Page 73 of While You Sleep

Paolo cursed and turned back to me, his gaze moving over me. “Clean yourself up,” he said, then strode to the door. Just before walking out, he turned back. “And if you think O’Rourke is coming to save you, don’t hold your breath. Turns out if the annulment hadn’t gone through, you would’ve been a widow, anyway.”

He smirked, then shut the door, locking me in.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Cillian

Brennan’s house was mostly dark, only a couple lights shining from inside.

I signaled Declan and he moved forward, then nodded to Conor. He whistled to the guard, and when the guy turned, I ran up behind him, smashed the butt of my gun into his head, and knocked him out cold. He was one of Brennan’s men, and though Sophia’s father was trying to fuck us over, we knew a lot of them, had known them for a long time. Some of them were good men, loyal men; they didn’t deserve to die because of Brennan’s fucked-up decisions.

Paolo, on the other hand, would fucking choke to death on his own blood, after I made him scream.

We made it to the house, and I quickly picked the lock and slid inside. The alarm was off because his men were supposed to be coming and going while they patrolled the house and the grounds. My men had seen to them, most were currently lights out.

The downstairs was dimly lit, except for Brennan’s office, where the light shone from beneath the closed door. I waved Danny and two other men toward it. There was no sign of Paolo yet. I headed upstairs, Declan and Conor behind me. All was dark and quiet up here. Paolo had to be up here somewhere, but getting Sophia out of this house was priority.

I rounded the corner, and one of Paolo’s men sat in a chair outside what was obviously my wife’s bedroom. He was slumped, fast asleep. Fucking useless. I turned to Dec and he nodded, then he and Conor carried on down the hall. I moved in behind Sophia’s guard, hooked my arm around his throat, and squeezed. He thrashed awake, gripping my arm. I squeezed tighter until he went limp.

Taking the key from his pocket, I unlocked the door and eased it open.

* * *

Sophia

I startled awake when I was roughly hauled out of bed. I tried to scream, to kick and fight, but a strong hand held me in a bruising grip, another clamped over my mouth.

“Quiet,” a familiar voice growled against my ear.

Cillian.

He was alive. I’d cried until I’d passed out from exhaustion. Paolo said he was dead. But he was alive, and he’d come for me. I tried to turn in his arms, to reach for him so I could tell him I loved him, but he threw me back on the bed, one hand still over my mouth while he undid his tie with the other. I nodded, telling him I’d be quiet, that I knew it was him, that he could take away his hand.

He did.

When I opened my mouth to talk, he jammed his tie across my lips, flipped me to my front, and secured it around my head, gagging me. I heard the clink of his belt, then my hands were gripped behind my back, where he secured them tightly with the thick leather.

Oh god, he thought I’d betrayed him. He thought I was here willingly. He wasn’t saving me, he was abducting me. I didn’t struggle when he lifted me again and tossed me over his shoulder. With an arm wrapped around the backs of my thighs, he strode from the room. I thumped his back when we hit the hall and flailed, trying to motion to Tommy’s room.

“Nothing will happen to your brother,” he said, reading my mind, his voice pure ice.

A shiver slid through me at how cold and devoid of all emotion he sounded. He carried me through the house and down the stairs.

“Any sign of Paolo?” Cillian asked someone.

I didn’t hear their response.

“Clean house. None of that fucker’s men are left breathing, understand?” Cillian said.

“Got it.”

That was Danny’s voice.

Cillian strode outside. The sound of a car came next. I was jostled and tossed into the back seat. I scrambled to sit up, but it was hard with my hands behind my back—

A shot rang out, and Cillian jerked to the side. I screamed behind my gag as Paolo walked out, fury in his wild eyes, gun in his hand raised.

“Get her out of here,” Cillian said, slamming the door closed as gunshots rang out.

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