Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 83994 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83994 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Seamus comes into the room first. He nods to his mother as he unstraps a bulletproof vest. “I come bearing gifts.”
“Where’s Declan?” I can’t keep myself quiet any longer. I feel like I’m going to explode into a thousand little anxiety-filled pieces.
“Worried about me?” My husband limps in after his brother. He grimaces as he takes off his vest, and I notice a few slugs are trapped in the Kevlar. I run to him, almost screaming with relief, but stop short when I realize he’s clutching his chest.
“You’re hurt.” I tug at his shirt and make him show me what happened. An ugly bruise is blooming across his ribs on the right side. “You need a doctor.”
“I’m fine. Honestly.”
I want to argue, but there’s more commotion. Another group of men comes into the house. I crane my neck and spot them heading toward the basement door. My blood runs cold when I realize they’re Whelan soldiers dragging a partially unconscious and blood-covered Donnell behind them.
Declan’s hand is light on my lower back. “It’ll be okay, baby,” he says in my ear. “We’re handling it.”
“You aren’t handling anything.” I turn on him, squaring my shoulders and clenching my jaw. “You’re coming with me.”
His eyebrows raise, and he looks amused. “I have more work to do.”
“Seamus can ask Donnell questions. Unless you’re the only man in your family who knows how to torture people?”
“She’s got a point,” Seamus says, sounding amused. “I don’t mind. I already talked to Alina and let her know I’m fine.”
Declan clearly doesn’t like it, but I pull him from the kitchen and drag him upstairs to our suite. He grumbles the whole way about looking weak and the men thinking he’s soft, but I just ignore him.
“Sit down.” I steer him to the bed. “And now let’s get this off.” I help him remove the shirt.
“I told you already, Casey, I’m okay. It’s not even that—” He flinches and curses. “What the fuck was that?”
“I lightly poked you.” I do it again, and he snarls at me. “Are you seriously going to keep telling me you’re fine?”
“Because I am. It could have been worse.”
I freeze, feeling cold all over. “How close was it back there?”
He looks at me for a moment, and his face softens. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“Just tell me the truth.”
“It was an ambush. Donnell was waiting for us. But we went in harder than he expected, and we got more than a little lucky. The old bastard was there in person thinking he’d get to witness my murder firsthand. Probably wanted to gloat over my corpse.”
I have to steady myself on the bed. I sink down beside him and lean against his shoulder, breathing in his smell, trying to remind myself that he’s here and it’s Donnell down in the basement.
“They knew you were coming.”
“Or they expected us to hit them at some point.”
“Do you think that Maguire kid sold you out?”
His expression darkens. “We’re going to have a very frank conversation about that soon, but not right now. There are bigger issues to solve.”
I push myself to my feet. I don’t have the luxury of collapsing right now. I kiss him and make sure he stays seated as I go into the bathroom and find the fully stocked first aid kit.
I make him take some ibuprofen and wrap him in bandages. I assume he’s not actively bleeding, or else the medication will make that worse. Once that’s done, I help him change into more comfortable clothes and get him to swear he’ll speak with the family doctor soon.
“You’re too important to risk.” I kiss his neck and rub his shoulders. He sighs and leans into me.
“There’s no helping it right now. I have to show strength. I can’t hide behind my men while there’s killing to do. Not right now.”
“But you’re the boss. You delegate.”
“Most of the time you’re right, but I can’t ask these people to risk their lives if I’m not willing to do it too.”
“Declan—”
“I know it’s hard.” He touches my cheek lightly. It’s much gentler than I’m used to from him. “I promise, I’m not doing anything I don’t absolutely have to.”
“You’re going after Senesi next, aren’t you?”
He nods slowly. “I have a good idea where we’ll find him thanks to the treasure trove of documents your mother left.”
“I can’t ask you to do it alone.”
“You’re not, baby. I’m going because I want to.”
I shake my head, trying to find the words, but suddenly everything fails me. Tears fill my eyes, and I fight against them. I know emotion like that only frustrates him. I steady myself and press closer to his warm, powerful body, shaking slightly with frustration.
“If you go, I’m going too.”
“That’s not an option.”
“He’s my curse, Declan. He came after my family. He killed my parents. I have to be there at the end.”