Page 45 of Desired

“Aye, but I’ve already got protection, lass. You don’t, but it’s high time you did. Not just from your family, but also from that video that was posted. Everyone who cares will know that we’re together now, and that makes you a target, just like the rest of us.”

Her hands rake through her hair as she exhales. “You better go get showered. I’m assuming Rory is waiting for us?”

I nod. “Aye. I will. Just as long as you’re okay.”

God, this woman is so strong. “I’m fine.” She smiles weakly. “It’s...nothing I’m not used to, Declan. That’s why I left Scotland. That’s why I hid from them all. That was my life. A vicious circle of da committing crimes, looking for a way out, lying, conniving, making more deals with devilish people, me falling for all of the above, my brothers making me the butt of it all, and then doing it all over again.”

“Then I don’t blame you for leaving, Moira. It sounds like the unhealthiest way to live your life. It’s no wonder your granddad left you with all that money and gave you his wishes for you to get the hell out of there. He knew there was a spark in you. He knew what you were capable of if you could just break free from them all.”

She leans forward and kisses my lips. “God, I love you.”

I smile against her lips. “I love you, too, lass. Now, I’ll go shower, so we can get over there, and get on that plane home.”

“Okay.”

The trip home is long but productive, with me catching up on calls and emails, and Moira doing much the same, only reading through documents and charts that Shana sent to her. We stop to rest at about the halfway point. I pull down the arm rest that separates us, and we snuggle in the seat together, sleeping for about five hours, before Rory comes on the speaker, alerting us that we’ll be landing shortly. “Come, lass. We’ll need to get you over to see your granny.”

“What time is it?” She asks, groggily.

“It’s about six o’clock in the morning. We have just enough time to go see her before going to work.”

That’s when her phone beeps with a text message.

“It’s Steph. She wants to meet me before work. She says it’s important.”

“Aye, your brother probably got to your granny, and she panicked and went to Steph.”

“That’s what I was thinking.”

And that’s when my phone beeps. It’s Malcolm, in a panic himself. “Shit.”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s my cousin, Malcolm. He says that once I land, I better get my ass over here and quick.”

A ‘v’ forms between her brows. “Does he say why?”

I shake my head. “Na, we never put detail in a text, especially if it’s something serious.” I lick my lips. “Are you going to be okay with Steph, or do you need me to come with you?”

She gives me a look. “Declan, I hardly think that I can’t handle my own cousin. That would be like me saying the same to you, that you can’t handle Malcolm.”

I swallow. “I’m sorry, lass. I didn’t mean to come off that way. It’s just that you’re sleep deprived, jetlagged, and you’ve had an emotional couple of days.”

She smiles. “My love, you just described every day in my entire childhood, less the jetlag, although I was that way often. There isn’t much I can’t handle, Declan, but thanks for your concern.”

I lean in and kiss her, as the light comes on for us to buckle up, to land safely. It’s tough to say goodbye to her as we land on solid ground, but there isn’t a choice in the matter. Malcolm’s got something important to tell me, and Moira has her own responsibilities to look after. “I love you.” I whisper in her ear as I embrace her.

“I love you, too.” She responds, equally gratifying. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

“Definitely. You call me immediately if you need me, okay?”

With a nod and another quick kiss, she’s off, having a driver take her home, so she can pick up her car. Although, she does give me a look when one appears as if from nowhere, but I give her another look, conveying that she better get used to it. I drive off, to the office, where Malcolm says he is. It’s still early, and I feel like my head is swimming from the jetlag, but it’s nothing that I’m not used to. When I arrive at the office, Malcolm is in his own office, waiting. “What’s going on, man?” I ask him casually, used to the urgency, used to everything always being an emergency in this family.

My cousin has his face in his laptop monitor, busying himself with the usual, which is always the family business. As he sees me close the door behind me, he closes the lid on his laptop. “Dude, where do I start?” He says on exhale. Point for him for showing restraint and not being dramatic.

“How about at the beginning?”

“God, it’s such a fucking mess.”

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