Page 16 of While You Sleep

She snatched up her clothes and ran to the bathroom, shutting herself in. I sent Declan a text, letting him know what was happening and to stay with Paolo. I had no idea what Alto was up to, but it was looking like he’d heard of the upcoming marriage between Sophia and Adam and sent Paolo in to get to her first. The O’Rourkes and the Brennans cementing our alliance had to worry him. Maybe he wanted an alliance with Brennan and this was how he thought they’d get it? It didn’t seem his style. Whatever this was, it wasn’t good for any of us.

No wonder the kid was losing his shit and trying to get to Sophia. No one disappointed Alto and got away with it, not even family. What Paolo planned to do when he got up here, I’d find out later.

We had to move fast, Alto might already know his nephew was missing, and if he did, he’d assume Brennan was the one to discover the kid sniffing around his daughter, which was the way I wanted it. If his men weren’t already here, they were on their way.

The bathroom door opened and Sophia walked out, looking pale.

“Shoes,” I said.

She shoved her feet in a pair of runners and grabbed her purse. I took her arm and led her out of the apartment, ignoring her attempts to get free of my hold, and rushed her to the elevators.

“You’re an asshole, you know that?” she said.

“Aye.” Pulling my gun from my holster, I released her long enough to attach the silencer, then stood back as the doors slid open.

One of Leone’s men stood there, gun raised.

I fired twice, head, heart. He landed mostly in the hall, and I kicked his legs out of the way and dragged a screaming Sophia into the elevator with me.

Pressing her into the wall, I covered her mouth with my hand. “There’ll be more. Don’t make it easy for them.”

Her eyes were huge, and she nodded. I could smell her pussy on my fingers, and if she licked her lips now, she’d be able to taste herself. I wanted more of her. I wanted to unravel her again, like I had in her apartment, over and over again.

I dragged my nose up the side of her throat, breathing her in. “You tell anyone what happened between us in your apartment, pet, and I’ll kill your father. Nod if you understand?”

She whimpered against my hand but nodded.

“That’s a good wee pet.” The elevator dinged, and I shoved her behind me, taking out the two men waiting. Two shots, both between the eyes. A third appeared out of nowhere, rushing us, and grabbed my gun hand, trying to wrestle it from me. I pulled the knife from my boot and stabbed him in the throat, and he went down.

Sophia didn’t scream this time, but she did look close to fainting. I hooked her around the waist. “Fire exit?” She pointed down the hall, and I practically dragged her along with me. I shoved open the heavy door and looked out into the alley. Clear. My car was around the back. I stopped where the alley opened at the back of the building and peered around the edge. Another of Leone’s men was going in through the back. I watched as he climbed in through a window, disappearing, then kept going, taking Sophia with me.

The car was just ahead, the street quiet as I scanned our surroundings. Unlocking the passenger door, I opened it, and Sophia scrambled into the car. I jogged around, got in, started the engine, and got us the fuck out of there.

Sophia sat silent beside me for several minutes, the only sounds she made were her panted breaths. Her hands were fisted on her lap, every inch of her stiff, rigid. “You lied to me,” she finally said.

“I did.”

“And you just…you killed four men. You just shot three men and stabbed another,” she whispered, horror, fear in her voice. “You’re a…you’re a psycho.”

This time I didn’t answer, I didn’t need to, she already knew the answer to that as well.

Chapter Six

Sophia

I’d thought about opening the car door and jumping out several times, but that would only end in me getting badly injured or worse. The monster beside me was an O’Rourke, a criminal like my father. But worse, Cillian O’Rourke was the worst of them all. The realization of who he was hit me when Dad said his name. I’d heard my father’s men talk about him. They called him an enforcer to his face, and the monster behind his back. He had no trouble killing—enjoyed it even—and had no conscience whatsoever. I curled my fingers into tight fists to stop my hands from shaking.

I should have realized something was up when I’d called him for help, and instead of calling the police like any sane person not part of our world would suggest, he’d taken charge as if he dealt with angry, unstable people all the time.

God, I still felt his mouth on mine, his fingers inside me. I glanced his way again, afraid he’d suddenly pull over and use that gun on me next, but he drove with ease, unhurried, calm and emotionless at my side. He’d pretended to be my friend, for some reason he’d wanted to get close to me, and like the needy, desperate idiot I was, I’d fallen for it.

We turned down the next street, heading to my father’s house, and the sick grip on my stomach eased the tiniest bit. The sooner I was away from this fucking creep the better.

Then I thought about Tommy and spun to face him. “You won’t…you won’t hurt my family, will you?”

“I’m not the one you need to worry about,” he said as he turned into the driveway, no longer hiding who he was or masking that strong lilting brogue.

There were several men standing at the gates, all of them armed. We always had security, but not like this. Dean…no, Cillian, slid his window down. They saw who he was and the gates opened for him instantly.

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