Page 84 of Stolen Rival
“Do as you’re told and stay here. I’ll lock the door. It’s safer for you here.”
“You willnotlock me in here. I am your wife. My place is by your side.”
“Your place is living and breathing, not riddled with bullets.”
Her nostrils flare, and she plants her feet wide, but I don’t miss the shot of fear that’s embedded in her features. How must she have felt the night me and my men stormed herhouse? Terrified, in fear for her life. Another shot of remorse pulses through my veins, yet no matter how badly I might feelnow, it’s pointless. I did what I did because I had to. Because I had no choice. Brendan McCarthy made sure of that.
But, damn, I do not like that look of fear she’s wearing, one she’s trying to hide behind bravado. If I argue though, it’s in her nature to dig her heels in, and I don’t have time for the ensuing back and forth. Once I find out why the alarm’s gone off though, we will be having words, and every one of them will be mine.
“Stay behind me. You do exactly what I fucking say when I fucking say it.” I unlock a cabinet on the wall and remove several magazines that I stuff into my pockets.
“Wait. Give me one of those.”
“Not a chance. You’re not ready to be let loose with a gun outside of here.”
“For God’s sake, stop arguing with me.” She slides her hand into my pocket and pulls out a magazine.
Triumphant, I smirk. “That won’t fit your gun.”
She glares at me. “Then give me one that will. It’s for my safety. I promise, I won’t use it unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
We’re wasting precious minutes we don’t have. I hate this. Reluctantly, I reach inside the cabinet and hand her one magazine. She loads it into her gun like she’s been doing this her entire life. If I didn’t want to put her over my knee and give her a good spanking for the anxiety knotting my stomach, I’d burst with pride.
“You do exactly as I say,” I repeat, adding a firm glare to my spoken order. “Got it?”
She nods, but this is Sorcha. Doing as she’s told must be against her fucking religion. Keeping her behind me, I open the door a crack and peer through. Empty. I pick my way up thestairs that lead to the main part of the house. The alarm has stopped ringing, but that’s normal. It resets after a certain amount of time. The ground floor corridor is empty, and I cock my ears, listening for signs of life, or worse, death.
“Can you see anything?” Sorcha whispers.
I shake my head, pressing my finger to my lips. Indicating for her to follow, I creep down the hallway, heading for the front door. My main concern is Sorcha’s safety and getting her out of here is the best way to keep her safe. My brothers can take care of themselves, and the bodyguards will make sure the staff are okay.
One thing is certain. I’m getting a fucking panic room built. Before Sorcha, I didn’t feel I needed one. Now… now I fucking do. I’d give anything to be able to shove her inside, knowing no one could get to her, leaving me free to find out what or who set off the alarm.
I grip the doorknob and?—
“Patrick.”
I whip around, gun out front. Liam’s hands shoot in the air. “It’s me. Fuck. Put the gun down. Everything’s okay. It looks like an electrical surge tripped the alarm.” His gaze shifts to Sorcha. “You gave her a gun?”
“Yes. Begrudgingly.” I take it from her, release the magazine, and put it in my pocket, then hand her the gun back. “Is everyone okay?”
“As far as I know. Haven’t checked the grounds yet, but there’s no breach, so take a breath.”
“Go and make sure.”
He nods, brushing past me and disappearing outside. My shoulders sag in relief, and I reach for Sorcha, wrapping my arms around her and holding her tight.
“You’re trembling,”she says.
She’s right. I am. I have been in many dangerous situations, but I have never,everfelt the kind of fear that coursed through me when that alarm went off, and I thought there was a chance Sorcha was in danger.
“It’s okay.” She buries her fingers in the hair at my nape. “Everyone’s okay.”
Yeah, except I don’t give a flying fuck about everyone. Only her.
Chapter 41
SORCHA
