Molly

“Make the call,” Foster says.

I dial the number Murry left me. It rings over and over until he finally answers.

“Molly. It’s about time,” he grunts through the phone.

“I’m calling to meet your demands. A trade. Me for Quinn and Shane.” I don’t waste any time.

“Hmmmm,” I hear him say before he adds, “I want Connor as well.”

“No bloody way,” I yell out. I see Novak and the others wince at my outburst. Shit, I forgot the plan was to keep him calm, not to piss him off.

“Then the deal is off, and Quinn dies.” I notice he doesn’t say Shane will too.

“Is Shane dead? Did you kill him, you motherfucker? I will hunt you down and kill you slowly.” Again, everyone winces.

Murry starts to laugh, and it puts my skin on edge. “Okay, then Lass. Let's have it your way. I’m told you’re a stubborn one.” He pauses a beat and tells me, “It’s a deal. You for Quinn.”

“And Shane,” I snap.

He chuckles again, and I feel like I'm missing something. “And Shane,” he repeats. “I’ll text you the details soon.” And he hangs up.

“That went well,” my granddad states.

“Well? Molly almost blew the whole thing. You need to stay behind, you’re too emotional and are more likely to kill the bastard than negotiate with him,” Lawson says.

“I was fine and he agreed to my terms, didn’t he?” I scowl at him.

“Lawson’s right. You need to be careful, even more so now that you're pregnant. You can’t unload your magazine into him as soon as you see him,” Novak tells me.

“I’ll be fine. The plan is solid. I can keep my emotions in check, and my mind clear.” I assure them as I stand by my chair. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to throw up.” And I leave to do just that.”

Quinn

I hear the door open and it wakes me from my unpleasant sleep. Three of Murry's men, including Shane, walk in. They open my cell and quickly unlock my chains, standing me up.

“Come on, hurry up.” One of them shoves me out and I see Shane is standing by the door.

“What’s going on, what’s happening?” I ask him.

“Molly made the deal. I knew she would if we just waited long enough.” He smiles, looking very pleased with himself.

“No, no way,” I snarl at him.

“Don’t worry, she’ll be safe.” Suddenly a bag is pulled over my head, and my hands are strapped together. I can't see a thing. I take some stairs then feel gravel underneath my feet.

“In the car.” I’m shoved into a vehicle and hear the doors shut. I stay silent because I don’t want to talk too much, give them more information. I don’t know what the fuck is happening or what Molly is thinking, but I hope she has a plan, and that she’s not alone. Foster was due in Vegas not long after I left, so he must be helping her. Lawson and Novak too.

We must have driven for an hour before we start to slow down. “Stay here with him. I’m going to talk to Murry,” I hear Shane say. I start to feel jacked up, not knowing what the fuck is going down and knowing Molly is nearby makes me want to crawl out of my skin. A few minutes go by, and then the back doors open, and I’m ripped from the car.

“Don’t try anything, or I’ll hurt her.” I hear Murry’s voice in my ear. I know he will, he just won't kill her. I can't let that happen.

I hate how I can't see shit, but I’ll be ready for whatever is about to go down. I hear a car drive toward us, and some murmuring from the men behind me, and suddenly all hell breaks loose. Gunfire from what sounds like all directions. I hit the deck, and finally get the chance to rip off my hood. I see a blacked-out SUV in front of us and shots being fired from it. Murry and his men are returning it, using their cars as coverage. I look around and see that we are in the middle of nowhere with only a road to my left and dense forest behind me.

I have no idea who is firing at us, whether its Molly or someone else, but my best hope would be making a run to the forest. Under the cover of the enemy fire, I make a run for it. I feel like a fucking coward doing so, but my gut tells me this is what I'm supposed to do. The old Irish tale Molly told me about the saviour who lives in the forest comes rushing back to me. If this is her plan then I'm running where I need to be. So, I don’t stop, don’t look back, taking a straight line through trees, bushes, and jump over logs. I freeze suddenly when I hear whistling. I know that sound anywhere. She does it all the damn time at home.

“Molly?” I whisper looking all around me but see nothing but lush forest.

“Quinn,” I finally hear her sweet voice. I turn to see her walk from behind a tree wearing jeans, hiking boots, and wearing a backpack. Fuck she looks amazing. Her wild hair is in a ponytail, her face on full display. I nearly drop to my knees just at seeing her.

“Molly,” I breathe out like a prayer. We run to each other and she wraps her arms around my neck. I wish I could do the same, but my hands are still tied. Her smell invades me, and I almost cry like a fucking baby. I’m so relieved to have her with me again.

“I’m so happy you’re okay.” She pulls back and looks me over. “Are you hurt?”

I stare at her because it feels like it's been forever since I laid eyes on her. “I’m fine. Tired, hungry, and I stink, but I’m okay,” I reassure her.

She reaches down and pulls a knife out of her boot to cut my zip ties. As soon as I'm free I pull her to me, squeezing tightly. I loosen my hold only to cup her face and kiss her, putting everything into it. Then I do the same to her nose, cheeks, forehead, and every other inch of her face.

“I missed you so fucking much.” I kiss her. “I love you so fucking much.” I kiss her again. “I won't ever fucking leave you again.”

She lets out a chuckle and says with sass, “That’s a lot of fucking in a short amount of time. And you didn’t leave me, you were kidnapped.”

I give her a beaming smile. Fuck. I missed everything about her. “We can’t rest yet, we still need to get Shane.” My smile drops then. She doesn’t know. How could she? I’m the only one who did. “I have to get him.” She goes to walk past me to the fire fight, but I stop her. I’m just about to tell her everything when I hear Shane’s voice and it chills my blood.

“Shane,” Molly cries out in pure happiness. She takes a step toward him, but I clutch her by the shoulders shoving her behind me. “Quinn, what the fuck?” Her voice is full of confusion.

“Molly, he’s working for Murry. Has been this whole fucking time,” I tell her, not taking my eyes off him. He has a gun, though it's not pointed at us.

“Quinn what the bloody hell are you talking about?” Again, she sounds confused.

“Molly come with me. Quinn’s free, that’s what you wanted right?” Shane calls out to her, ignoring her questions.

I feel her tense before she walks from out behind me, but I don’t let her get far. I have a vise grip on her wrist keeping her at my side. “Shane?” Her voice is full of despair as she’s finally connecting all the dots. “What in the bloody hell does he mean? You’re working for Murry?”

Shane has the decency to look ashamed. “I did this all for you. I wanted you to be the Queen of Ireland. You’d be so perfect for it, do such a good job, and with Murry and his manpower you two would be unstoppable. I could be by your side, protecting you like I have all this time,” Shane’s voice is pleading.

Molly is shaking her head in denial. “No Shane, please no.”

“Molly, you should understand it was all really for you. I didn’t mean for it to be this way. I didn’t want Brian and Darcy to die, it was an accident meant to scare them into leaving this life, giving the business to Murry,” He’s rambling now, out of sorts.

I look down at Molly, her eyes are wide with shock and sadness, quickly welling up with tears. “How can you do this? I love you. You’re my trainer, my uncle, another father to me. How can you bloody lie to me this whole time, betray me, our family?” She screams at him and starts to tremble. I move to wrap my arm around her when Shane cocks the gun in my direction.

“Don’t move Quinn. All I want is Molly, you're free to go. But if you get in my way, I’ll kill you.” He tells me then looks back to Molly. “If you come with me I can explain it further. You’ll understand Irish, I promise.”

She shakes her head vigorously, tears streaming down her face. “No Shane. I’m not going with you, and Foster, Novak, Lawson, and the old gang will have finished with Murry and his men by now.” She takes a slow breath before crying out, “Why? Why would you do this!”

“Why? Why?” He yells at her. “For you! All of this is for you! I love you like my daughter, and this is what I want for you, this is what’s best for you.” He waves the gun toward me again. “But Connor had to ship you to this one, and to make matters worse you fell in love with him! Why couldn’t you make this easy? Accept the new order of things? Marry Murry and live happily ever after with him!” He waves the gun around as he talks. The fucker is gone now, out of his fucking mind.

“Shane, give it up. She’s not going to come with you, and you're going to pay for what you've done,” I growl at him, done with this back and forth bullshit. I try to shove her behind me again but she swats my hand away.

“Murry is a smart man. I’m done talking and you are coming with me Molly even if that means killing Quinn.” He lifts his arm again, pointing it at me and pulling the trigger. Before I know what the fuck is happening, I see a blur of red as Molly throws herself in front of me. The bullet hits her, and her body crashes into me and takes us both down.

“NO!” I roar and maneuver to her side.

“Molly?” Shane yells out.

Molly's eyes are closed, and blood is pouring from the right side of her chest. I put my hands over the wound, putting pressure on it, not knowing what else to do.

“Oh god. Molly are you okay?” I hear Shane’s voice as he gets closer and I lean down and pull the giant knife from her ankle. Taking quick aim, I hurl it at him and bullseye, the knife lodges in his chest, right in the heart. His face shows complete shock before his whole body goes limp and falls to the ground.

I put my focus back on Molly, keeping the pressure on her chest. “Molly come on love. Open your eyes, don’t die on me,” I beg. Her eyes flutter open and she looks so weak.

“H-He-lp” she whimpers.

Oh god, please no. “I’m gonna get you out of here Molly. I promise.”

“B-ba-” she whimpers again.

“I got you, baby, don’t worry.” I lean down and give her a quick kiss. I need to take a chance and get her to safety. I have no idea what’s happening where Murry is or if the others are meeting her here, but she needs to get help regardless. I pull off the backpack she was wearing and slip it on myself. I grab Shane’s gun then pick her up and she lets out a low grown. “Stay with me. Keep fighting Irish.” I run as fast as I can without hurting her in the direction I came from, clutching her hurt side to my chest.

I hear branches snap and I stop in my tracks, turning toward the sound and holding the gun at the ready. “Easy, Quinn,” I hear Foster's voice.

I let out a huge sigh of relief. “Help,” my voice is raspy as I look down at Molly. She’s still bleeding, and I’m covered in it. “She’s been shot.”

Foster rushes towards me. “Let me see.” He unzips her jacket, pulling it away. “Shit, there’s no exit wound.” He examines her some more. “Put her down and give me that bag,” he orders.

I do what he says, gently putting her on the ground and pulling off the bag. Foster rips it open and pulls out some gauze. “We weren't sure what condition you’d be in, so we came prepared. This is just a quick fix until we get her some help, and she needs it ASAP.” He stuffs her wound and Molly lets out a blood-curdling cry.

“Watch it, man,” I warn him.

“I know, I know, I'm sorry, but it needs to be done,” he grunts, sounding as if he doesn’t like it any more than I do and works quickly. “All right let's move. Can you carry her or should I?”

I growl at him for an answer, and he just nods and takes the bag. We quickly run to the vehicles and when we get there I see all the dead bodies, including Murry. Fucking good riddance. Novak and Lawson and some other men are waiting by a running SUV. They see me, and their initial reactions are happiness and relief, then they notice Molly in my arms, and blood covering both of us.

“What the fuck?!” Novak yells.

“You guys deal with this mess, we need to get Molly some help,” Lawson orders the others.

We load up and Foster drives, taking off at full speed. Molly is looking paler by the second and has broken out in a sweat. “Where are we besides in the middle of fucking nowhere? How far until we’re at the hospital?” I bark out in a panic. It’s then I realize Foster is on the phone.

“Connor knows a place we can get help. I’m heading there now. It’ll be ten minutes,” he says.

“Fuck!” I grunt. Ten minutes while she's bleeding to death. I hope to god she makes it, she has to. I can’t live without her.

The winding roads of Ireland make me sick to my stomach, but I hold on, needing to focus on Molly. We pull up to a farm, and unload quickly. There’s an older couple waiting on us.

“Connor called ahead, this way,” the woman urges. We walk to the barn, that on the inside is obviously not one. It looks like a fucking hospital. I put Molly on a gurney and the woman and man push her into another room where I see a few more people. I’m following them when the woman turns and stops me. “You need to wait here,” she says.

“The fuck I do! That’s my wife,” I snarl at her.

I feel Foster's hand on my shoulder, and I glare at him. “Let her do her job so she can save Molly.” I let out a breath and nod. I watch them wash up and get busy helping her, trying to keep her alive. And I do something I’ve never done in my whole life. I pray. Pray that God doesn’t take away the redheaded angel he sent me.