung onto his mother crying, the second one stared back at Rachel steadily, eyes cold and full of hatred. It was like looking into his father’s eyes.
“Hello Alex,” she said.
He glared at her completely without fear.
“You’re going to be a force to reckon with when you’re older, aren’t you?” added Rachel. She sighed when the wail of a baby started up from the car.
“Please,” said Katia weakly. “My children…don’t hurt them.”
“I’m not like you Katia, I don’t hurt kids.” She looked back at Alex. “You hate me for hurting your mummy but she tried to kill my children.”
Alex said nothing, his gaze pitiless.
Rachel gripped the knife harder, trying to find the will to kill this woman despite the presence of her children but she knew it was futile. She didn’t have it in her. She got to her feet, replacing the knife in her belt and scooped up the gun from under the car.
“Congratulations boys. You’ve saved your mother’s life.”
“Th…thank you,” breathed Katia.
“I recommend you don’t speak to me again. I might just change my mind. Now get in the car and fuck off. If you’ve any sense you’ll leave the country because if I see you again, kids or no kids, you are fucking dead.”
Katia gazed directly into Rachel’s pitch black eyes and felt real fear. She’d thought herself hard but Rachel was in a completely different league.
With a groan Katia got herself up to a sitting position, an arm wrapped around her sore stomach. Her face was swollen, lip bleeding. The boys took an arm each and helped her to her feet, all the while Rachel quietly watching, Katia’s eyes continually flicking to the gun in her hand.
“Get in the car boys,” urged Katia, limping towards it as fast as she could, bracing herself for the gunshot she felt sure would come but never did and they all got into the car without incident. She jumped when the door behind them leading into the house burst open, turning in her seat to see Jez Law followed by another four people hurry down the stairs towards them. Her eyes narrowed. Mick, the treacherous fucker was with them. She knew she should have killed him when she had the chance. Her hands shook as she started the engine.
“You’re letting her go?” Jez demanded of Rachel.
“She’s got three kids in the car with her,” she replied. “What the fuck do you want me to do?”
“I can take her from here,” said Mark, the rifle trained on Katia’s head.
Jez was sorely tempted to let him take the
shot but the wail of the baby in the back seat made him change his mind. This wasn’t who they were. “Let her go.”
Mark lowered the weapon, wondering if one day they’d regret that decision.
As the car began to move forward Hayden appeared from around the side of the house.
Katia flung open the passenger door. “Get in.”
He sighed and shook his head.
“Get in…oh God,” she said when she saw Bruiser behind him, pressing his shotgun into her husband’s back, accompanied by an armed Ryan Law.
“No, please don’t,” she cried.
“Dad,” wailed Daniel from the backseat.
“Go,” Hayden told her. “Now.”
“I can’t,” she sobbed. “Not without you.”
“You have to,” he said, a tear sliding down his face. “Please,” he added when she just sat there.
“No, don’t,” she screamed when Bruiser forced Hayden to his knees, jamming the shotgun into the back of his neck. “Boys, don’t look,” she yelled, covering Daniel’s eyes with her hands while little Krystina shifted in her seat, crying. Fortunately her view of the window was obstructed by her brothers.
Alex however refused to look away, glowering out of the window at them all.
The bang was massive, making Katia jump. She could only stare in horror as her husband’s head was blasted away from his neck, his body remaining on its knees, twitching like some hideous marionette before toppling forward, left foot continuing to twitch while blood steadily pumped out of the neck stump.
“No,” screamed Katia
She slammed the car into gear and stomped on the accelerator, the back of the car fishtailing as it shot out of the garage and down the drive.
They all watched in silence as the car reached the road, roaring away.
“Anyone hurt?” said Ryan.
Shane considered mentioning the cut to his arm from some flying glass then decided he’d sound like a girl. Instead he shook his head, as they all did.
“I can’t believe we let Katia go,” sighed Jez.
“What were you going to do?” said Ryan. “Drag her out of the car and execute her in front of her children?”
Carnage Page 40
