Page 63 of One Love

“Says the man who’s been hiding from me for months. I told you I’d find you, Ronan.” I take slow steps toward him, lowering my gun and allowing a manic expression to take over my face.

“Go on then, you found me. So kill me already.” The fucker’s shitting himself and it makes me laugh. Not a real laugh, but the kind that says you’re so pissed off you can’t do anything else.

“Oh, Ronan, no.” I elongate the no, toying with him now. “I’m not going to kill you…today. Not even tomorrow. No, I’m going to keep you alive for as long as I can be bothered to know you’re breathing the same air as my daughter, and you’re going to be in excruciating pain for every second of it.”

During what I’m calling my evil villain speech, Flower has moved behind him and he almost jumps out of his seat when she grabs his arms and ties his wrists behind his back. Shoo helps, pushing Ronan’s neck down so his face is on the countertop.

“You thi—“ Flower shoves a rag from beside the sink inside Ronan’s mouth. We don’t need to hear him speak right now. That can wait until we’re ready.

I turn my attention back to Mrs. Gallagher. “What ishedoing here?“ My words are clear, precise, full of venom for this woman who was supposed to be protecting my daughter. Instead, she let in the man who killed her father so they could share a cup of fucking tea. I nod to Tab, silently telling him to remove his hand from her mouth so she can answer me.

Tears are rolling down her wrinkled face and I’m debating letting her live.

“He-he came to speak to my husband. That’s all. I-I don’t know any-anything. I swear.”

She’s lying. My ability to read people like a book notes the subtle twitch to her right eye and the shift in her body like she’s trying to come up with an answer that won’t get her killed—there isn’t one. As soon as I find my daughter, I’ll find a way to punish Mary Gallagher.

“Where is Ha—“ A commotion upstairs stops me mid-sentence. Upstairs is where Marco and his team went upon entering the house.

Then I hear her scream.

I don’t need to tell my Reapers what to do next. Flower keeps her grip on Ronan and Tab shoves his meaty hand back over Mrs. Gallagher’s mouth, while Shoo is quick to follow me out of the room and up the stairs, taking two at a time.

Following the noise brings me to a very elegant-looking room, it must be a spare or belong to the Gallaghers. Attached to one post of the four-poster bed is Dmitry, and his smile is a little sheepish as his eyes connect with mine, but the danger is still there. This man tried to save my girl.

He failed, but he tried.

His back is to the post and his arms are tied behind him, attached to the bed by a set of handcuffs. He’s also covered in bruises and his dark-blue long-sleeve T-shirt is ripped open in several places. My eyes land at the center of his chest. The exact replica of my little carving project, now a permanent tattoo, reminds me of all the things this man does to show me his feelings.

“Hey, Little Demon. You got my messages then?” He chuckles, his grin making his pale-green eyes crinkle.

“Fuck off.”

My response only makes him laugh harder, and if there wasn’t still a goon on the loose, I’d be able to relax.

On another of the posts, with her chest facing it, Hallie’s tied with her hands in front of her, and while it still boils my blood to see her like this, at least she’s not as uncomfortable as I know Dmitry is.

My view of Hallie is obscured by Marco, who seems to be blocking her from the man on the floor, unrecognizable with the amount of slashes to his face, and I’m assuming he’s one of the two goons left for us to get. So two down now, only one to go.

Easy.

Devon has a wicked grin on his face, which is dripping with blood, completely unnecessary considering he’s only killed one man, but I’ve done his clean ups a few times now. I know he likes to get messy with it.

Enzo is shaking his head at him as he works on freeing Dmitry from the handcuffs.

“Devon, there’s one left. I don’t know where he is.” I move toward my girl, where Marco has now untied her, the last of her restraints coming loose.

“Mom!”

My arms are filled as quickly as they open, and for the first time in forever, I relax with my baby girl. She squeezes me so hard I almost break, and I squeeze her back just as hard, promising myself that I’ll ever let her go again.

“Can I get me a piece of that hugging action?” Dmitry is beside us and he doesn’t wait for an answer, pulling us both into his arms and holding on to us as though we are his everything. He sniffs into my hair and I feel his muscles relax.

For a moment, it all feels like too much.

“Got him!” Devon’s voice is followed by a loud thump on the floor and I’m more thankful than I can put into words for these people. Devon pops his head around the doorframe and wags hisbrows. “Haven’t killed the cunt ’cause he was shaking like a dog. They’re no fun like that. Tied ’em up though so he can be carried like a bag. Tada!” He moves further into the room and uses both hands to lift his new man-shaped bag to show us.

Pulling away from my baby girl, I grip her shoulders and scan her beautiful face, holding back a snarl when I notice the light bruise forming on her cheek.

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