The Quinn War (2015)

Chapter Nineteen: What Comes Next!

Kerys had successfully vanished from her old life, but she hadn’t changed as much as one might expect. She still had the same bold look that defined her, with her shaved head now covered by a series of wigs she’d collected, each one giving her a different identity. She’d retreated to a remote coastal village in the north of Scotland, far from the reach of anyone who might be looking for her. The village was quiet, almost forgotten by the outside world, nestled between towering cliffs and the stormy sea.

Her new home was a small cottage, modest but comfortable. It was hidden away at the edge of the village, surrounded by dense trees on one side and open to the wild, untamed coast on the other. The isolation was exactly what she needed. The £100,000 Francesca had wired into her account had bought her this peace, but it hadn’t bought her happiness.

Kerys spent her days walking along the cliffs, the cold wind whipping at her face, the roar of the sea a constant reminder of how far she’d come—and how far she’d fallen. Her nights were spent inside, the fire crackling in the hearth as she read old books she’d found in the village’s small, musty shop. Her new life was one of quiet solitude, but it wasn’t fulfilling. The past haunted her, each wig she wore a reminder of the identity she was running from, not towards.

Sometimes she caught herself staring into the mirror, the reflection of a woman who had once been fierce and loyal, now reduced to a ghost hiding from her past. She knew she could never return to her old life; too many bridges had been burned, too many betrayals committed. But she also knew that this life, as safe as it was, felt more like a prison than a fresh start.

Kieran Feldmanis’s trial was a spectacle, drawing crowds and media from all over. The courtroom was packed, the tension thick as the prosecution laid out their case. Kieran, once a towering figure of intimidation, now sat subdued, his expression blank as the charges were read out: attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, Each charge was another nail in his coffin, sealing his fate.

The evidence against him was overwhelming. Witnesses testified, forensic evidence was presented, and the paper trail that tied him to the crime was undeniable. His lawyer tried to argue that Kieran had been manipulated by Francesca Quinn, that he had been coerced into his actions, but the jury wasn’t convinced. Kieran’s past, filled with violence and criminal activity, painted a damning picture, and it was clear to everyone in that room that he was guilty.

Kieran sat through it all with a stone-faced expression, the anger and frustration boiling inside him but never showing on the surface. He felt betrayed, used, and discarded by those he had once called allies. And now, as the judge read out the sentence—25 years to life in prison, with no possibility of parole—Kieran knew there was no escape. This was his reality now.

As he was led away in handcuffs, the courtroom was silent, the weight of the verdict hanging in the air. Kieran’s future was now confined to a prison cell, a far cry from the life of power and influence he had once led. But as he stared straight ahead, refusing to look at anyone, he knew one thing: he had made his choices, and now he would live—or die—with them.

Meanwhile, in Corby, the Romanovich family was undergoing a significant shift. With Victor Romanovich dead, there was a power vacuum, and the family needed a new leader. The men gathered in a dimly lit basement beneath a pub in Corby, the air thick with smoke and tension. Cameron sat beside Ed, who had become a close friend in the aftermath of the bloody showdown at the Quinn mansion.

The Romanovich men were a hardened group, each one a veteran of the brutal gang wars that had shaped their lives. They respected strength, loyalty, and cunning—all qualities that Ed had demonstrated during the fight. The room was quiet as Victor’s second-in-command, Sergei, stepped forward.