Page 54 of Unfulfilled Promises
The look in Regan’s eyes didn’t show confidence in her brother’s statement, and he gave me a concerned look before hehugged her carefully and returned to his seat. James looked like he wanted to say something, but he met my gaze and I could see he was giving the role of her confidante and protector to me.
And if the preppy assassin was giving me the responsibility of loving and protecting this beautiful woman next to me, then I wouldn’t let him down.
And if that little weaselly bastard was the one who sent Giovanni and John to kidnap not only Regan but Wren as well, then he deserved whatever hell we rained down on him
And if Hannah had a problem with it, then too fucking bad.
Family or not, if Waylon was the mastermind, his days were numbered.
Chapter 26
Regan
We touched down on the small runway near Rhys’s house and the jarring of the plane as the wheels grabbed onto the pavement made pain shoot through my arm. Trying to hide the wince, I looked at an observant Seth, who was sitting next to me with his arm around my neck. I’d been resting against him for the last thirty minutes as Rhys, James, Devlin, Lucian, Booker, and Caldwell spoke quietly up front.
“Shouldn’t you be up there with them?” I asked, and Seth leaned over and placed a kiss on the side of my head.
“I’m exactly where I need to be, darlin’.” He paused before asking, “Do you want to get cleaned up when we stop by your brother’s place?”
Rhys let us know he was going to call Hannah when we landed, giving her a head’s up that we were on our way home. I wasn’t sure what else he was going to say to her, and the thought of her blaming me for something happening to her brother made my stomach upset. She was like a sister to me, and seeing how much she loved my brother, I feared she wouldn’t forgive me, even if I was wrong.
As the plane slowed next to the hangar, I looked at Seth. “What if I’m wrong about Waylon?”
“Then we can check him off the list, but I don’t know that you are wrong. There’s been something off about him since we raided that house and discovered he was connected to all this,”Seth remarked, but his reassurance did little to dissuade my worry.
The pilot stepped out of the cockpit and unlocked the door before lowering the stairs and stepping off the plane. Booker stayed seated as everyone else stood and began to exit. We were in a hurry but we weren’t rushing. It was a little after eight in the morning as Seth stood and offered me help off the plane. Booker stood as we walked past, and as he followed us down the stairs, I gave Seth a confused look.
When we were walking across the runway, Seth explained, “Michael has vowed to have your back until this is over, so expect him to be close by for the foreseeable future.”
As we got to our waiting vehicles, I turned and looked up at the tall man. He smiled down at me and seemed like he was waiting for me to speak. “Thank you, I guess.”
“Don’t be alarmed, Regan,” said the man I’d always known as Booker but who was now introduced to me as Michael. “I don’t have the back of many people, but you are a true fighter and it will be an honor to make sure you are protected.”
Seth winked at me as he opened the back door and helped me inside. Rhys stood off to the side, speaking to who I assume was Hannah, as we waited for him to join us. He hung up the phone and walked up to us.
“Hannah knows what’s going on and she asked to go with us.” He sighed heavily as he ran his hands through his hair. My brother looked tired, and I wanted to apologize for putting everyone through so much, but then I remembered it was all their fault this night happened, so I stifled my words. “She said she felt like he was sidestepping something when we spoke with him a few months ago, and she thinks something is going on with him.” He looked directly at me as he added, “And she’s sorry you were ever put in the position to have to keep secrets, but she isn’t upset at all. She’s just worried about her sister.”
I wanted to cry but couldn’t start or I would never stop. Sniffling, I looked at Seth, who kept his eyes on me as he said to the group, “Let’s get this going.”
I slid across the seat as Seth, Michael, James, and Rhys got into our vehicle, and Devlin, Lucian, and Caldwell got into the other. The drive to our house wasn’t long, and soon we pulled through the gate and past the security. I felt relief but instantly realized the relief wasn’t anything but a slide into the fearful state I’d existed in for years. And I refused to hide anymore.
As we pulled up to the front of the house, I looked at Seth. “Can you help me really quick?”
“Whatever you need,” he returned, and I went to slide across the seat, only for him to open his door and help me out his side.
Hannah walked out the front door at the same time I stepped out of the vehicle, and when I looked up, I saw tears flowing down her face as she ran down the couple stairs and carefully pulled me into a hug.
“Are you okay?” she asked as I one-arm hugged her back, feeling soreness in my injured arm.
I nodded, and she stepped back. “I’m okay. I’m . . . I’m sorry.”
“Shh,” Hannah responded, “you don’t apologize to me or anyone else. And I’m sorry my . . . Kelly was such a horrible person to you. I . . . I’m glad she’s dead.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but me too,” I returned, and she smiled at me.
“Do you need help?” Hannah asked, and looked from me to Seth.
“We’ll be right back. Go see your fiancé,” I replied as Seth took my hand and guided me up the stairs.
