Page 126 of Ruined Wrath
There’s no time to check.
Another explosion rattles the walls, the floor shuddering beneath my boots as something heavy crashes nearby.
Through it all, I catch the sound of laughter.
My head snaps up.
Through the smoke, I see someone slide in behind the chair, quick and efficient, blades flashing as zip ties are sliced apart.
Lorcan twists violently, already rising as the restraints fall away.
“No!” I roar, surging forward.
Pain detonates in my shoulder as someone slams into me from the side, driving me hard into the concrete.
The impact knocks the wind out of me, but I don’t let it keep me down.
I grit my teeth, trying to regain my footing when Brennan grabs me, hauling me backward just as another blast shakes the room.
“Cormac! Fall back!” he shouts, voice strained.
I fight Brennan’s grip, rage burning white-hot in my chest. “Contain him! Don’t let him out of the building!”
I fire again, this time more controlled, aiming through a thinning pocket of smoke toward where Lorcan was, but I already know it’s too late.
The haze begins to clear, and I see the chair lying on its side, the restraints discarded on the floor.
He’s gone.
I stand there, my chest heaving, and my ears still ringing, staring at the broken bindings.
My hands shake with fury as the reality hits me.
He walked into this willingly because heknewthis was coming. He planned the entire goddamned thing, and now he’s free.
The sound of Ronan’s voice carries from the hallway, announcing his arrival before he appears.
“What the fuck happened here?”
Kieran follows closely behind, his sharp eyes immediately assessing the damage. “I see he got away.”
I rub my knuckles, still raw from hitting Lorcan. “Are you trying to imply something with that tone?”
“I’m implying that you had one fucking job to do.”
Ronan steps forward, subtly positioning himself between me and Kieran as he eyes the bullet holes in the wall.
“Someone tipped him off.”
Brennan scoffs, wiping his brow. “No shit. But who?”
I catch Kieran’s eye, and immediately my entire body tenses.
I know exactly what he’s thinking, and the fact that after everything he’s still entertaining the idea that Fiona isn’t truly on our side makes me want to slam his head into a wall.
“Don’t,” I warn.
He runs his fingers over a chip in the doorframe. “I didn’t say anything.”
