Page 73 of Ciaran

“Millie, open up before I break this goddamn door down,” he slurs.

I hold my breath, fisting my hands in the sheets.

“Millie, I’m warning you.”

I scramble out of bed. My heart speeds up, pumping adrenaline through my body. There’s an almighty crash as Tanner puts his shoulder into the door. The chair slips out from underneath the handle, and he staggers inside.

“Trying to keep me out, are you? As if you could, wife.” He sneers. “What the hell was that earlier? Trying to undermine me in front of my friends? Who the fuck do you think you are?” His hands fist beside him, and he glares at me with hatred-filled eyes.

“Tanner, you’re drunk. Go to bed. We can talk in the morning.”

“I want to talk now!” He loses his balance and falls backward, banging his head on the wall behind him.

“Fuck.” He rubs it. “Now look what you made me do.” When I stand firm but alert, his face crumples. “Where’s my Millie, huh?” Scrambling to his feet, he holds his arms out wide. “Come here, baby.”

I shake my head. “I told you, Tanner. I don’t want this. I don’t want to be here, and I don’t want you. Please, just let me go home.”

His eyes harden, and he takes a menacing step forward. “You are fucking home, you stupid bitch.” He grabs a handful of my hair, but despite my scalp burning, I force myself to stay calm. I can’t allow this to escalate.

“Is this what you’ve become, Tanner, huh?” I say, trying to keep my voice steady and even. “A wife beater?”

He lets go of me, his eyes round. “No. God, no. I’m so sorry, baby. I never meant to hurt you. I just want things back the way they were. Before you left. Before him.”

Before I found my spine, my self-respect, and my determination, you mean.

“Go to bed, Tanner,” I repeat. “You’re drunk, and I’m tired.”

His shoulders sag and, without saying another word, he turns around and leaves.

Calmly, I brace the chair under the door handle again, but once I have, my knees give way, and I collapse onto the bed. My palms are slick with sweat, and I wipe them on my pajamas. I can’t believe he left.

Still shaking from the shot of adrenaline, I lift my pillow. Underneath is the kitchen knife I stored there in case of a real emergency. This is the first time Tanner has ever been violent toward me. Then again, I never stood up to him before. If Ciaran is right, and Tanner becomes physically violent, do I have the guts to defend myself?

I put the pillow back in place and slip under the covers. Lying on my back, I stare at a dark stain on the ceiling.

Stay with me, Ciaran. I’m working on it.

Chapter 28

Ciaran

I barely get three hours of sleep, but it gives me enough of an energy boost to function on some level. Hammers pelt behind my eyes; a deserving outcome after the amount of alcohol I consumed yesterday. After swallowing two painkillers, I drink three glasses of water, and wolf down a sandwich. The food and liquids help, but the minute I think about Mia, I almost bring the sandwich back up. I don’t want to reflect on what she’s going through, because when I do, I want to tell Tanner to go fuck himself in the ass with a red-hot poker. Screw the consequences.

God, I miss her. I can’t stop my mind from playing back images of us together: on the boat, in my bed, that night in the bar when she told me she wanted me… when I pushed inside her for the first time…

This plan of Draven’s and mine has to work. The saying ‘caught between a rock and a hard place’ has never resonated as much, or caused so much agony and soul-searching.

I get on the phone and start making calls. After an hour or so with no luck, I speak with an ex-colleague who mentions that a guy we’d both been in the cadets with, Luke Harris, now works at Chicago PD. I trawl through social media and manage to locate him. A couple more phone calls, and I have a number.

Ten minutes later, I end the call. Luke has promised to do some digging and get back to me if he finds anything. Tanner doesn’t have a criminal record, so if he’s involved in anything illegal, he’s avoided getting caught this far. However, if there are any rumors, Luke vowed he’ll get to the bottom of them.

Almost immediately, my cell rings. Draven.

“Found out anything?” I ask.

“Yep. You at home?”

“Yes.”

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