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

I turned back to O’Sullivan, but to my surprise, he wasn’t pointing his gun at me.

A horrified chill ran through my body as he pulled the trigger and shot at Junior, who was still looking at the man who had just fallen. He let out a cry of pain before falling backward onto the floor of the cave.

I was back on my feet in an instant, and before I was even consciously aware of my actions, I was on top of O’Sullivan, knocking him to the ground and punching his face with so much force that I was confident it would shatter beneath my fist.

“I’ll kill you!” I roared as I continued my assault. He had dropped his gun when I tackled him and was now flailing his arms against me in an attempt to get free.

“Careful, agent,” he spat, blood dribbling from his mouth. “Are you sure you want to go through another hearing?”

“I don’t give a damn,” I sneered, though a small part of me was alarmed at the extent of information this man appeared to have on me and on MBLIS.

Still, his taunt was enough to ground me, and I realized that I needed to check on Junior.

“You better hope he’s alive,” I said through gritted teeth as I turned him roughly over to cuff his hands behind his back.

Once that was done, I quickly located his gun and slipped it into my own waistband. I didn’t need him trying anything stupid while I was checking on my partner.

I rushed over to where Junior had fallen, my heart beating painfully fast as I bent down to examine him. For a brief moment, I was afraid to even check, scared of what I might find. But then I realized there was no blood. The bullet had struck his bulletproof vest, and though he was sure to have a massive bruise for a while, I knew that he’d be fine. The fact that he was unconscious was more troubling and meant that he’d probably hit his head on the hard stone floor after he fell.

“Damn. What a mess,” a calm, almost bored voice called from the entrance. I snapped my head around and saw a man who looked about Junior’s age slowly saunter into view. I quickly stood and lifted my gun again. I had no idea who this man was or if he was friend or foe.

“What are you doing here, Brian?” O’Sullivan asked coldly.

I turned around to look at O’Sullivan’s face and saw that it had soured. Gone was the easygoing sneer he’d been mocking us with, replaced by a look of anger and confusion.

“Plans have changed,” the man replied as he slowly slipped his hand into the pocket of his coat. “Someone made me a better offer than the one you did, and I’m afraid it was just too good to pass up. You understand, right?”

My heart was beating so hard that it was almost painful. I wasn’t sure what was happening, but curiosity kept me glued to the spot.

“So you’re betraying me?” O’Sullivan growled.

The other man, Brian, just shrugged nonchalantly.

“It’s just business,” he replied as he stepped toward O’Sullivan.

I turned to Brian apprehensively. I had no idea who he was, but I could tell just by how he spoke and carried himself that he was dangerous.

“Who the hell are you?” I snapped.

He eyed me warily before responding.

“An ally,” he replied simply. “Gallagher sends his regards.”

“Of course,” O’Sullivan sneered. “I’d expect nothing less from some disloyal mercenary.”

“Loyalty was never part of the deal,” Brian retorted. “You’re a moron if you thought I wouldn’t turn on you, eventually.”

He stepped forward again as if to get to O’Sullivan, and I moved into his path.

“I don’t know what you’re planning.” I stared at him. “But he’s not going anywhere. He’s under arrest.”

“What?” Brian deadpanned as he stared at me in disbelief. “I wasn’t asking your permission. Get out of my way.”

“No,” I replied before glancing over to Junior. He was still out cold, which was a shame, considering I could really use some help against this apparent assassin-for-hire.

“I told you I’m your ally,” Brian scoffed. “I was sent here to keep you from getting killed by that one.”

“And a lot of help you were,” I bit back sarcastically as I gestured toward the bodies scattered around the floor of the cave. “Considering the fight was already over when you strolled in.”

Brian gritted his teeth, and I could see his nostrils flare as he visibly fought to control his anger.

“You can’t just--” Brian barked, but he stopped short at the sound of footsteps and yelling.

“Do a search of the entire beach!” Seamus’s familiar voice yelled over the sound of crashing waves, and I felt a flood of relief wash over me. “There’s a lot of little nooks and crannies among the rocks on these types of beaches that can be used as hiding spots!”

“Seamus!” I called as loudly as I could, and I rejoiced internally as the sound of footsteps got louder. A moment later, Seamus and several other officers stormed into the small cove.

“Saints preserve us,” Seamus gasped as he stopped in his tracks at the entrance to the cove. I watched as his eyes roved over the bodies on the ground and up to Brian standing just in front of me. “What’s going on here?”

“You know,” I grumbled, “just a shoot out. Nothing out of the ordinary. That’s O’Sullivan, by the way.”

I nodded at the man still handcuffed on the ground. He was glaring daggers back at us.

“And this one is Brian.” I frowned as I looked back at the mysterious man in front of me. “I’m not sure who he is, actually.”

“Really, now?” Seamus asked skeptically as he eyed Brian suspiciously. “Well then, who are you, lad?”

His gaze shifted between Seamus and me for a moment before he suddenly took off at an alarming speed, knocking one of the officers to the ground in the process.

“Stop