Chapter 9 - Unmasking the Ghost
Killian walked over to the fallen ledger,
picking it up and dusting it off with his sleeve.
He looked at it for a moment,
then tucked it securely inside his heavy coat.
He turned his gaze to Aoife,
who was still whimpering against the wall.
“Your father is going to be very disappointed,
Aoife,”
he said,
his voice devoid of any emotion.
“The alliance is broken,”
she spat,
glaring at him through her tears.
“My family will hunt you to the ends of the earth.”
“Let them try,”
Killian replied.
“They will find that Dublin is a very cold place for outsiders.”
He looked at me,
his dark eyes softening just a fraction.
“Are you hurt,
Norah?”
“No,”
I said,
though my hands were still shaking.
“I am fine.”
“You did well,”
he said,
stepping closer to me.
“You are far more than a maid.”
Suddenly,
the sound of heavy footsteps echoed from the staircase below.
We both turned,
our weapons raised.
Finn burst through the door,
his coat soaked with rain,
his face pale with exhaustion.
“Boss!”
he panted,
looking at the scene before him.
“The docks are surrounded.”
“Salvatore’s men have blocked the exits.”
“They have a strike team moving in.”
Killian’s jaw tightened.
“They knew we would come here,”
he muttered.
“We were set up from the beginning.”
“They wanted to trap us in one place,”
I said,
looking out the shattered window.
“The docks are a perfect killing field.”
“We need to find another way out,”
Killian said,
looking at Finn.
“The water,”
I suggested,
pointing to the dark harbor below.
“There are old smuggling boats docked at the pier.”
“One of them belongs to Mrs.
Doyle’s brother.”
“She told me he keeps the keys in the engine box.”
Killian looked at me,
a mixture of surprise and admiration in his eyes.
“Norah,”
he said,
May you like
“you are a treasure.”
“Let us go before they find us.”
