Page 122 of When We Break

“Get ready,” I tell Miller just as Skyla lets her legs relax, and she slumps down. The arm Lewis has wrapped around her middle doesn’t let her fall to the ground, but it’s enough that his head is clear from her body, and Miller, along with several cops by the sound of gunfire around me, immediately take their shot.

Lewis’s body jerks as the bullets hit his forehead, his chest, his neck, all miraculously missing my girl, and I leap forward as the man slumps and Skyla falls back with him. Thank God she doesn’t take a nosedive forward off the steps.

She’s pushing his arm off her as I reach her and tug her into my arms, lifting her against me and walking down the steps so the cops can do whatever they need to do with the dead piece of shit behind me.

Skyla’s face is pressed to my neck, and she’s crying. Shaking.

“Riley,” she says. “He killed Riley.”

“No, baby. Riley’s going to be okay.” I kiss her head, her temple, hold her so close to me, I never want to let her go. I’mneverletting her go again. “Billie’s with him. He’s going to be fine, my love.”

She gulps, and those huge emerald eyes look up at me. “You’re sure?”

“I’m sure.” I set her on the back seat of the SUV and turn her so I can cup her face and kiss her lips, her cheeks, and her nose, then take her in. “Are you hurt?”

“No.” She shakes her head. “Well, just my scalp because he pulled my hair.”

I growl and reach out for her, not giving a shit that she’s got some blood spatter on her. I’m surprised there’s not more. There would be if she’d been behind him.

“Fuck, Irish. That took ten years off my life.”

“How did you find me?” She sniffs, and she keeps her eyes on mine as if she can’t bring herself to look away.

“Miller,” I reply. “He did whatever he does and knew you’d be here. Thank fuck you weren’t on that plane yet.”

“I kept trying to talk to him,” she says, swiping at her tears. “Tried to reason with him, to have a conversation, to just bloody stall him.”

“It worked. My clever girl.”

She’s shaking more now, and I can see the shock setting in.

“He’s … dead?”

“Yes, baby.” I pepper more kisses on her face. “He’s gone. It’s over.”

She nods, and her teeth start to chatter.

“Hey, look at me. Give me your eyes, Irish.”

Those beautiful orbs fill with water again as she raises them to mine. “I n-never wanted anyone to die.”

“I know.” I don’t tell her that I regret that it wasn’t my own hand that killed him. That I didn’t get to make him hurt for every moment of agony that he put my girl through. “But he wouldn’t have stopped, baby. And he has too many people in his pocket that would have let him go free. Not to mention, he had a gun pressed to your fucking head. So yeah, he had to die today.”

She blows out a breath and curls into me.

“I’m going to have questions.” I didn’t even hear Chase walk up behind me. “But they can wait for later.”

“We leave for London tomorrow,” I reply.

He nods. “That’s what Connor said, too. I can ask my questions when you get back from that trip. It won’t change what happened here today.”

“No, I’ll answer you now.” Skyla squares her shoulders. “I don’t want any part of this hanging over my head while I’m in London. I need it over.”

“Are you sure?” I hold her face in my hands, and she smiles up at me.

“Yeah. Let’s finish this.”

With a nod, I step back, and Chase addresses Skyla.

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