Judging from the blank stare he was sending in Liam’s direction, he was not impressed. She couldn’t decide whether she was happy or upset about this.
“Now isn’t the time for this,” Donovan said evenly. “We have business to discuss.”
Liam nodded once, leaning over to whisper in Reagan’s ear, “Go sit in the corner and keep your mouth shut.”
Deciding it was better not to argue this with him, she did as he said, grabbing a chair along the way. The moment she was across the room, they all spoke in hushed tones, but even as they tried to pretend she didn’t exist, she could still hear bits and pieces of their conversation.
“Are you sure you can trust him?” Rourke asked his father, his attention solely on him though Liam glanced in his direction.
Reagan wasn’t sure who the ‘him’ was Rourke was referring to, but she tried not to seem like she was listening too closely.
“This deal has been in the works for over a year, boy. It’s too late to not go through with it now.”
“But that doesn’t mean that you have to meet with him alone,” Liam interjected. “Let one of us come with you, for security at the very least.”
“I already agreed to his terms,” Donovan said carefully. “The moment I do something he doesn’t approve, there’ll be a problem.”
While there was no one around in Hell’s Kitchen the brothers seemed to fear, it was apparent that there was someone the father was afraid of. Reagan was not usually one for violence, but if pissing off whoever Donovan planned to meet with would mean someone would come after them, she hoped they fucked up badly.
She was contemplating this when there was a sudden shout from someone outside the office, and she had barely turned to look in that direction before an explosion sounded, shaking the very foundation of the warehouse before shots could be heard over the sounds of yelling.
The minute the first gunshot rang out, Reagan froze in horror, even as everything around her seemed to speed up. Liam, Rourke, and Donovan were on their feet in seconds, guns out, firing back though they couldn’t possibly see who, or even where, the shots were coming from.
When a mirror shattered next to her head, however, she unfroze, dropping down to the floor as she quickly scrambled away from the chaos, towards an exit door she had seen in her look around the place.
She had just made it through the cracked door when a pair of powerful arms lifted her off the floor, yanking her back against a firm chest. As she took a breath to scream, a hand clamped down over her mouth, muffling the sound.
She kicked, fought with all of her might, but made no purchase as she was carried backward toward the loading dock. Then, she was dropped onto her feet as a door was opened, shoved inside of what looked like a storage closet?
Was he helping her?
And now, she was face-to-face with the man—because it was quite obviously a man with the strength he possessed—that had dragged her away from the bullets.
To her surprise, he was wearing a mask, one that was entirely black with cutouts for the eyes, and just a slash across the nose area so he could breathe. Despite her earlier fear, she didn’t continue to fight him.
His eyes…they felt familiar.
When she made to speak though, he pressed a gloved finger to her lips and shook his head, silently demanding she not speak. Then, he moved that same finger from her lips to where his own would be without the mask, another silent command.
Only when Reagan nodded did he step back and shut the door, his shadow disappearing from beneath the crack in the door.
She didn’t move, nor did she speak a word. Not when she heard others on the opposite side of the door, or even when she heard Liam yelling her name.
No, she didn’t attempt to open the door until the silence on the other side was deafening. Before now, she had never heard a gunshot before, surprising considering where she came from, so she’d had no idea just how loud they could be—or how after they tapered off, the sounds still echoed in her ears.
Reagan didn’t know how long she stood in the closet, but when she finally stepped out of it, she didn’t see anyone. Angry voices carried from the other side of the warehouse where she had been with Liam, and when she rounded the corner to leave, ready to get the hell out of there, she ran into one of Rourke’s men.
A gun was pointed in her face, making her jump back. When he blinked, seeming to recognize her, he grabbed hold of her arm, marching her right back in the direction she had come from, not stopping until they entered the part of the place where Liam and his family were standing, arguing in loud voices now about how best to handle the situation.
But there was only one voice that really mattered, and when he finally spoke, the others in the room fell silent.