Page 16 of Vengeful Guard

I head home, walking quickly to my upstairs apartment, which is just above my mother’s apartment.

Since I’m here, I grab the go bag, and then gather some additional things, shoving them into a second duffel bag and a backpack.

Once I load them into the car, I walk back up to my mother’s place, knocking on her door for the second time today.

She opens it with a frown.

“Kael? I wasn’t expecting you until later, for dinner. Is everything okay?”

“I have a job.”

She sighs. “Already?”

I hand her the money Declan had given me, pressing the envelope into her hands.

“This is my first week’s pay. I’ll send you more next week.”

“You going out of town again, mo leanbh?”

I shake my head. “Not this time, Ma. I’ll be in town, and I’ll still try and visit if I can, okay?”

I lean down to kiss her cheek, and she pulls me into a tight hug.

“Be careful.” She kisses my cheek, and I smile at her.

“Don’t forget to take your medicine today,” I call, and she waves her hands to dismiss me.

Hoping that means she’s already taken them, I head back to Paige’s with a sigh.

This is certainly going to be an experience. When Declan tells Paige what’s going on, she’s likely to punch him. Or me. Or both of us.

But she needs the protection, especially since she was almost kidnapped.

I don’t want to imagine what Niall Murphy would have done with her.

Thirty minutes later, I arrive at the Paige’s house.

When I knock, Declan answers the door.

“You know this is going to go badly, don’t you?”

“Aye.” He nods. “Shall we?”

I shrug. “No time like the present.”

This is going to be a long mission.

5

PAIGE

I’m about to meet my fate. Or better yet, my bodyguard, or security, or whatever we want to call it.

What I won’t allow it to be is my jailer.

I may not want to be out and about, but I want that to be my choice, not because some guy decides for me that I need to be on lock down.

Declan arrived a few minutes ago, and I just know this has something to do with the glorified babysitter I’m being saddled with.

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