Page 112 of Mob Saint

“Tiera!”

I’d know that voice in a coma. The men move apart before I throw punches. I burst into a sprint as Seamus half runs, half hobbles toward me. He wraps his arms around me and lifts me off my feet, so my mouth is level with his. The rest of the world vanishes as we kiss. We can’t stop. It’s as though we both fear the other will disappear if we let go. We flick our tongues at each other before I suck his into my mouth. I feel how hard he is against my pussy. I want nothing more than to strip him and fuck him now that I know I’m going to live, and he survived a gun fight.

When we pull apart, I run my fingers through his hair. I notice the lump on the back of his skull as our foreheads press together. I open my mouth to demand he put me down when I realize it was what knocked him out.

“Cailín, I’m going to spank your arse raw for watching.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

Seamus

“Yes, Daddy. Do whatever you want as long as you don’t let go.”

“I won’t, little one. You’re free of them. All of them.”

“Zack—”

“I know. We’ll talk about it later, but he can never hurt you again.”

“Did you do to him what?—”

“Tiera, you shouldn’t have seen that. I never wanted you to know?—”

“Seamus, please tell me you did the same thing to Zack. I want him to have suffered. It would have taken a lot. He likes pain.”

Now that the adrenaline’s wearing off, I’m feeling every bit of agony I ignored. I close my eyes and swallow down the bile that’s burning my throat.

“Seamus, oh, my God. You need to sit down. What the fuck am I doing? What the fuck are you doing? You’re ready to pass out. Fuck me.”

“I will in a bit, mo stóirín. I just need to rest for little.”

Uncle Tate and Uncle Ronan see how I sway and rush over. I let them hold me up as I talk to Tiera.

“He’s dead.” A black tunnel seems to close around me and not from hyper-focus. “He suffered, but there wasn’t time to make it what you just saw. I’m sorry.”

Things go black, but it felt like only a minute passed. When I wake, there are smelling salts under my nose. I recoil, having always loathed their scent, which is exactly why they work. Tiera’s crying, and her face is ashen. I reach for her, and she takes my hand.

“I’m sorry, little one.”

“Don’t apologize, Daddy.” Her lips are beside my ear, so no one else hears her. Her words are only for me.

“I didn’t mean to scare you, and I’m sorry I didn’t give you what you needed.”

“I needed Zack, Darren, and Keith dead, so they can never come near me. I don’t care how it happened. They can’t hurt either of us.”

“I’m sorry I failed to protect you. I’ve promised so many times to always?—”

“Stop, Seamus.” She snaps at me, and it surprises us both. She gentles her tone. “You did not fail me. Don’t say that. We live in a fucked-up world where we need bodyguards because this sort of shit happens. If there weren’t credible threats, then no one would need protection. There were at least nine of them. I know you and Cormac and your dad killed at least four or five. There were four who came for me upstairs. No matter your training, they outnumbered you. You weren’t in a great defensive position, and they had more weapons than you. Don’t blame yourself. I don’t. All that matters to me is that you survived. I knew you’d come for me.”

“Tiera, I wish I could offer you a better life.”

“You either need a shit ton more pain meds, or you’re already on a shit ton if you can’t see you are my better life. I’ve had plenty of time to think about us and how I feel. I know there’s no one else I’ll ever want. How could I? You’re the most handsome, intelligent, kind, sexy man alive.”

“Even more than Alejandro?” I know what people with a pulse and any sexual appetite think about him.

“He’s too pretty.”

I hoot with laughter, but fuck if that doesn’t hurt. I turn my head from where I’m now sitting up in the back of the SUV.

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