Page 35 of The Chief's Captive

I want to tell him about the baby now. Maybe I'll tell him I'm suspicious of it and he can buy me a test. I'll act shocked by it, and if he seems happy, we can discuss how I still want to be a surgeon and do what I love doing. I know I don't have to work. He makes more than enough money, but it's not about that tome. To me, it's about having purpose and helping others, and I want to make a difference in this dark world.

Pulling myself away from the melancholy rain, I sigh and walk back to the bedroom where I curl up on the bed and think about how to tell him. I'm sure he's been waiting on this moment, though lately, he's been distracted. When he told me he wanted me to be a part of his life here, I freaked out, but now I'm beginning to enjoy the sound of it. Living with him seems sudden, though. If this were any other relationship, we wouldn't be moving in together so soon.

I roll over and close my eyes, considering a nap, when I hear a banging noise. It perks my ears at first and I listen carefully. It's loud, like someone using a hammer, but no one is doing any work in the house. I sit up and hear shouting, then I see one of Ronan's men race past the window outside. My heart leaps into my throat and feels like it might explode. Something's going on.

I slip off the bed and walk to the door. The shouting is louder now, though I can't make out who is shouting or what they're saying. I press my ear to the door and hear footsteps pound past it. I wish Ronan were here. Fear grips me as I reach for the doorknob and turn it, cracking it open. I'm terrified to look, but I have to know what’s going on.

Someone is standing in the hallway shouting about "looking" for something or someone. They're talking to someone else, so there are at least two people here. The man looks angry too, holding a weapon. He resembles the O'Rourke brothers but has red hair like mine. This can't be good at all.

I shut the door, now panicked, and I run to the window. There are more of them in the front yard too. There's nowhere for me to go. I have to hide. I don't know who they are or what theywant, but I know the sort of shit this family is known for so it doesn't surprise me that someone would break into Ronan's home. I just hope I'm not caught in the crosshairs.

I sneak into the bathroom and lock the door, then I crouch down inside the shower. The towel hanging on the outside of the glass door from the towel rack partly obscures me from view, but I'm a sitting duck if they come in here. That useless door lock won't keep armed men out.

I'm shaking, palms sweaty, mouth dry. Being in someone else's home during a home invasion is somehow worse than being at home. I don't have a phone to call for emergency services. I don't even know where this house is if I were able to call. All I can do is huddle here in the dark and whisper prayers.

After a few minutes, I hear more screaming and then gunshots. I want to believe the sound is just more banging, but I know the sound of gunfire. I can't lie to myself. The tears come hot and fast, and I lower myself all the way to the shower floor and hug my knees to my chest. I try to muffle my sobs but I'm too scared.

When the bathroom doorknob jiggles, I hug my knees tighter and whisper a prayer. Whoever is there has a key. They open the door and turn on the light.

"Doc, I'm here to help," a man says, and I recognize his face. I don't know his name, but I know he's one of Ronan's guards. I've watched him standing outside my bedroom window before.

Without hesitation, I stand and open the shower door and rush toward him. "Shh, keep quiet," he rushes out in a whisper, and I see the weapon in his hand.

I can barely walk due to fear and shock. This sort of shit is the exact reason I don't want anything to do with the O'Rourkename. If Ronan wants me to be safe, not only should he be here himself, but he should be informing me of what the actual fuck is going on in his world. He's got armed men taking over his home.

The gunfire is deafening. When my burly rescuer wraps his arm around my waist and drags me along like a limp ragdoll, I have to move with him. It's hard to keep up as he whisks me from one window to the next, refusing each exit as impossible or unsafe.

"Shit, they're everywhere,” he hisses, and I'm scared, but I have to know.

"Who? Who's everywhere? Why are they doing this?" I’m frantic, my voice louder than it should be, and he grits his teeth as we spin around.

"Shut up, lady, or you're gonna get uskilt." He sounds angry, but all I want is to be safe.

Lugging me toward the door, the man grunts and shakes his head. He peeks out the door and waits a second. I can't see a thing, so I have to trust him. Ronan trusts him enough to employ him, but I don’t know him at all. I feel like I'm going to piss my pants or throw up, or both.

When he opens the door and darts into the hallway with me firmly gripped to his waist, I whimper and cling to him, and he stops dead in his tracks. I look up and see the redheaded man pointing his gun at the two of us and grinning.

It all happens so fast it's a blur. I don't know who fires first, the redhead or the burly man, but I clamp my hands over my ears and scream. I drop to the floor and curl into a ball and wait for the sting of the bullet to hit me, but I feel no pain other than the knock to my shoulder and hip from falling. The large man falls beside me too, and I know he's been hit. I can smell the stenchof his body odor and the faint hint of blood already, and I'm terrified to open my eyes.

"Well, Dr. Walsh, it's so nice to see you. You know, there are a lot of people looking for you." The man's voice is calm but almost sinister. He spits, and I hear his gun click. It makes me jump, and I open my eyes and stare directly into the wide eyes of the large man who came to save me. He's dead, a hole right in the center of his forehead. Blood is pooling under him, inches from my face, and I scream and back away.

"Oh, God… oh, my God…" I'm going into shock. I can feel my heart beating strangely, and my body feels numb as I stare at the pool of blood growing larger, completely unaware of what's going on around me. The wood floor allows the blood to ooze outward slowly, and I back away until I'm pressing my back against the wall, stockinged feet slipping on the varnish.

"Get up," I hear, but I can't even look up at the armed man to see if he's talking to me. I can't take my eyes off the dead man's body. He was supposed to save me. I should've stayed in the shower.

"I said, get up!" the man shouts and grabs me by the hair, yanking me upward forcefully. My body moves, but most of it is due to his strength. I feel hair being ripped out of my scalp at the movement, and I put my feet under myself to stand.

The man shoves me hard, and I stumble toward the living room. I eye the front door and think of running, but I remember the weapon in his hand. If he shot that guard so easily, he'll have no issues shooting me. He's going to kill me. I'm going to die. This is it.

The thing my mother has probably thought for months is finally happening. Ronan's enemy is in his home and he's got a gun tomy back. He doesn’t even know I’m pregnant, either. I never got a chance to tell him, and his heir will die with me.

Tears pour down my cheeks. I stumble into the living room sobbing and holding my face. There are more dead bodies. More guards I recognize. There is blood on the floor and wall, blood on the doorknobs. This maniac has gone on a killing spree and slaughtered anyone who moved. I only pray Brigid isn't here or that she's hiding somewhere safe.

"You know, it wasn't hard to figure this shit out." The man is still talking, I assume to me. There aren't any others here, though I know they're in the house somewhere, maybe out on the lawn too.

I can't speak. I'm too terrified and dumbfounded.

"I shot him myself. I knew he needed someone brilliant. Then… pretty doctor goes missing. Weeks later, I spot Butcher leaving this shithole Ronan calls a house, and it all makes sense. The little lady's having a baby…"

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