Page 64 of The Eraser

"Everyone's here?" I question as I park the car in the cemetery, wondering what the fuck all the Fury Vipers, Gallos and Gallaghers are doing here.

"She's here, Stephen. Danny checked. He wanted to ensure they were here before we arrived. They are," Denis says from behind me, his voice tense, his words intentional. He hasn't told me what Danny saw. He hasn't said if Jess is okay.

I'm quickly out of the car and stalking toward everyone. The air is thick and the tension is high.

"Stephen," Danny says, moving toward me, his eyes wild, his teeth locked. "Look, man?—"

"What's he done to her?" I demand. I know Danny. I know how he is when he sees women hurt. "Tell me what the fuck is going on."

"She's tied to a table. I could only see that. Da told me to wait back for you to get here."

I nod. Good, because I'm the one who’s going to kill him. I've been waiting for fucking months for this day, and I finally get it. First, I need to check on my wife.

Pyro steps forward, a sickening grin on his face. "Know it's not the time to smile, man, but we thought you should know that while the Gallaghers were busy tracking down Thomas, we worked on tracking Fintan O'Leary. You can thank Dario and Kelvin for that, but we have him. We weren't sure where you wanted him, so he's on ice at the moment."

The heaviness that was sitting on my chest slowly starts to dissolve. We have them both, which means once I get my wife out of here, she'll be safe and will never have to worry about either fucking dickhead again.

"Denis," I call out, knowing he'll see to Callie while I find Jess.

"Here," he says thickly. "From what Danny says, Callie isn't injured. Just tied up."

"But you'll check that yourself," I say, knowing that if roles were reversed, I'd want to do that myself.

"I'll be with you," Mav says, placing his hand on my shoulder. "Denis has Callie and we'll make sure Thomas doesn't get away."

"I'll need you to take him down, Mav," I say, my voice vibrating with anger. I need to see to my wife.

He squeezes my shoulder, letting me know that he's got me.

There's a mausoleum of sorts at the back of the cemetery, and it doesn't take us long to surround it. Thomas isn't going to get out of here alive. That motherfucker is going to be in for a world of hurt, and I'm glad I get to be the one to dish it out.

Denis opens the door and I enter, my feet pounding on the concrete steps as I rush down them. When I enter the room, I come to a halt. That motherfucker has my wife's back on full display. The smell of burning flesh fills the air, and I know he's burned her again.

"Thomas," I growl, stepping forward, "I'm going to enjoy killing you."

His gaze darts between Denis, Maverick, and I. "How did you find me?"

"Paddy had a big mouth," Maverick sneers. "Talked about this place and how much you liked coming here."

"That fucking cunt," Thomas snarls.

"Mav," I urge, unable to stay back any longer. Jess hasn't moved since I entered the room. I need to check on her. I need to make sure she's okay, that she's alive.

Maverick doesn't need to be asked again. He moves forward, his fist cocked back, and he lets it fly. He smashes his fist into Thomas' face over and over again while Denis and I move in unison, both going to our wives.

"Little Dancer," I breathe as I reach her. She's alive. My heart stutters when I feel her pulse. She's alive, but she's in bad shape. That motherfucker burned her back again. She's going to be in serious pain until it's healed. I can't imagine the pain she was in when she had this done the last time. Yet she continued to dance. How the fuck did she manage to do that?

She's unconscious. The pain is probably too much for her to bear right now. I reach for my knife and slash through the ropes that bind her to the table. She doesn't stir, not even a groan as I do it. I grit my teeth, trying my hardest not to lose my damn mind.

Denis moves toward me, taking off his jacket and handing it to me. "Stephen," he says, his voice hoarse. "What he's done?—"

"He'll pay for it," I vow. "I've waited months for this, Denis. I've been dying to kill this motherfucker since I found out what he did to her. Right now, he can wait. I need to get Jess to a hospital."

I carefully wrap her in the jacket, ensuring it doesn't sit on the burn. I don't want to cause her any more pain. When I have her in my arms, I turn and see Maverick's knocked Thomas out and he's sprawled on the floor.

"Let's go," Mav says with a dark look. "The Vipers can take this cunt and put him on ice with Fintan."

I nod in agreement. We're all on the same page: Jess needs to come first. Maverick walks ahead of me, while Denis and Callie are behind me. I haven't even checked on her, and right now, I can't. My main priority is Jess and it needs to remain that way.