Something was off.
It was all I’d been able to focus on all night, and that bad feeling was getting worse.
The celebration was in full swing. Emmaline was by James’s side, their son on his hip. Emmaline was dressed in a beautiful, floor-length blue gown, her blonde hair swept up into an intricate knot on the back of her head, a few tendrils escaping to frame her face. Her hands were covered with gloves, her collar around her neck.
Darren’s wife, Juliana, was by his side, their baby girl cradled in his arm, his other arm wrapped around her waist. She was wearing a midnight-black gown, her hair pinned back on one side, the curls draped over her other shoulder.
Everyone looked to be having a grand time, but there was a feeling in my gut that something was going to go wrong.
I walked up to James, smiling at the couple he was talking to as I did so. He glanced over at me before looking back at his guests. “Excuse me for a moment, will you?”
He grabbed Emmaline’s hand in his and walked off to the edge of the ballroom with me, his eyes hard. “What’s going on?”
“Gut feeling,” I told him. “Something’s going to happen.”
James didn’t take my gut feelings lightly. I survived off my gut, and if I felt like something was going to happen, it was.
He nodded once. “I’ll get them to the bunk. Inform Darren.”
With that, James strode off, making polite talk as he weaved through the crowd, leading Emmaline and their son to the bunk down in the basement where they would be safe. After informing Darren of what was going on, he followed after his brother.
I kept my eyes peeled, making polite small talk with the mayor and some other council members as I did so. James and Darren appeared back at my side a minute later. Adrian popped up as well.
Then, chaos ensued. A gunshot rang through the air. People screamed. Glass shattered.
I quickly dragged James and Darren down to the ground, Adrian dropping down with us. “Fuck!” James shouted, grabbing his gun out of his blazer. “Find them!” he roared.
I quickly got up and kept my back to the wall, using some of the furniture pieces in the grand hall to keep me covered. There had been no other gunshots, but I wasn’t risking a goddamn thing.
One of my men came through on my earpiece. “Perp fled. I’m hit.”
“Location,” I ordered.
“Balcony – second floor.”
I looked up, and sure enough, I could see him lying on the ground. Cursing under my breath, I ran for the stairs, rushing up them two at a time, my adrenaline pumping hard through my veins.
Liam smiled weakly at me. “I tried, sir.”
I shook my head, clenching my jaw before I forced it to relax. He’d done what he could for this family. Just shitty the kid got taken out so early in his life. He wasn’t surviving this. “Easy,” I rumbled. God, there was so much fucking blood. It was gushing from his stomach. “We’re going to get you help, you hear me?” I knew I couldn’t help him, but dammit, I’d at least let him die thinking I’d tried.
He shook his head. “No helping me.” Blood spilled from his lips. “Guy had black hair. Dark eyes. White male. Tall – about your height. He had a sniper rifle,” he rushed out.
Then, the kid heaved a breath, choking on his blood before his chest stilled. I gritted my teeth and closed his eyes, shrugging my jacket off to drape it over his face.
James rushed up the stairs. “Dead?” I nodded once. He thrust his hand through his hair. “Fuck.”
“Need a meeting,” I told him. “Let me get him out of here first. Clear out the party. Fewer witnesses to this shit, the better.”
James pulled his phone to his ear, barking orders to get the house cleared out. I looked back down at Liam.
Your death won’t be in vain, kid.
* * *
I strode into James’s office a while later in fresh clothes, my old ones currently being dealt with since they had Liam’s blood on them. James looked over at me from his position by the window. Darren was sitting in a chair, a hard expression on his face. Adrian was barking orders into his phone.
“White male. Dark hair. Dark eyes. About my height. Had a fucking sniper rifle,” I informed them.
James shoved a hand through his hair. Adrian cut his eyes to me. “Jesus fucking Christ,” Darren swore.
“Ethnicity?” James asked.
I shrugged. “Liam died before he could tell me.”
James gritted his teeth and looked back out the window. “Emmaline, Juliana, and the kids are under strict protection. They’re safe.” I nodded once, making a mental note to get a rotation of more guards on them ASAP as well.
“Need to lock this place down,” I told James. “No one comes in. No one goes out. Not until we find out who’s behind this.”
Adrian hung up his phone. “Word on the street, the Bratva put a hit on us.”
James exploded, shooting up from his chair, his frame practically vibrating with uncontrolled rage. “Are you fucking kidding me?!” he shouted. “We’ve been at peace for goddamn years!”
I put up my hand. James glowered at me. “That seems too fucking easy,” I told them. Darren nodded in agreement. “I just had protection put on an exchange for three days from now. The Bratva are purchasing guns from us – a shit ton. I don’t see them sabotaging that.”
Adrian nodded in agreement. “I don’t either. Both families are being set up.” He shrugged. “Just don’t fucking know why.”
James pulled out his phone and made a phone call, putting it on speaker. A deep, gravelly voice I recognized as Adrik answered the phone. Adrik was the Pakhan – the head of the Bratva. And he was certainly a force to be reckoned with.
“To what do I owe this call, James?”
“We’ve got a fucking problem,” James snarled, dropping into his chair behind his desk again.