The last strike makes him lose his grip on her, and she stumbles away from him quickly. Padraig is cowering by the house only a few feet away.
His eyes are trained on Saoirse and he looks worried.
But not worried enough to actually do anything to help her.
“Pa!” Saoirse cries out—just as Brody lunges for the old man, now that he’s lost his first human shield.
Sean makes a judgement call and fires, attempting to shoot Brody before he gets to Padraig.
But it all happens too fast.
Sean’s bullet leaves the chamber.
Brody grabs Padraig.
Pulls the red-faced man forward.
Right in front of him.
And Sean’s bullet hits Padraig in the stomach.
I see the blossom of blood stain the old man’s shirt. At the exact same moment, Saoirse’s horrified scream pierces through me.
She scrambles to her father.
I hear Sean’s muttered curse. Horror soaked in horror.
Brody makes a run for it, scrambling after the two Kinahans who are already fleeing as fast as they can.
I let them go.
I don’t even think about stopping them.
Mostly because of the devastated look on Saoirse’s face as she falls to her knees in front of her father’s limp frame and cradles his head in her arms.
“No,” she says, in anguish. “No, no, no, no.”