Page 161 of Ruthless Savage

“Don’t look so miserable.” Gio throws a palm on Tynan’s shoulder, but he shakes it off. “Marriage isn’t so bad.” He laughs. “Except for the unlucky woman who ends up with you.”

“Yeah, yeah, fucking comedian,” Tynan barks back.

Fionn reaches into his pocket and removes his phone. “By the way, got the 411 on the lady friend you’re stalking.”

“Wait, who are we stalking?” I ask, glancing between the brothers.

“Oh, he didn’t tell you?” Fionn laughs. “Elara Hill, Brody’s new teacher. She recently replaced the last teacher the kid had, so Tynan had me digging for dirt on her.”

Tynan grunts. “Just being careful.”

“Right.” Cillian snickers. “It has nothing to do with her great ass or her crystal-blue eyes.”

“I’m not interested,” he mutters under his breath. “Never even met her in person.”

“I guess you also wouldn’t like to know that she was once engaged.” Fionn glances at his phone.

“What?” Tynan’s eyes snap to his brother. “Let me see that.” He grabs the phone from his grasp and scrolls the screen.

“Now I have his attention.” Fionn grins.

“Why’d she end the engagement?”

“Don’t know. Maybe you should ask her over a glass of wine.”

“I saw her photos too.” Cillian smirks. “She’s pretty. Maybe you should make her your wife.”

Tynan scoffs. “Never gonna happen. Not getting married.”

“Well, if you don’t want her, I’ll give my Irish luck a chance.”

I know exactly what Fionn’s doing. And if the glare on Tynan’s face is any indication, he’s succeeding quite well.

“Keep your fucking hands off of her. I don’t care that you’re my brother. I’ll kill you.”

Fionn chuckles. “Yeah, you’re right. You don’t like her at all.”

“I don’t want you ruining this for Brody. He likes her. She’s the only one that has him smiling lately, and I don’t want anything to get in the way of that.” He grabs a fistful of his brother’s shirt. “If you fuck her and break her heart and she leaves, I’m gonna break your legs. You got it?”

“Damn.” Gio smacks him on the back. “You’ve got it bad.”

“Enough!” He lets his brother go. “All I care about is the boy and making sure that his new life is stable, and that includes his school life. I want to make sure she stays.”

I glance at Brody at the far end of the room, playing with Sophia. It’s a shame what happened to him. We all want to do more for that boy, but our hands are tied.

He’ll talk again once he’s ready. But Tynan isn’t wrong. The right teacher could make all the difference.

And this Elara may be the one to do it.

CHAPTER 39

ERIU

THREE WEEKS LATER

My heart thuds, growing louder with every step I take. My breathing turns shallower, the ache in my chest throbbing.

But I have to do this. I have to go to Karen’s dorm room. I have to stop avoiding it. It’s what the therapist recommended.

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