Page 62 of Beautiful Vengeance
Then she sat down, cold and shivering despite the relatively warm day, to wait.
***
Jude hated knowing Sloan was alone in the water, but there were things in that house he couldn’t leave behind.Not even for her.He moved through the trees, more ghost than man despite his soaked pants.He expected some sort of resistance, but the fools had been so focused on getting into the house, they hadn’t set a perimeter.An amateur mistake and not one they’d have made if they really understood the threat he was.
He climbed a tree with perfectly placed notches.It was one of the only ones he’d allowed close to the house, exactly for this reason.He moved across the branches to the roof.The widow’s walk on the third floor appeared only decorative, but there was a narrow staircase leading down directly to the first-floor pantry.It was the perfect place to hide valuables—something the original owner of the house utilized.Jude had taken a page from his book and stashed his bag in this room every time he stayed here.The worst that could happen was a fire, and even if it did, he could grab his shit and escape into the trees.
The bastard who’d built the house had been a paranoid fuck, something Jude appreciated, especially considering his current circumstances.
He could hear the O’Malley men moving through the house below him, their frustration evident.They’d trash the place before they were through.A pang went through him at the thought.He might only come here a few times a year, but this was one of the few places in the world he considered safe.It never would be again—and not just because he’d never set foot in the place after today.It was being defiled by the men below him, tearing the place apart and leaving their imprint everywhere.
He should have known that nowhere was truly safe.
The truth was that there would always be someone gunning for him—gunning forher.Should have considered that her brother would put a tracker on her.He hadn’t considered a lot of things when it came right down to it.That was his fuckup.She was new to the game.He’d been living it his entire life.
Jude slipped through the small door and worked his way down to the first floor.He was in the process of sliding the pantry wall back into place when footsteps sounded at his back.He twisted as the enemy’s gun came up, grabbing his wrist and pointing the pistol away from him.
Then he saw the man’s face.
Micah Jones.
This wasn’t an O’Malley man.This was a motherfuckingSheridan.
Micah opened his mouth, likely to call for help, and Jude let go of his wrist long enough to punch him in the gut.Warring thoughts slammed through his head as he punched Micah again.
I promised Sloan I wouldn’t kill anyone.
He’s not an O’Malley.
He’s also barely more than a kid.He wasn’t even alive when my family was killed.
Thatstopped him.He pocketed the handgun and shoved Micah to the ground.The idiot kept trying to stand, obviously not recognizing a losing battle when he saw it.It would be so fucking easy to just put a bullet in his brain and be done with it.
He pistol-whipped Micah, and this time the man lay still.Finally.Jude headed for the back door, looking to get the fuck out before he had to kill someone.It wasn’t only because of his promise, though he was just getting used to the idea of maybe being worthy of a woman like Sloan.Murdering his way through her brother’s men wasn’t the way to go about putting them on the right path forward.He was past the point of thinking that it shouldn’t matter what Sloan thought of him.It did.He cared about her, and fuck if he’d do anything to hurt her if he had any other choice.
Killing her brother’s men would hurt her.
KillingColm Sheridanwould hurt her, if only because it would forever cut her off from part of her family.
Painted myself into a goddamn corner with that one, didn’t I?
The only warning he got was a slight exhale behind him and a shift in the air.Jude threw himself sideways, slamming into the wall as none other than Teague fucking O’Malley flew past him.The man barely missed a beat, drawing his gun on Jude.“Where is my sister?”
Jude measured the distance between them.Close enough that he had a chance at disarming the man before he got a shot off.Far enough that it wasn’t a guarantee.Jude looked up, tracking the sets of footsteps searching.Another six men at least.He could throw himself out the window to his right, but he’d leave a trail of blood straight to the boat that any fool could follow.The back door was a better bet, but he had to go through Teague to get there.
Shit.
“Your sister made her choice.”
Teague shook his head.“Forgive me if I don’t take your word for it.I’d like to hear her say it herself.”
“You did on the phone not too long ago.Who’s to say you’ll listen any better a second time?”Jude inched toward the door.He could rush the other man and hope for the best.He might get a bullet for his trouble, but as long as it didn’t hit anything vital, he had a better chance of covering the blood trail from a single wound than he did if he went through the window.Best chance I’m going to get.
“If you’re who you say you are, I know what you’re here for.I don’t even blame you.”Teague followed him with the gun, the barrel not wavering in the least.“But the fact remains—if you’re looking to hurt my sister or my wife, I’ll bury you.”
Jude could respect that, though hell if he wanted to.It was so much easier to hate everything about the Boston underworld before he started meeting the players one-on-one.Before Sloan.Jude took another step to the side.“I would never hurt Sloan.”
“Holy fuck.”Teague’s eyes went wide.“Don’t think you can play that card withme.I know my sister.She would never choose someone like you—not willingly.”
