Heartstrings on Fire novel Chapter 1105

Kearney's eyes were red, a rare show of emotion for someone who usually kept his feelings tightly guarded. Agnes, however, couldn't quite read him. He was a master at hiding his emotions, keeping everything bottled up inside. Yet, after today's tragic events at Albert's Arms, it was Kearney who had taken charge, dealing with everything from comforting the grieving families of the victims to liaising with the police.

"Bro, what in the world happened? Who were those men in black? Why did this happen?" Agnes felt utterly drained, the images from the previous night's horror replaying in her mind – the bodies lying in pools of blood, Sean bleeding out in Phenix's arms. It was overwhelming, the sheer brutality of it all.

Sean's face was grim as he explained, "We've managed to identify those men in black. They were international terrorists, seeking revenge for a previous operation where our brother disrupted their plans. They targeted him, not realizing the innocent lives they'd drag into their vendetta."

Agnes was silent, the gravity of the situation sinking in. "But how? Our brother's movements were always so secretive. And how did these terrorists manage to strike here, without any warning?"

"These attackers were zealots, the same kind involved in the biggest kidnapping case in the Capital last year. Our brother was a mercenary hired to deal with them, which put him on their radar. You might not know this, but he was attacked twice last year, in Thailand and Myanmar. He kept it quiet, not wanting to worry us. We thought we'd be safer back home, but it seems their reach extends even here, possibly in league with The Obsidian Order, our rival. Rest assured, I will find out who's behind this. Whoever caused our brother's death will pay dearly," Kearney's eyes flashed with a cold fury.

But even with vengeance, it wouldn't bring back those they lost. The Albert's Arms family was shattered, with Reggie barely clinging to life. The founding members, those who had built the organization with Reggie, were gone.

Agnes was worried about how Reggie would cope with the loss of his closest friends and his eldest son once he woke up.

"Septima, you should get some rest," Kearney told her, using her nickname, "You can't keep going like this. Now that our brother is gone, I'll take care of you and Phenix. I'm already worried about her; if anything happened to you, how would I face Reggie?"

"I'm not the one you need to worry about, but Phenix..." Agnes glanced at Phenix, her voice trailing off, her concern evident.

"I know," Kearney assured her, "I won't let anything happen to her. She won't be out of my sight."

In that moment, Agnes realized the depth of Kearney's feelings for Phenix. In the face of such tragedy, his heartache must have been unimaginable.