Page 129 of Vengeful Guard

“Maybe we should get a pitcher,” he drawls, hailing over the bartender.

I don’t drink much, preferring to keep a clear head, but at this point, it seems like I have no reason to.

It’s not like I have a job anymore. Declan won’t ever want to see me again, and when... If Patrick wakes up, he won’t, either.

I wasn’t just fired. I lost my family.

I grit my teeth and take the shot that Cillian ordered us while he pours us two glasses from the pitcher. Beer tastes like piss to me, but Cillian’s buying, and all I want is to black out this whole, awful week.

Well...not all of it. There were moments with Paige I want to remember. Moments I want to keep with me forever, locked deep within my heart.

What’s wrong with you? You fecking sap.

I am a sap. I’m the biggest sap for Paige Burke, and it’s ridiculous. It’s cost me everything. But if it’d gotten me her in the end, it would’ve been worth it. “I wouldn’t take it back.”

“Wouldn’t take what back?”

“Paige. I wouldn’t take being with her back. Not for Declan, not for Patrick... Not for anything.”

Cillian hums, smiling, and claps me on the back. “It happens to all of us. Eventually.”

“What, love? It’s going to happen for you?”

Cillian pales. “God, no. That’s just a figure of speech, Kael.”

I can’t help but laugh.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I can’t help but answer right away when I catch Paige’s name flashing on my screen.

“Paige,” I say softly. “Are you okay? Did something happen? Did Declan hurt you?” If he did, I’m going to kill him.

“No, but I need your help. Tell me you’ll help me.” There’s an edge of tears to her voice, and I wonder what she’s going to ask.

“Calm down, sweetheart. Just tell me what it is first, so I can make an informed decision, okay?”

She groans. “God, Kael, it’s nothing bad. I just want to see Da.”

I sigh, guilt rushing through me. I’m the one responsible for Patrick’s shooting, and now I’ve messed things up with Declan, too. But this is Paige, and that doesn’t sound like an impossible task, so why ask for my help? “What about your brothers, won’t they take you?”

“They’re gone. Everyone is gone, and the men he left here are refusing to take me, they say I’m stuck here, but I need to see him, Kael. I need to make sure he…”

“Hey, hey, hey. It’s okay. Has he gotten worse? Is that why you want to go?”

“No, or I don’t think so. I just need to talk to him, to apologize, to… I need my da.” Her sobs come through the phone, and my heart breaks for her.

Not allowing her to see her father is a cruel punishment, and she doesn’t deserve it.

I glance down at my watch. “Okay, sweetheart, I can be there in about twenty minutes. I’ll text you when I get there.”

She pauses for a long moment. “I’m sorry that I’m annoying you. I just… I can’t sleep until I see him.”

“Just don’t do anything rash, okay, princess? I’m coming to get you now. Make sure your brothers’ men don’t shoot me at the gate.”

“You think they would do that?”

I stay quiet for a moment. I’m not sure what I believe. Do I even work for the Burkes anymore?

I don’t know who I am without them.

---