Page 22 of All We Want

I can’t stop my body from relaxing into his embrace, letting him softly cup my face and turn it into his chest. I breathe in his now familiar spicy scent, letting it calm the turmoil in my mind that had been raging since stepping into my home.

The door had been wide open, whoever did this had bypassed the extensive security I had in place. If there had been any notifications on my phone I hadn’t seen them before my phone had somehow died with a full battery. It hadn’t even come back online during the drive home so I had no warning of what I was about to walk into.

And what I walked into had been complete chaos. I was momentarily grateful that whoever had destroyed my home had chosen not to stick around, I was so focused on my home that I wouldn’t have noticed anyone else in the room.

Just like I hadn’t noticed when Ronan approached me.

But I did know when Declan and Aiden entered the room. They both touch me as though to reassure themselves that I’m okay but they don’t take me from Ronan.

Turning my head back toward them, I watch as Declan walks over and pulls the knife and note from the wall. He frowns down at them before he walks back toward me, his eye briefly taking in all of the destroyed furniture before his eyes return to mine.

He brushes the side of my face with his free hand before he curls it around the back of my neck, pulling my face towards him to place a gentle kiss against my forehead. “Go with Ro and pack some clothes, a stór, ya comin to stay with us.”

I nod, feeling the weight of the situation sinking in. Ronan's grip tightens for a moment, offering silent reassurance, before I reluctantly step away. As we head towards the bedroom, I can't shake the unsettling feeling that the chaos in my home is just the beginning.

I hadn’t even made it to my bedroom before, being so focused on my office. There was nothing untouched in there, nothing left intact, and I feel violated.

Completely avoiding the bed, I move to the walk-in closet. They had been there too, but not to the extent of everywhere else. I could see that things had been pulled off shelves and pushed aside on the hangers but thankfully nothing was destroyed.

They had been looking for something, and if I were to hazard a guess it was the item that had already been stolen by Ronan.

I glance at him as he pulls out a bag for me to pack clothes into. “How did you know to come?”

The start of a smirk curls his lips as he looks at me but it doesn't last long. “Remember when I said we enjoyed the show?” He gives me a look as my body heats slightly at the recollection, even with my life in a mess, he can still manage to turn me on with a look and a few simple words. “I installed cameras that first day. The house security was good, but I managed that jus fine. The safe security was completely different. I didn’a know which safe ya put the USB in, and I didn know what other security measures ya had on them, so I installed the cameras to find out and get the code. We already had ya fingerprint from the penthouse.”

I almost want to bang my head against a wall for my own stupidity. For someone who prides herself on being the best, those were ridiculous mistakes to make.

Ronan wraps a hand around my arm and tugs me into him again. The look on his face has a level of intensity that has my heart racing in my chest. “I checked da cameras because I wanted to make sure ya got home safely, and they had been cut off. When I went back on the recording I saw someone else break into da house before the feed was cut.”

Ronan's grip tightens, and he admits, "I couldn't get through to ya on ya cell, Scarlette. I've never known that level of fear before—the fear dat something had happened to ya." His words linger in the air as the weight of the situation becomes even more apparent. I realize how close I was to a danger I hadn't fully grasped.

I nod as I start to load clothes into the bag, accepting his explanation. “They must have somehow tampered with my cell first. I have an alarm set on my phone for any security breach, and when I left the penthouse it wasn’t working and wouldn’t turn on. It never occurred to me that something could have happened here.”

The hand on the side of my face makes me pause and look at him. “I can’t even describe how I woulda reacted if somethin’ had happened to you. If someone had stayed here and hurt ya, or taken ya, I woulda burned dis world to the ground.”

“We... We would have burned it down.”

I glance over and see both Declan and Aiden leaning in the doorway. The look of possessiveness in their eyes makes my breath catch in my chest and my heart race.

In that moment, surrounded by Ronan, Declan, and Aiden, I realize how quickly I've forged a connection with these three formidable men. Their protective instincts and genuine concern make me feel a sense of belonging I hadn't anticipated.

Declan breaks the contemplative silence, his gaze unwavering. "Let's go home."

Chapter 18

Scarlette

After the long and emotional day, the brothers set me up in their very spacious guest room with instructions to rest. But I couldn’t settle.

The room is beautiful, large and decorated in grays and blacks. The bed is like laying on a cloud. The floor to ceiling windows allow views of the city lights just like I enjoyed. But my mind was still turning at a million miles an hour. My body was buzzing with energy.

It felt like my life had suddenly hopped onto the bullet train, and I could no longer get off. And yet at the same time there are some things that I’m not sure I want to change now.

Sliding out from between the soft sheets, I wrap a robe around myself and walk out of the room in search of some water. It’s only when I’m placing the empty glass onto the drying rack that I notice the light on in their office. The door is half open as though someone had thought about closing it but then changed their mind.

Through the gap I see Declan at his desk typing away at his laptop with a look of frustration on his face. Leaning against the entryway I watch him grow more frustrated before I clear my throat.

He looks up at me and the look slides from his face, replaced by something I can’t decipher.

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