Page 8 of Vengeful Guard

I stiffen, sitting up straight, my blood humming to a boil. “What do you mean, they tried to take her?”

She may be a pain in my ass, but she’s my best friend’s little sister, and I wouldn’t wish Niall Murphy on my worst enemy.

“Grabbed her, dragged her along the sidewalk. She was bruised and shaken up, but we managed to save her.”

My shoulders relax. “Good.”

“But of course, we now have a problem?”

I nod solemnly, figuring he means Murphy.

“We need someone to watch out for her. A full-time bodyguard.”

“Sure," I say easily. “Who are you thinking? Mack? Jimmy?”

“Thing is, as much as I love Mack and Jimmy, there’s only one person I trust a hundred percent.” Declan looks at me meaningfully.

I hope he’s not suggesting what I think he’s suggesting because, that’s a hell to the no!

3

PAIGE

My face’s still pasty, and I’m still a bit shaky. So, I pinch my cheeks again.

When I look less terrified, I get dressed, grabbing my phone before I walk out of my room.

Knowing I’m alone is a bit of a relief. I’ve been having nightmares ever since the incident, and I don’t want anyone else to know about it. It’s bad enough that Lara had to witness one during my last sleepover.

I head to the kitchen. I’m not hungry, but I need to find something for breakfast, and there is fruit on the kitchen table. As I walk toward the table, a key turns in the front door lock, and I curse inwardly.

My brothers, Gray and Declan, have a key to my place for “emergencies.” It was one of my Da’s stipulations for allowing me to move out.

Gray, the oldest of us all, likes to use his as if he owns the place. It drives me crazy.

I’m grateful to have a place of my own, and I guess I’m grateful my brothers are so protective. I’ve just been so sheltered by my father and my siblings that I wish they would just let me be.

And then I go and let myself almost get kidnapped.

I’d never witnessed anything so violent and scary.

“Paige? Just the girl I wanted to see,” Gray says, happily enough, and I draw in a deep breath.

“Gray,” I mutter, and he frowns, stopping in his tracks.

I sit down at the table, grabbing some berries and popping them into my mouth.

I know exactly what he’s looking at. Me. How I’ve lost weight recently because I haven’t been eating enough.

I can’t stand food, and my stomach doesn’t feel stable even now. But I know I need to eat something.

In fact, I don’t remember eating at all yesterday. That’s not good.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I mumble quickly, chewing on the berries in hopes that he’ll take a hint and leave me alone.

Gray sits down across from me, his brows furrowing together. “Are you still having those nightmares, mo stóirín?”

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