Page 5 of Desecrated Reign
After exiting the car, I scan the area, looking for a back entrance as Lorcan circles the Mercedes and pops the boot. Before I know it, he’s unloading a large black duffle bag and hitching it onto his shoulders. I know better than to question what’s inside it, at least not yet, so I scan the perimeter for any way in. Lorcan follows my line of sight, but we’re on a main road, and there’s no way we’re getting over the fence without being seen. “There’s no way Donnacha got past those guards unseen. Unless—”
I raise my brow, finishing his unspoken thought. “Gabriel compensates them. As of right now, daddy dearest is still King of Leinster. There aren’t many people who won’t do as he asks.”
“Fuck. Call Aodhán. Find out where he is and if he still has eyes on Donnacha.”
Whipping my phone out of my pocket, I pull up Aodhán’s contact and hit dial. It rings for a few seconds before he finally picks up and cuts straight to the point. “He came straight through fucking security, but after scoping out the place, I found a field around the back with a small dirt track leading to the back of the old power plant. You’ll see me if you follow the road to the left. I’ll be waiting there.”
Pointing towards the side road, I motion for Lorcan to follow my lead as I continue my conversation with Aodhán. “Have you still got eyes on him?”
“He’s gone through the fire escape doors, and I thought it best I wait for backup in case Gabriel and Oliver are inside. I can see his car, though, so he’s not leaving without me knowing.”
“Okay. Stay put. We’ll be right there.” Thankfully, it is pitch black, so we have a better chance of going unnoticed. Finally, we locate the field Aodhán told us about and climb over the security fencing to where Aodhán is hunching behind a few rusted storage containers.
Once we reach Aodhán, we give each other a brief nod, but we exchange no words until Lorcan pulls equipment from his bag like he’s the latest James fucking Bond.
“So, what’s the plan, Boss Man?” Aodhán questions Lorcan as I survey the surroundings, watching for any movement from inside the old powerhouse.
Lorcan whips out some fancy-arse drone and gun-like remote with a monitoring screen. “We need to figure out what we’re dealing with first.” Thrusting them both towards Aodhán, he asks, “Have you ever flown one of these?”
“Not one of this calibre.” Aodhán inspects the drone, blowing a whistle through his rounded lips. “Fucking hell! Is this thermal?”
“Aye! Pretty easy to use, quite similar to the average drone, but with better range and more advanced features. If you can get it close enough, we’ll know how many people are inside and where. Do you think you can manage it?”
Aodhán nods. “What are all these buttons for?”
“Don’t press anythin’. It’s already set to do what we need. Just get it as close to that broken window as you can,” Lorcan points to the sizable clock-style window at the front of the building. “If you can get it inside it, even better.”
Aodhán gets to work while Lorcan powers up his laptop. Within seconds, he has the blueprints of the building on the screen. Peering over his shoulder, I follow along as he presses the keys, bringing up a 3D walk-through of the plans.
“Three main floors in the central building, five in the station hall.” Lorcan scans the floor-plan, flicking through the demo with speed.
“Nothing showing in the main building, Boss Man,” Aodhán confirms.
A few seconds pass, but it’s not long before we find what we’re looking for. A door in the centre of the station hall which leads to the basement. “Can you get the drone to the back of the building?”
“Sure. Give me a second.”
I count the ground-floor windows, trying to figure out where Aodhán needs to be. “Ground floor, the fourth window from the right.”
Lifting my gaze, I watch Aodhán bring the drone around the side of the dilapidated building, getting it as close as he can to our desired destination.
The light from the moon casts an eerie glow on the broken windows, intensifying the unease hanging in the air. Suddenly, the weight of what we must do rests heavily on my shoulders. Donnacha has gotten away with too much for far too long. It’s time he atones for all the sins he’s committed, and if we’re lucky, he’ll lead us straight to Gabriel.
“I can’t see anything. There’s nothing showing, no heat signals. Nothing.” Aodhán’s brow furrows.
“It must be the floor.” Lorcan scrapes his bottom lips between his teeth, and his eyes narrow. “My money is he’s in the basement. If the foundations are concrete, there’s no way we’ll see how many people are down there.”
I know what he will say before I ask, but I do it anyway. “What are you suggesting?”
Lorcan closes his laptop, placing it back into the duffle before pulling out his backup plan. He says nothing as he whips three Glocks out with enough ammunition to take down a small army. Finally, his eyes find mine as he holds out a gun for me to take. “Load up, kid. We’re going in.”
3
ROHAN
Leaving Aodhán behind to keep watch, Lorcan and I creep towards the rusty metal door, careful not to make a sound or alert the security of our presence. As we approach, my mind races with memories—Donnacha hurting Saoirse, years of my dad beating me to a pulp, my mother fleeing and leaving me behind, and finally, Liam.
I know without a doubt that Gabriel—with the help of Oliver, Donnacha, and the Connelly clan—orchestrated the events at Saoirse’s initiation party. And it’s no surprise why he wanted me to offer my hand to Saoirse that night. He knew that if we publicly announced an engagement, the syndicate would vote in his favour if something happened to us both before Saoirse could claim her crown. After all, she was set to marry a King.