Page 96 of Stolen Rival
Wait. There is a choice. Negotiation. Not that I’ll mean it, but I’ll play the game if it means getting Sorcha out of her safe and unharmed. As soon as there’s a free shot, one of us will take it.
My team knows me well enough that my silent gesticulating lets them know the lay of the land. Several heads nod in agreement.
Taking a lungful of air, I open the door.
Sorcha’s head hangs low, and her eyes are closed.
She’s alone.
She’s alone.
I stride across to her and kneel at her feet, assessing her injuries. She’s got a split lip and a vicious-looking bruise on her cheekbone, as well as one on her forehead. A fresh barrage of fury races through me. That fucking bastard struck my wife. When I get my hands on him, he’ll wish he’d never fucking metme.
“Mo mhuirnín.” Gently, I cup her chin.
She startles awake, blinking. “Patrick? Are you real?”
“I’m real.” I press my finger to my lips. “Shh.” Glancing behind me, I spin my finger in the air. The team immediately fan out. Andrew is somewhere in this house, and we’re going to find him.
Then I’ll make him pay.
I shove my gun into my holster and untie her hands, rubbing her wrists to get the blood flowing properly again. The rope has chafed her skin, and a couple of blood blisters are already forming. I can’t remember the last time I felt this swell of unrestrained anger, but now, more than ever, I need to control myself. There will be time to let the beast free, but that time isn’t now.
She wobbles as I help her to her feet. I brace an arm around her waist. “Lean on me,” I murmur. “I’m getting you out of here.”
“How did you find me?” she whispers.
“Your car.” I don’t explain further, and she doesn’t ask, probably because she’s already guessed the answer.
“You came for me.” Tears spill down her cheeks, and as much as I should get her out of here and to safety as fast as possible, I can’t help stopping to sweep them away.
“Of course I did. You’re my wife.”And you mean the world to me.
“But I’m useless. You said it yourself. I heard you on the phone last night, or was it the night before?” She frowns. “How long have I been here?”
“A few hours. Sorcha, believe me when I say that I never meant a word of what you heard. I will explain everything, but first, we have to get you out ofhere and safely back home.”
I wait for her nod to show me she understands, then we move. With my arm braced around her waist, I lead her back the way we came, through the interior staircase and into the kitchen. The house is still quiet, my team searching the place with silent efficiency, room by room, until they find him. They have their orders. Take him alive unless their life is in danger.
A chill breeze sweeps through the basement, and the earlier dank smell has lessened because of it. The staircase leading to the outside is only one person wide, but Sorcha seems steadier on her feet now. I take her hand and go first, leading her behind me. We break into the fresh air, the sky dark except for a smattering of stars peeking out where the cloud has broken.
“The car is about a mile away. Can you walk or do you want me to carry you?”
“I can walk,” she says. “I just want to go home.”
My chest swells. Home. She meansmyhome which, before she came along, was simply a place where I conducted my business and laid my head at night. Now, it’s the place where I can breathe—and it’s all because of her. She gives me strength. She challenges me in ways I never would have thought I’d relish. She’s become so much more than a wife. She’s a partner, one that, until recently, I didn’t know I needed.
“Sorcha, I?—”
Pain explodes in my thigh, and I crumble to the damp grass. A second bullet whizzes past my ear. Grabbing Sorcha, I yank her to the ground, covering her with my body.
“Well, well, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.” The moon shines on a pair of polished black shoes, so starkly out of place with the sodden earth. Already, I’m weakened from the blood loss, but I’ve got enough in me to take this bastard down. And I will, even if I die trying. I groan, masking the sound of mygun sliding out from its holster. One fast move. That’s all it’ll take.
“I tried to do this without bloodshed, but I should’ve known you play by your own rules. You could have kept your life and your bride, but now, you’re going to both die, and I’ll take back what’s mineandwhat used to be yours.”
To take aim, I’ll have to roll away from Sorcha, leaving her exposed. My heart pummels my ribcage. I don’t care about my life. After everything I’ve done, I deserve to die, but I can’t bear the thought of her dying because of me. She has to live.
I’ll only have one chance at this, and I have to make it work.
