Page 65 of Bozo

The raw fear in her voice breaks something inside me. I carefully gather her into my arms, mindful of her injuries. "I've got you now," I murmur into her hair. "I won't let anyone hurt you again."

We stay like that for a long moment, her body shaking with silent sobs as I hold her. When she finally calms down, I gently lay her back against the pillows.

"Gráinne… Christ, Sunshine.” I can hardly fucking breathe. “I could have lost you.”

She grips my hand tight, and I know she’s terrified. “I’m scared.”

I close my eyes. The sound of the fear in her voice is like a fucking slice to my heart. She’s always so fucking strong, always able to push through the pain. I’ve never seen or heard her so terrified.

“You’re safe,” I promise her. “No one is going to harm you again,” I vow. I’ll die before anyone even tries. “I’m right here with you, baby.”

“Stay with me,” she pleads, her eyes filled with tears.

"Always," I promise, carefully settling onto the bed beside her. I wrap my arm around her shoulders, letting her rest her head on my chest. "I'm not going anywhere."

We lay there in silence for a while, my hand gently stroking her hair. I can feel her trembling against me, and it takes everything in me not to go out and hunt down the bastards who did this to her right now.

"Connor," she says softly, breaking the silence. "What are we going to do?"

I take a deep breath, considering my words carefully. "We're going to keep you safe, Sunshine. Jerry and I are working on gathering information. We're going to find out everything we can about The Revenant and this Dragomir character."

She tenses at the mention of The Revenant. "Who are they?" she asks. “I’ve never heard of them, but I know they’re dangerous.”

"I know," I say, tightening my arm around her. "But so am I. Especially when it comes to protecting you."

Gráinne lifts her head to look at me, her eyes searching mine. "I don't want you to get hurt because of me."

I cup her face gently, mindful of her bruises. "Listen to me, Gráinne. You're worth any risk. I love you, and I'm not going to let these bastards take you away from me."

“I love you too,” she cries. “I’m so happy.”

I press a kiss to her forehead, wishing I could kiss her how I’d like, but she’s too injured for that and I don’t want to cause her any more pain than she’s already in.

I hold Gráinne close, savoring the warmth of her body against mine. "I'm happy too, Sunshine," I murmur into her hair. "We're going to get through this together."

She nods against my chest, her breathing starting to even out. I can tell she's exhausted, both physically and emotionally.

"Get some rest," I tell her softly. "I'll be right here when you wake up."

As Gráinne drifts off to sleep, I find myself on high alert, listening for any sound that might indicate danger. I know we're safe here, surrounded by my brothers, but I can't shake the feeling of unease.

My mind races, going over everything I know about The Revenant and the situation we're in. It's not much, and that fact gnaws at me. We need more information, and we need it fast.

I carefully reach for my phone, making sure not to disturb Gráinne. I send a quick text to Jerry.

Me: Any updates?

It doesn’t take him long to respond.

Jer: Nothing concrete yet. My European contacts are digging. Wrath's working on local leads. Will keep you posted.

I sigh, frustration building. We're working as fast as we can, but it doesn't feel fast enough. Not when Gráinne's lying beside me, battered and bruised. Not when I can still hear the fear in her voice.

Jer: How's Gráinne?

I glance down at her sleeping form, my heart clenching at the sight of her injuries.

Me: Resting. She's in a lot of pain. Jer, they stabbed her. She could have died. You should have fucking told me.

---