Chapter Seven
Quinn yawned and sat by the fire in her bedroom, warming hands. The sound of Ronan’s whistles echoed from the bathroom. Had she ever survived on less than four hours sleep before? She couldn’t remember.
Almost Three days. That’s how long he’d been in her life now. Seventy-two hours wasn’t long enough to fall in love with someone, but it was long enough to decide you wanted someone to stay in your life for a whole lot longer. Not that Quinn would ever admit as much to Ronan. When the wedding was over, he’d go back to his life in New York, and she’d focus on building her career again without the distraction of a relationship.
His apology for running out of the tower room yesterday was a good one, and every orgasm-filled minute was worth the tiredness. If every night was as deliciously draining, she wouldn’t complain about the lack of sleep—she’d welcome it. As for today, on top of everything else, she was sure she could find plenty of other rooms and closets that needed cleaning.
Her phone beeped, and immediately rocks dropped to her stomach. Brady hadn’t texted in a few days, but that didn’t mean he was done with her.
Find that wolf yet? B.
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard to type a reply that told him to get lost, but before she could, the room door opened a crack.
“You awake in there?” Lily didn’t wait for Quinn to answer before she pushed the door open and leaned against the doorjamb. Max peeked out from an oversized handbag and watched his adopted owner with puppy dog eyes. He had it bad. She knew how he felt.
Lily smiled, but it wasn’t a friendly smile; it was how a wolf might smile after devouring a deer. “Have you checked your emails?”
“Not in the last ten minutes.”
“You’re in for a surprise. I’ll meet you in the dining room in ten so we can discuss Ella’s latest… requests.” Lily disappeared before Quinn could question her. Apprehension settled in the pit of her stomach. Whatever news was waiting in her inbox wouldn’t be good.
She refreshed the emails on her iPad. Three from Ella all sent within a minute of each other. None with a subject line. This didn’t bode well. Ella rarely contacted Quinn directly.
My bridesmaids can’t be as thin as me on my wedding day. When they arrive, serve them nothing but carbs. The tighter their dresses, the better I’ll look. I want their stomachs bloated in the pictures. If you have to, steal their Spanx. Especially Sierra Winter’s. That bitch beat my box office record last week. She needs to look as if she’s four months pregnant.
Every girl needed a friend like Ella. Quinn opened the next email.
All bridesmaids must be the same height. I want to be the tallest. Since I’m five-four, you need to make sure they all wear heels that make them at least three inches shorter than me. I’m wearing four-inch heels so make sure they’re all five-five. I will measure their height.
Not at all demanding. She clicked on the third email.
I don’t want to pay for anything. Make sure I don’t have to. That includes you. Your payment will be the publicity you get from being in every magazine in the world. You’re welcome.
The words distorted in front of Quinn’s eyes and blurred. No payment. Free. No way could she work for free. No one could. Too many people depended on the revenue this wedding would bring in. She sank back in her chair. Ella’s demands were ridiculous. How wonderful to live in a world where you earned a fortune and still expected people to give you freebies.
Ronan sauntered out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist and droplets of water sticking to his skin. If Ella’s emails hadn’t stomped all over Quinn’s good mood, she’d have whipped the towel off and licked him dry.
“Something wrong?” he asked, warming his back by the fire. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost, which wouldn’t surprise me in this place.”
“The grim reaper paid a visit.” Quinn handed Ronan her tablet. “Read my emails.”
His brows lifted higher by the second. “I’ve worked with some shites in my day, but this… Jesus. Does Lily know?”
Quinn bit the inside of her cheek and nodded. “She practically flew away and cackled when she asked if I’d read my emails.” She held her head in her hands. “I can’t work for free. I know this job will bring in lots of clients, but they’re not going to pay my current bills or pay the contractors’ bills. I can probably negotiate a lower fee, but I’m already at rock bottom.”
Anxiety hopped between her synapses. If she had money in the bank, she’d consider doing what she could for free, because, yes, a job as prestigious as Ella’s would bring in hundreds of thousands in revenue for years to come. But most of those jobs were months away, and she needed money now.
She stood and paced around the room. “I’m meeting Lily in a few. Maybe she knows how to change Ella’s mind. I’m worried about Brendan as much as anything. Getting him to agree to this wedding in the first place wasn’t easy. There’s no way his bank account will cover all the repairs done to the castle.”
Ronan knelt in front of her and caught her hands with his, and the softness in his eyes soothed some of her jangled nerves. His sweet smile almost made her problems disappear.
“Let me talk to Lily.” He smoothed his hands over her shoulders. “I’ve been through negotiations with tougher people than her.”
“I’ll handle it, thanks.” She stared over his shoulder, not focusing on anything. “I need you by my side, but I have to figure this out by myself.”
He clasped her chin and turned her face until their eyes met. “I’m not the enemy. Not anymore. They’re going to take advantage of you.”
She blew out a breath and met his eyes. “I can take care of this. I need to.”
“I’ll try to keep my mouth shut, but I can’t promise.”
She lowered her gaze and focused on a droplet of water above his taut nipple. “So last night was—”
“Yes, it was.”
“How do you know what I was going to say? Maybe I was going to say it was the worst night of my life. That I faked every orgasm.”
He pulled her close until his still damp chest pressed against her blouse. His towel slipped and fell to the floor, revealing an impressive erection. If only there was time to enjoy it.
“You’re a bad liar.”
“It was the worst night of my life.” She ran her fingers over his tight butt and around the crease at the top of his thighs. “I insist on a repeat performance and this time, try… harder.”
“Harder?” He clasped a hand around hers and guided it lower.
“Much.” She laughed and curled her hand around his width.
He touched his lips off hers, and she all but fell at his feet. But she had to remember, this was purely physical—nothing more.
****
Brendan sat at a mahogany table big enough to feed an army and laughed at something Lily had said. Max sat between them, scratching his ear. The stoic and pinched-faced paintings lining the paneled walls mirrored Quinn’s feelings. As did the fire roaring in the hearth. Now was the time to show Lily she meant business. She wouldn’t give in, she wouldn’t back down, and she wouldn’t beg.
Brendan reached over and patted Lily’s hand fondly. “You’re a hoot and a half, you really are.”
When Lily noticed Ronan and Quinn standing at the threshold, a scowl replaced all previous signs of happiness. “So you’ve read the emails?”
“I have.” Quinn went into the room and placed her briefcase and laptop on top of the table. “You know how many people are depending on the money this wedding will bring. I won’t agree to her childish requests.” Ronan pulled out an antique chair for Quinn. She thanked him and sat. “Ella’s demands are ridiculous.”
“She said she doesn’t want to pay.” Lily shrugged. “I look after her public relations, not her decisions.”
Ronan, who sat opposite Quinn, opened his mouth to speak, but she glowered in his direction, warning him not to say a word. The thin line of his lips showed his annoyance, but he took the hint and said nothing.
“For someone who looks after her publicity,” Quinn said, “you should know how disastrous this could turn out. She’s already gaining a reputation as being a diva. Do you want to add more fuel to the fire?”
Brendan stretched for a crystal decanter in the middle of the table and poured a drop of whiskey into Lily’s coffee. “Here’s something that’ll warm your cockles.”
“You spoil me.” Lily beamed at Brendan, and Quinn half expected her to curl up on his lap and purr.
“A sweet lady such as yourself is worth spoiling.” Was she hearing things or did Brendan call Lily sweet? If by sweet he meant sarcastic, snarling, and sharp, then she’d agree.
Lily gave him a low and husky laugh and patted his hand before turning her attention back to Quinn. “Hundreds of others would cut your throat for this kind of opportunity.”
“Perhaps.” Quinn pushed a manila envelope toward Lily. “She signed a contract agreeing to my terms. People who work on her wedding will get paid. Let’s not make this ugly.”
Lily set down her cup but didn’t reach for the envelope. “Ugly? Oh, you poor deluded girl. Ella’s lawyers will shred the clothes off your back. The men and women who work for Ella—me included—have degrees in skinning people alive. Our client is number one no matter what her demands. And it’s our job to make sure she gets what she wants.”
Walking away from this event could cost her everything, but rolling over and playing dead on Ella’s command wouldn’t happen. Quinn gripped her pen, willing herself not to lose her nerve.
“Even if her actions will put people on the street? Even if it puts people on the verge of bankruptcy? How do you expect Brendan to pay his bills once it’s over? The contractors to pay their staff for Christmas? Too many people depend on this.”
Lily’s eyes flickered toward Brendan. “Tell someone who gives a damn.” She stood and walked toward an oil painting depicting a garden in full bloom and ran her fingers over the peeling paint.
Quinn released the grip on the pen. “You’re an intelligent woman, surely you can see how unacceptable it is.” She pushed away from the table, her chair scraping along the floor, and stood tall. “If she refuses to pay, I’ll take everyone with me. Good luck finding someone who’ll organize her wedding with just over two days to go. She’s already getting my expertise and this castle for a pittance.”
“Lily, dear,” Brendan said, joining her by the painting. “Quinn’s right. Too many people need the money this wedding will bring. With the economy being banjaxed, there’s no way they can afford to give things for free. I can throw in a few guest rooms, but other than that… She’ll have to pay for the castle hire.”
Quinn’s heart palpitated and shifted from her chest to her throat and back again.
Lily sniffed and eyeballed Ronan. “You’re awfully quiet.”
Ronan leaned back in the chair and fiddled with Quinn’s discarded pen. “Nothing to add. If you let Ella get away with this, you should be fired for enabling a brat. What kind of woman, or girl, is she?”
“She’s the kind of woman who can demand twenty million per movie,” Lily said. “The kind of woman who has an opening weekend of over a hundred million.”
Quinn made her way to the head of the table and pressed her palms onto the polished surface. “Then she’s the kind of woman who can afford a few hundred thousand to cover the cost of her wedding. What does Kai have to say about this?”
“Kai?” Lily laughed and wheezed so hard she sounded like she might have an asthma attack. “He’s so out of it, he probably doesn’t know he’s getting married.”
“I mean it, Lily,” Quinn warned. “If she doesn’t agree to pay—as in there’d better be money in my account by midday tomorrow—I’ll walk.”
Lily sneered. “Empty threats don’t work with me. You signed a contract, too.”
“There’s nothing empty about my threats.” She mentally crossed her fingers. Russian roulette wasn’t a game she’d ever played, or ever wanted to, but Ella had forced her hand. “Another thing, I won’t fatten her bridesmaids up like sacrificial lambs.”
“And I didn’t think you had a backbone.” Lily picked some flaking red paint off the painting and rubbed it between her fingers. “I’ll talk to her. Don’t expect miracles.”
“I’m sure you’ll do what you can. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have things to do.” Holding her head high, Quinn strode from the room and pleaded with her feet not to trip over themselves. Her dramatic exit wouldn’t be as effective if she ended up on the floor.
****
Keeping his mouth shut was tough, but Quinn did a good job without his interference. He was impressed, and he wasn’t easily impressed. Lily was right, she had a backbone—one forged from steel.
When he found her, she was in the kitchen leaning against a wall with her eyes closed.
“Nice work.”
“Did it look as if I was nervous? Because I was so fucking nervous.”
“You didn’t look nervous.”
“Good.” The constant worry line between her eyebrows creased. “Let’s hope she makes Ella see some sense.”
“Listen,” he said, rubbing her biceps, “how about we get out of here for a while. Walk around the grounds… talk…”
She curled her arms around herself and shuddered. “It’s freezing. We can talk in here.”
“I’ll keep you warm.”
“And how do you plan on doing that?”
“I have my ways.”
She smiled, and all of the tension lines on her face faded. Not for the first time, her beauty took his breath away.
“I’d like to see those ways. Let’s go.”
****
“Warm enough?” Ronan asked and laughed.
Blinding snow carpeted the grounds, and their feet squeaked over the fresh covering. Quinn wrapped a scarf half way around her face until only her eyes were visible.
She nodded. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets, and she curved her arm around his. Such an insignificant gesture shouldn’t make his heart jump, but it did. It was something a real couple would do, and in spite of what was happening between them, they weren’t a real couple. Although… No. Some ideas were too dumb to entertain. That was how hearts got broken, and a broken heart wasn’t something he ever wanted to experience again.
He took out his phone and checked to make sure it wasn’t on silent. Brady hadn’t been in touch since yesterday. Shane, his partner, and a few squad cars were hidden on a neighboring farm, ready to pounce. He wanted to get his meeting with Brady over with so he could stop worrying about him showing up at the castle and telling Quinn all about his connection to Ronan.
“You’ve checked your phone every minute for hours.” Quinn gave him a playful nudge. “You expecting an important call?”
“Something like that.”
“A watched phone never rings.”
“Isn’t that a watched kettle never boils.”
“Think it’s a watched pot.” She laughed. “Are we seriously talking about idioms? We’ve been sleeping together for less than a week, and we’re already boring. Next, we’ll be doing crosswords and making thousand-piece jigsaws.”
A hawk cried in the distance, and they both looked up at the mist-shrouded mountains. The place was beautiful, and it struck him how much more beautiful it was with Quinn by his side.
“I’m from a few miles down the road, but I’ve never been on the castle grounds. Passed it enough, but never came in. Sacrilegious, isn’t it?”
“You’re from Derry, right? I go there a lot. I’m sure I’ve bumped into your family a few times.”
“Probably. It’s a small place. My dad drives a taxi. You might have been in the back of his car.”
“With the way the Universe and fate works, you never know.”
“You believe in all that?”
“I think we all have lessons to learn and some things were meant to be.”
“You think we’re meant to be?”
“You’re a lesson in lies coming back to bite me in the ass. Lesson learned. Don’t lie.”
“I don’t remember biting your ass.”
She laughed, the sound muffled behind her scarf. “We’ll remedy that later.”
They came to a turret at the end of the courtyard. “Let’s go down here. The staircase leads to the dock by the lough.”
She led the way into the turret and down some rusted, winding stairs, and when they reached the bottom, Ronan swept snow from a stone bench so they could sit.
“Can you imagine living here in the old days?” Wistfulness filled her words. “It would’ve been like living in Winterfell.”
“I wouldn’t have taken you for a Game of Thrones fan.”
“You know nothing, Donovan.”
He rolled his eyes and groaned. “You’re hilarious. It would’ve been miserable. No heating or plumbing.”
“You’re such a romantic.” She gave him a gentle push.
Heat climbed up the back of his neck. “I am. Or I can be.” Not wanting to go down the road of romance, he changed the subject. “Tell me more about your ex. Are the police after him?” Why was he fishing for information? He should either tell her or shut up.
“They were,” she sighed. “There’s a warrant for his arrest, but they’ll never find him. He doesn’t want to be found.”
“He’ll slip up eventually. Criminals always do.” In a few hours, he’d be out of their lives for good. No way was Brady getting away with screwing Quinn over and then getting him involved. Payback would be a mother fucking bitch.
“Maybe… I’m past caring. It was a tough lesson.” She lowered her scarf to her chin and her breath puffed in front of her face. “New Year. New start. Time to let the past stay where it is. I’m done beating myself up. Rehashing every single minute. Wondering what I should’ve done differently. Wondering if it was my fault for loving him, trusting him. I was so goddamn gullible.”
“You’ll never know how sorry I am for acting like a dick.” He pulled her into him and draped an arm over her shoulder. “I’ll do what I can to make it up to you.”
“You’re right, you were a dick, and a jerk, and a jackass.”
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” She reached for his hand and squeezed and then looked him in the eye. “But I’m glad you’re here.”
Too much emotion and intensity filled her face. It was a look he knew well, and despite her declarations of not wanting to fall in love, she was falling for him, and he needed to set her straight. Set both of them straight.
“I like you, Quinn. But it can’t be any more than like. A relationship isn’t something I want. Baggage, y’know.”
She gave a nervous, high-pitched laugh, which sounded forced. “I’m not looking for anything either. Sorry if I gave you the impression I was. This is sex. Just sex. Good sex. Great sex. I’m using you for orgasms.”
“I like you using me for orgasms. You can use me for orgasms all you want.”
“I’ll take you up on that.”
They sat in comfortable silence wrapped in each other’s arms. He enjoyed being here with her like this. No pressure to be anyone other than who he was.
“Since I’ve spilled my guts about my woeful life,” she said, “tell me what’s stopping you from falling in love. Why don’t you want a relationship?”
He leaned forward and clasped his hands together. Did he want to tell her about Abbey, give her the whole sob story? Show her he was weak, that someone didn’t think he was good enough? Would she wonder why his girlfriend had no other choice but to cheat? Abbey’s betrayal wasn’t something he wanted to rehash or relive, and if he told Quinn, she’d get a sympathetic and pitiful look in her eyes. He didn’t want that, but he’d already lied so much. Maybe it was time to rip the Band-Aid he’d worn for the past three years off.
“She cheated. We broke up. The end.”
“I’m sorry.” Quinn reached out a gloved hand and touched his arm.
“No need for sorry. You weren’t the one I was about to propose to.”
“Oh…”
“I loved her. Would’ve given her the moon if she’d asked. But even that wouldn’t have been enough. I suppose it’s better I found out she cheated on me before I asked her to marry me.”
“What a fucking selfish bitch.” She clamped a hand over her mouth.
He laughed, but it sounded hollow. “When I found her shagging her boss in our new apartment, I called her worse. I could’ve handled it differently.”
“So you haven’t had a relationship since.”
“I prefer fun with no strings.”
“You give me orgasms. I give you no strings. We’re a good team.”
“Sounds about right.”
If he had the brains he was born with, he’d walk away before the strings became chains. Get out of Quinn’s life before he couldn’t leave. Before Brady stuck his boot in and kicked both of them where it hurt. But why walk away from someone who enjoyed sex as much as he did? Someone who challenged him and made him laugh. A few more days wouldn’t cause any permanent damage to either of them.
“I get that we both have skeletons,” she said, breaking into his thoughts, “but I’m not going to cling to your leg and beg you never to leave me.”
“That obvious?” He blew out a breath and gazed at the heavy clouds.
“Think of us as method actors. We’re supposed to be besotted with each other and now that we’re sleeping with each other, it’s believable.”
“How so?”
“It’s easy to tell when a couple’s having sex. There’s an intimacy between them, and we have that now.”
“So as well as using me for orgasms, you’re using me to make your lies more convincing?” He leaned over and nibbled the cold shell of her ear.
She screamed playfully and fought him off. “I’m not the only one who’s lying.”
Quinn tilted her head and kissed him with such tenderness he forgot everything else and focused on the sensations warming his body. She had him, and he wasn’t sure he ever wanted her to let go. So much for no baggage and no strings. She wasn’t the liar here, he was. The biggest one he’d ever met.
Her phone beeped. She broke away and dug into her coat pocket and jumped up from the bench. “Thank you, God. Ella’s agreed to pay for everything. She drunk emailed and can’t remember a thing, but she still wants me to fatten up her bridesmaids.”
“You amaze me, you know that?” He grabbed her hand and squeezed. “Come on. Let’s celebrate. We can sneak up to our room and warm up.”
“What do you mean by warm up?”
“What do you think I mean?”
“You could mean drinking hot chocolate, or you could mean getting naked in front of the fire.”
“How about naked in front of the fire and hot chocolate after?”
“That sounds like a fantastic idea.”
His phone rang, and his heart stilled. “You head on up. I’ll be there in a few.”
“The phone call you’ve been waiting for?”
“Aye.”
She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “I’ll start warming myself up.”
“Now that’s something I’d like to see.”
“You can if you hurry.” She ran into the turret and before he answered his phone, he made sure she wasn’t within earshot.
****
A few hours later, outside the castle grounds, Ronan leaned against a stone wall dressed in running gear. The excuse he’d given Quinn about needing to exercise for a few hours was a lame one, but he needed to disappear without raising any suspicions. More lies, but he could justify these lies.
Thanks to another heavy snowfall, the cleared roads were rapidly turning white, and since Brady hadn’t contacted him in over an hour, Ronan didn’t know if he was on his way or if he’d even make it to the castle. But desperation made people do ridiculous things like drive on ice-covered roads or jump on planes and pretend to be someone’s fiancé.
Since he didn’t know from which direction Brady was coming, he continuously glanced from left to right. Who knew what kind of trouble he was walking into, but this was about saving Quinn. He smiled wryly. It seemed she’d gotten her very own wedding-planning superhero after all.
In the distance, the dim lights of a car lit up the road, and excited anticipation squeezed Ronan. Brady had taken the bait. The car drew closer. Shane, who watched from a neighboring farm, should arrive any minute.
The car slowed and crunched to a stop, and the passenger door opened. Brady got out. An unkempt graying beard covered his jawline, his eyes were sunken and lined, and his wrinkled clothes looked as if they’d been slept in more than once. This wasn’t the man Ronan knew. The man Ronan knew had always been clean-shaven, never had a hair out of place, and wore designer suits.
A smirk filled Brady’s face. The smarmy shite would smile on the other side of his face soon enough and then on the other side of prison bars. Stale nicotine and booze oozed from his pores.
“From what I hear, you’re all loved up.” Brady leaned against the open car door.
“Where’d you hear that?”
“Friends in low places. The stupid bitch didn’t vet anyone she hired. My man was in and out in a few hours. Told me all I needed to know. A few euros gets a lot of answers.” He rubbed his hands in glee. “She’s mental in bed, isn’t she? Not as good as your sister, mind you.” He rolled his shoulders. “I can still feel her nails on me back, and I have a few scars to prove it.”
“Hell would be too good for you. You’re a piece of dirt and deserve everything that’s coming to you.” Ronan’s nostrils flared and he curled his fist. Brady would push every button to get a reaction. Pounding him into the ground would be so easy and satisfying.
“Wire the money. Otherwise, my driver will beat you to a pulp, and I’ll tell every paper that’ll listen about Quinn’s scam. How I was the one who walked away from her. How I couldn’t live with the guilt anymore.”
“How do you sleep at night?” Ronan asked.
“I close my eyes.”
“Before I do anything for you, explain why you have it in for Quinn, for me?”
He shrugged and gave a cynical, lip-twisting smile. “Two birds. One stone. She told me to get out of her life—“”
“After you told her to blackmail her clients.”
Brady shifted from foot to foot, his eyes darting all around, never settling in one place. “Would’ve been a good money maker. She sent the police after me big time. As for you, I saw a chance to fuck with you so I took it.”
All the blood drained from Ronan’s head and pooled in his hands, his vision clouded and time slowed to a sloth’s pace. In a flash of movement, before Brady could jerk back, Ronan threw a right fist and landed a stomach punch. With a heaving groan, Brady staggered back and doubled in two.
“Big mistake, Man. Big fucking mistake.”
“My only mistake was trusting you.” Adrenaline spiked through Ronan’s system. Not allowing Brady any chance to counterpunch, Ronan swung an uppercut jab to his opponent’s chin, knocking him to the ground. Brady slumped to his knees, winced and worked his jaw back and forth.
“I’m going to fucking kill you,” Brady said lurching to his feet. “And I’m going to enjoy every minute.”
Ronan’s hands shook and his knuckles throbbed, but he wasn’t done. Not by a long shot. Growing up with three brothers had its benefits, and learning how to give and take a punch was one of them.
Ronan strode toward Brady and grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket. “You’re filth.” He lifted his right arm, ready to pummel Brady to a bloody pulp, but the wide-eyed fear and desperation on the other man’s face made him stop. Disgusted, Ronan shoved him away. “You not worth it. You’re not fucking worth it.”
The car door swung open and a six-foot something man built like a brick shit-house stepped out and stalked toward Ronan.
Brady’s nostrils flared. “Hope Quinn still likes you when she sees your fucked up face.” He cut a glance toward the other man. “Slash his face, Lynch. Make it so his own mother doesn’t recognize him.”
Ronan stood his ground. He wouldn’t back down and he wouldn’t run. He owed it to Quinn and his sister. But he wouldn’t complain if Shane and his colleagues showed up to give him a hand. Where the hell was he?
Lynch cracked his knuckles and lifted a meaty fist, but before it made contact with Ronan’s face, he ducked out of the way. The other man might be bigger but Ronan was faster.
“That all you got,” Ronan taunted, moving this way and that, not allowing Lynch’s swinging fists a clear shot at his face, ribs, or stomach. “C’mon, big man, you can do better than that. Hit me. Give me all you have.”
Lynch advanced forward, grabbed Ronan’s shoulder, and swept a foot behind his ankle, lifting him off his feet. Ronan hit the cold, hard ground with a thud and his head lolled to one side. Pain ricocheted around his brain, obliterating thousands if not millions of brain cells.
Lynch pressed his knee deep into Ronan’s solar plexus, stealing his breath. “You want to see what I have, huh, tough guy? When I’m done, they’ll have to wire your jaw shut.”
Brady hunkered down, smirked and patted Ronan’s cheek. “You’ll be lucky if you can eat more than baby food for the rest of your life.”
Ronan struggled to get up, to shove Lynch off him. If he didn’t get away, they would leave him for dead. And he wasn’t ready to die. Brady Gibson wasn’t the last face he wanted to see.
Images of Quinn rolled through his brain. The first day he’d met her. The first time he’d kissed her. The first time he’d fucked her.
The next time he saw her, if he ever saw her, his face would look like minced meat.
The drone of sirens flew toward them, their flashing lights strobed across Brady and wiped his smirk away. Relief flooded through Ronan, washing away his adrenaline rush.
“I’ll make you pay for this, Donovan.” Brady spat in Ronan’s direction, narrowly missing his face.
Lynch shot up and jumped into their car followed by Brady, but it was too late for a getaway. Shane’s car slid in front of Brady’s and blocked it from going forward. The second car slid up beside, and the third pulled in behind.
A dull, throbbing ache settled at the base of Ronan’s skull. He stood and rubbed a hand over the egg-shaped bump on the back of his head. He flinched. It hurt like a motherfucker, but wasn’t anything a few beers and several Advil wouldn’t sort out.
Shane and the other police officers jumped out and unholstered their guns.
“Both of you, step out of the car with your hands up,” Shane called.
Brady slapped his fist against the dashboard and called out, “This is entrapment. You have nothing on me.”
“Step out of the car,” Shane repeated.
Brady and Lynch stepped out with their hands up.
“I have friends everywhere, Donovan,” Brady said and snarled.
“You’re a disgusting excuse for a man.”
“Watch your back, dickhead. I’ll rip your head off as soon as I get the chance.”
“You do not have to say anything,” Shane stated while handcuffing Brady. “But it may harm your defense if you do not mention, when questioned, something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence. Do you understand?”
“I understand alright,” Brady replied. “I understand you two and that bitch set me up.”
Shane bundled Brady and Lynch into the back of his police car.
Before leaving, Shane shook Ronan’s hand. “A few minutes later and I’d have been put to sleep with a shovel.”
“Do you think I’d let that happen?” Shane asked. “I knew you had it all under control. Maybe there’s a career for you as an undercover cop.”
“Thanks but I think I’ll stick to organizing conferences. I’ve another favor to ask, don’t mention this to anyone. What Gibson did to Ashlen is still a sore subject. And I don’t want Quinn to know until I tell her, so I’d appreciate no one contacting her about this until the New Year.”
“I’ll do what I can. You’ll have to give a statement, but I’ll see if I can postpone it.”
“Appreciate it, man.”
Brady glowered from the back of the car. With any luck, he’d be behind bars for a long time. For now, with Brady out of the way, Ronan had some breathing space and could enjoy the next few days with Quinn without having to look over his shoulder.