Page 68 of Cherished Union

She nods. “It won’t,” she vows instantly.

“Good,” I say as I press a chaste kiss against her lips. “Shower, get changed. I’ve got to go out. Matty’s here with you.”

“Okay, Hay,” she replies, taking a step backward. “Be safe,” she whispers as I make my way back to the front door.

“Always.”

“He’s gone,” Da tells me as I enter my parents’ house. “I had Gabriel and Kieran go to scout out the area and the fucker’s gone.”

I grit my teeth as I pin my sister with a glare. “Every-fucking-thing we’ve worked toward for the past month is down the fucking drain because you couldn’t wait.”

“She’s apologized,” Rocco growls. “What more do you want?”

“For you to shut up,” my da snaps. “This is a fuck up, Rocco, and if it were your underboss, you’d have their head.”

That shuts him up, but of course, Jade isn’t done. “I did what any of you would have done. You were sitting on your thumbs, whereas I actually did what was needed.”

“Sorry, sis,” Hayes says. He’s usually the one who stays out of shit. “But none of us were sitting on our asses. We’ve been trying to track them down.”

“I’m not sorry for killing her. The bitch needed to die.”

“She did,mo chailín milis, but that’s not the point. You acted without my say so, and in doing so, you have made things worse.”

My cell phone buzzes. I reach for it as Jade continues to defend what she has done. Looking at the screen, my entire body stills as I hit the screen and the security to my home shows. I swallow back the fear as I watch Garrant reach for my sleeping wife, his fingers in her hair as he pulls her from the bed.

I come unglued and run out of the house, panic clawing at my gut, fear and adrenaline taking over as I rush toward my car.

“Son, what’s going on?” Da asks, hot on my heels.

“Garrant’s in my fucking house,” I snarl at him as I slide into my car, reaching for my keys.

The passenger’s side, along with the back door, opens, and my da and Hayes jump in just as I start the ignition. I throw my cell back to Hayes. “Watch it and tell me what that fucker has on him, knives, guns, the lot.”

I can’t watch the footage. I’ll lose my damn mind if I do. Nothing gets to me except for my wife. The thought of losing her makes my head swim and a blind rage takes over.

“He’s got a gun,” he tells me, his voice is tight. “Fucking cunt,” he snarls, and my hands tighten on the steering wheel as I speed out of my parents’ drive. It’s a twenty-minute drive to my house. I’ll be making sure that I make it in less than half that time.

“He’s got a knife strapped to his back, from what I can see. It’s like he’s waiting for something,” Hayes tells me.

I know exactly what he’s waiting for. Me to arrive. Maybe even Da. To Garrant Masters, my da and I have been the bane of his existence for the past five years. He wants revenge for everything that’s happened. That’s on him. He set about trying to take us out. Unfortunately for him, we’re an unstoppable force, and he’s lost everyone close to him in the process, along with everything he worked hard for. The Masters name no longer holds fear.

“Tell me,” I snarl as I get out of the car. It took twelve minutes to get here from my parents and that’s too fucking long. Jade and Rocco were on our tail the entire ride over.

“He’s got a gun to her head,” he says low.

I swallow back the anger, fear, and pain. Rocco’s eyes harden and Jade's eyes widen.

“Okay,” I say, finding my voice. I don’t give a fuck at how rough it sounds. Some asshole has a gun to my wife’s head, I’ll be damned if I act peachy. “Da, you and Hayes go around back. We’ll target from both sides. Jade and Rocco are with me.”

I wait for them all to nod before we move. It’s done with military precision. Da and Hayes move around the back, while Jade, Rocco, and I wait until the count of ten to breach the front.

“Hayden Gallagher,” Garrant calls out as I step foot into the house. “I have your whore of a wife.”

He’s going to die a slow and painful death.

Stepping into the living room, I see my wife standing. The bastard has one hand around her neck, the other has a gun pointed at her head. Her gaze is firmly on me, and I see the fear there. I hate that she’s scared.

“It’s not her you want, Garrant,” I tell him, my voice void of emotion. I’ll not show him any fucking emotion.

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