Thy Kingdom Come

I take cover behind the wheel of the lorry, focusing on the bedlam that is happening feet away. Masked men appear out of nowhere, shooting one another. I don’t know who is on our side, but when I see Uncle Sean jump out of the back of the truck and take aim at Brody, I realize he was just biding his time to ambush this fucker. He and Co

Co

She’s hiding behind the back of the van, but it won’t be long until she’s picked off by these men. She’s unarmed and afraid. I can’t leave her alone.

Keeping low, I scope out my surroundings and see about thirty men shooting at one another. Some are Kellys. Some are Doyles. Neither family came into this unprepared. Uncle Sean knew Brody wouldn’t come unma

I can’t see their faces as they’re wearing balaclavas, but if Uncle Sean trusts them, then I do too, which is why I take a deep breath and make a run for the van.

Gunshots tear around me, but I shoot first, taking down two men who advance toward me, guns raised. I don’t know where anyone else is because all I see is a masked man ru

“Baby!” I scream to be heard over the gunfire.

She pokes her head around the van, and I gesture for her to run. But it’s too late, and a shot is fired.

With adrenaline coursing through me, I charge through the chaos, shooting anyone who stands in my way. My boots kick at the gravel as I scramble to get to Babydoll, and when I do, I almost cry in relief.

Sliding along the ground, I cover her with my body, and she hugs me tight. “Your uncle shot h-him,” she states, her voice trembling.

The man lies in a crumpled mess, feet away. I rip off his balaclava, and when I see it’s Da

“Rule with the cruelty I taught ya because it’s the only way to survive in our world.”

Co

In his own fucked-up way, he was trying to teach me not to be like him. Love and emotion are what got him here. A leader ca

Prying the gun from Da

“Get inside the van and drive away from here.”

“Punky—” she argues.

“I’ll not tell ya again! The next town is only over the way. Go.”

“I won’t leave you,” she cries, brushing the hair from my face.

Turning my cheek, I hate that I still crave her touch after everything I know. “Ya must.”

She realizes why I turned away from her and gasps, removing her hands with shame. “We didn’t do anything wrong. We didn’t know,” she says, tears streaming into her lips, lips I want to kiss over and over again.

“But now we do. And we have to stop. I can’t be around ye, Babydoll, ’cause I want ya how a brother should not want a sister. Please go. I need ya to be safe.”

She looks at me, pleading I tell her it’ll be all right. But it won’t be. Nothing will be ever again.

She slams her mouth to mine, kissing me with finality because we both know this is goodbye. We ca

“I…love you,” she whispers against my lips, cupping my cheeks and drawing us brow to brow. “And I’m so sorry for betraying you.”

I taste her salty kisses and surrender—one last time. “I love ye, too. I always will. But I can’t be anywhere near ya. I promised ya if ye were a threat…I’d kill ye. But I can’t hurt ya. Nor can I trust ya. So, goodbye, Baby.”

She nods jerkily, still clutching onto me, never wanting to let go. “Ex favilla nos resurgemus,” she says, reciting the tattoo across my collarbone. “From the ashes we will rise…I’ll never give up.”

Planting a soft kiss to her forehead, I let go of my humanity because I’ll never love anyone as much as I do her and that makes me weak. Something I refuse to be ever again.

“I’ll cover ya,” I say, gesturing she’s to make a run for the driver’s side.

She hugs her gun, taking three deep breaths.

A thought suddenly occurs to me. “How’d ya know he was my uncle?”

Babydoll said Uncle Sean shot Da

Before I can ask her, however, I hear footsteps advancing toward us.

“Go!” I scream, coming to a stand and guarding Babydoll with my body as I lead her toward the driver’s side.

My focus is straight ahead, which is an error I’ll regret for the rest of my life, as I don’t see a masked man emerge from the dense bushlands to my right. He aims his gun and fires a bullet which lodges into my chest.

But I persevere. It’s merely a scratch.

Only a couple more feet and Babydoll will be safe.

Just as I’m about to open the door and shove her inside, someone screams my name, and that person is Co

“Co

I drop to my knees beside Co

“Punky!” Babydoll cries, catching me from falling. “Oh my God. You’re hurt b-bad.”

I lean into her, my lungs wheezing as I attempt to breathe. But it doesn’t end this way.

“Co

He groans, his eyes flickering open. “Do-don’t…” He attempts to speak, but blood trickles from his mouth.

“Save yer strength,” I say, pressing my hands over the wound to his stomach. “Help is comin’.”

“Babydoll, call the peelers!” I don’t care that they’ll find a lorry full of drugs. I’ll take the blame as long as it’ll save Co

“They’re comin’,” Co

“What?”

“I told them what I did. We were all going to pay for our crimes. But yer…” He splutters up blood but won’t go down without a fight. “I didn’t kill yer ma. I lo-loved her. So much. The deal I made was to save ye.”

Babydoll cries beside me, holding me up as I fight to stay awake. “Who killed her?”

Co

“Who?” I scream, placing my hand over his. He’s freezin’.

“Yer uncle,” he pants, flinching in pain. “Don’t trust…Sean.”

His hand grows limp, but I press it to my face, refusing to accept this. No, this is not the end. He can’t leave the earth like this.

“Co

“Punky, he’s g-gone.”

But I refuse to listen to Babydoll’s pleas. There is no way he’s gone. This man is the strongest arsehole I know.