Page 68 of Beautiful Vengeance
***
Sloan didn’t know what to do with herself.Her sister had taken charge of the situation like she seemed to inanysituation, no matter how hopeless the odds against her.Sloan had expected that.What she hadn’t expected was to find herself sitting next to James Halloran.
She’d never met him before, never even seen him.It was strange to realize that a person she’d hated so intensely was one she didn’t know by sight.Oh, there was no mistaking him—not by his big build, his blond hair, or the fact that he watched her sister like he wanted nothing more than to drag her back to some fortress to keep her safe.
It was the same expression she saw on Jude’s face sometimes when he didn’t think she noticed.
Doc Jones looked much the same as she had the last time Sloan had seen her—tall and redheaded and capable of hauling around injured people twice her size.She raised her eyebrows and barely waited for Sloan to get her headset on before she said, “When your sister told meyouwere in trouble, I hardly believed it.I thought you were smarter than that.”
Sloan thought she was, too.But she didn’t have it in her to deal with the woman’s attitude when Jude was being strapped to a stretcher.“Take care of him.Please.”
“This brute?”Doc Jones shook her head.“You O’Malley women sure like ’em big, don’t you?Women after my own heart.”She turned away, effectively dismissing Sloan, which was just fine because she was focusing on Jude.
It removed her distraction from the man sitting next to her, though.
Jude didn’t flinch, didn’t so much as deign to notice the woman bandaging him up, his gaze tracking James Halloran, and the distance between him and Sloan, and the pilot, who hadn’t taken off his helmet.
“I told her this was a mistake.”
Sloan went still and looked at the blond giant across from her.They all had a set of headphones on, but no one else seemed to have heard him.“Then why did you come?”
“Because your sister loves you and you getting yourself killed would break her goddamn heart.”His blue eyes gave nothing away.“Not that you give two fucks, since you’ve been breaking her heart from the time she chose me, butIcare.I’ll break you before I let you fuck with her further.”
“Stop it.”She didn’t want to hear how she’d hurt her sister.Carrigan was a warrior in high heels, the fearless one.How couldSloanhurt her?
She knew he spoke the truth, though.She’d known the endless unanswered calls wore on her sister, because they came less and less often as the months went on.She hadn’t relished that knowledge, but she couldn’t pretend she was the wounded party.
Not anymore.
“You’re going back to Boston, Sloan.I don’t care if you go back to the O’Malleys or the Sheridans or stay with us, but you’re going back.That Russian bastard will skin you alive if he catches you, and—”
“That would break my sister’s heart.I understand.”She wanted to hate him for it, but she couldn’t.Of them all, James was the one willing to put Carrigan first and let the world burn if that was what it took.He was entitled to his anger.
“But I’m not going back to Boston.”Her going back to Boston would cause more problems than it’d solve.It sounded like a simple solution to everyone involved—get her somewhere safe where no one could hurt her.But things would become unforgivably complicated once they found out she was pregnant.
She wouldn’t let her baby be used as a political pawn.
Sherefused.
A muscle ticked in his jaw.“We’ll see.”
The rest of the flight passed without anyone attempting conversation, the helicopter setting down gently on the top of a building in Seattle.James was the first to jump down, holding out his hand for Carrigan.He pulled her against him for a quick kiss, the casual intimacy of it making Sloan’s chest ache.Her sister truly was happy with this man, no matter how deplorable Sloan and the rest of their family found him.
But then, she could no longer throw stones—not when she was living in a glass house by being with Jude.
She hopped down without assistance and waited for Doc Jones and Jude.He still looked pale, but that terrifying glazed look in his eyes wasn’t there anymore.Thank God.
They followed her sister and James through a door and into an elevator that only had one destination.“The penthouse,” Carrigan explained, punching the button.“We’ll iron out the next step and go from there.”
“I’m not going back to Boston.”She shot a look at James, who pointedly ignored her.
“After that shit our darling brother just pulled, I don’t exactly blame you.”Carrigan shot a look at where Jude tried to shrug Doc Jones off and got smacked upside the back of the head for his efforts.“MacNamara, huh?I thought your lot was all killed off.”
“Not all of us.”His voice gave nothing away.
“I can see that.”She turned back to Sloan.“I need to speak with you without all the overwhelming masculinity smothering us.”Her practiced smile flickered, just a little.“It’s been a long time.”
“It has.”Sloan pressed her lips together.“Jude, will you be okay?”
