Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 56875 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56875 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
I stood. “Think about that as the devil finds you a special place in hell. Your name will be forgotten. You will be forgotten. And I’ll have her. Always.”
I pressed my gun to his head, meeting his eyes that were filled with hate. Rage. I smiled. “You lose, fecker.”
I pulled the trigger, and he slumped in his chair, no longer a threat. Unable to stop, I added a slug to the place where, biologically, his heart would beat—if he’d ever had one.
The impact knocked him over, and he landed on his back, blood seeping into the carpet. I felt nothing but satisfaction that he was dead. Only regret it hadn’t happened sooner.
Then I stepped back, ignoring the mess. If I could, I would have shot him all over again. Maybe that would be his punishment in hell. Reliving his death. It would be an appropriate way to spend eternity. At least in my opinion.
Roman met my eyes. “It’s done.”
He shook my shoulder. “Go. Anna needs you. We’ll finish here.”
“What are you planning?”
“Arson. The syndicate will have to rebuild.” He glanced around. “Too much evil existed here.”
I nodded. “Thank you.”
He held out his hand. “Family,” he said simply.
I shook it.
“Family.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
ANNA
Ikept waking up, disjointed images and feelings swirling around me. Fear as I opened my eyes. Pain. Fragmented thoughts of being cold, terrified.
But every time I lifted my eyelids, he was there.
Niall.
Reassuring me in his low, rich voice.
Comforting me with his scent and gentle touch.
Watching me with his dark-brown eyes, caring and filled with love.
I was warm, my body cradled by softness and often his arms.
Sometimes I heard music. A sweet, familiar voice singing quietly. Gentle hands holding mine.
Still, I hid in the darkness, too scared to wake completely and find that I had been dreaming.
Until I heard it.
His whisper. His plea.
“Come back to me, mo mhuirnín. I miss you. I need you.”
I slowly opened my eyes, blinking at the light, grimacing at the brightness.
“I turned the light down,” Niall’s voice murmured. “Open your eyes for me.”
I did, his face slowly coming into focus. He looked exhausted. Drawn. Anxious.
And he was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.
“Niall?”
He cupped my cheek, bending over me. “Mo mhuirnín.” He pressed a kiss to my brow. “Thank God.”
I peered around. I was in a hospital room, machines whirring and beeping. There was a sofa by the window and a large chair beside the bed where Niall had been sitting. Coffee cups were scattered on a table.
He smiled at my confusion. “You’re in a private hospital. We brought you here after—” he swallowed “—after we got you out.”
The whole ordeal rushed back, and my eyes widened, a flood of tears pouring down my cheeks. I gripped his wrists, panicking.
“No, Anna, hush,” he soothed. “You’re safe.” He leaned close. “They are dead. They can’t harm you again. No one will ever harm you again.”
“But he…she… He was alive.”
He pressed his lips to my ear. “I killed him. I made sure of it.”
Something in his voice, his adamant words, made me relax.
“He said a bomb—your car,” I babbled, feeling panicked.
“No. You already said something to Finn, and it’s been checked. We’re all safe, Anna.”
I exhaled a shaky breath, another memory becoming clearer.
“Finn shot her,” I whispered, recalling the closet.
“Yes.”
“It’s over?” I pleaded, gripping his shirt, trembling.
He sat on the bed, gently lifting me into his arms, crooning my name. “It’s over.”
And I wept.
The doctor came in, examined me, removed the oxygen, and capped off the IV. When I asked when I could leave, he patted my hand. “Soon.”
I wanted soon to be now.
He spoke with Niall, then left. A few moments later, a nurse came in with a basin of warm water and some towels. She left after making sure I had ice water to drink and didn’t need anything.
“How long was I out?” I asked, as Niall gently washed my face with a soft cloth.
He frowned. “Two days. The doctor was worried about your head, but they did a CT scan and there was no swelling in your brain. He told us you needed to rest, that your body needed the time to start healing.” He met my eyes, his still anxious. “I hated seeing you like that.”
“I know,” I whispered, stilling his movements. “I’m okay, Niall.”
“You will be,” he assured me, bending down to press a tender kiss to my mouth. “I’ll make sure of it.”
“You said us.”
“What?”
“You said ‘the doctor told us.’ Who is us?”
“Finn and Una were here until a few hours ago when you started to wake up. They thought we’d want privacy. Roman and Effie were here.” He indicated flowers in the corner. “Aldo and Vi were here as well.”
“Oh.”
“Everyone was concerned.”
“What about the hotel?”
He set aside the cloth and sat down. “It was obvious something had happened and it involved you. Finn told them there had been an attempted abduction, but you were safe. Everyone was horrified but so glad you’re all right.”