Irish Throwdown (What Happens In Vegas Book 4) by Matt Lincoln (short books for teens .TXT) 📕

and large boats docked across its length as far as the horizon on either side and initially, I was worried that there was no way we’d be able to cover a port this large.

“The boat will almost certainly be coming into the left side of the port,” Seamus explained as we pulled into a narrow road leading directly down toward the line of ships. “The right side is for ferries and cruise liners. A cargo ship will most likely dock on the left, as even if they are carrying illegal merchandise, that side is equipped for unloading heavy containers.”

“That definitely narrows it down,” I replied as we drove closer to the docks.

“Aye.” Seamus grinned. “And there’s only one road in or out on either side. If we put a police van across it sideways, then their only path to escape is gone.”

“That sounds like a solid plan,” Junior replied, though there was a nervous tremor in his voice. Junior was always thinking through the worst possible outcomes. It was a good habit to have, honestly, because it usually prevented us from doing something stupid we would regret later. We didn’t have time to think of an alternative now, though. It was either do or die.

“Alright,” Seamus announced as he parked the car beside a large pickup truck so it would be concealed. “Let’s go hide behind those warehouses. Once Finnian Gallagher shows up, we’ll be primed to grab him.”

I nodded as I quietly stepped out of the car. The sun had almost completely set, and aside from the sounds of the water, this part of the dock was utterly silent.

We made our way around the side of one of the large storage warehouses. From here, we’d be entirely concealed from sight, and I settled down against the side of the building to wait.

I didn’t have to wait long, as I’d scarcely settled into a crouch before I heard a car pull up around the other side of the warehouse.

“Already?” Junior hissed. “The ship isn’t even here yet.”

I held my breath and strained my ears to listen as Seamus drew his phone from his jacket pocket, probably preparing to alert the officer in standby to block the entrance if this really was them.

“Where is it?” a deep, slimy voice drawled. Something about it raised the hairs on the back of my neck. “Late again, eh? Typical. People these days are incapable of providing quality work.”

“I think there was a mix-up with the arrival time, boss,” a different, softer voice called.

That was enough for Seamus, who quickly put the phone to his ear and began whispering something urgently. I glanced over at Junior, who appeared to be thinking the same thing I was. His hand was already on his holster, and he unhooked it as quietly as he could.

I listened intently to their conversation. I needed to figure out how many people there were. I’d only heard one car pull up, but without knowing what kind of car it was, I couldn’t be sure how many people might be inside. I could only hear two voices, but again, I had no way of knowing whether there were any more people in the car.

“You two go out on my signal,” Seamus hissed as he stowed his phone away. “I’ll go around the other side of the warehouse and get the jump on them while they’re focusing on you.”

“Got it,” I replied as I slowly got to my feet and prepared to jump out from behind my hiding spot. I looked over to Junior to check if he was ready. He nodded in confirmation, and in the next moment, we both stepped out from behind the warehouse with our guns drawn.

“Freeze!” I barked as I pointed my gun at the man who had been speaking. He was tall and broad-shouldered with a thin nose and high cheekbones. Even slicked back, I could tell that his hair was a deep burgundy color. His stance was calm but commanding and exuded confidence. I knew immediately that this was the Finnian Gallagher we’d been looking for.

The look of surprise on his face would have been funny if this wasn’t such a dangerous situation. He was holding a phone to his ear, but his mouth had stopped moving.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a sudden flash of movement as the shorter man standing beside him whipped a gun from the inside of his suit jacket. Junior was quicker with the trigger squeeze, though, and the man fell to the ground with a pained grunt before he could fully draw his weapon.

The car’s back door flew open as the man fell, but Seamus was one step ahead already.

“I don’t think so, lads,” he warned as he pointed his gun toward the open backseat. He’d circled around the car and gotten into position while everyone’s eyes were on Junior and me. They hadn’t even noticed him approaching from behind. “The Garda’s already on their way, so don’t think about doing anything stupid, now.”

I watched as he instructed the two men in the back of the car to exit the vehicle and get onto the ground. Junior moved toward the man on the ground and retrieved his gun before walking over to assist Seamus in handcuffing the two men who had climbed out of the backseat. As they did that, I turned to look back at the tall, red-haired man.

“Finnian Gallagher?” I asked.

The man looked back at me with a polite, almost serene smile before answering.

“Yes,” he nodded. “That’s me. I suppose I’ve been caught, then.”

Something was unsettling about how calm he was, as if we were a pair of old pals having a casual chat rather than a criminal and a federal agent facing off against each other.

“Get on the ground and put your hands behind your head,” I growled.

A few steps away, Junior and Seamus seemed to have the other two men contained, but I still couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that we weren’t out of