Page 27 of Beyond Rosy Irish Twilight

I smirked at him because I was well aware of the end goal. That was taking down this fucker and the rest of his organization. “Trust me, I haven’t forgotten.”

I started to walk away when he grabbed my arm. “Don’t let her manipulate you on this trip.”

And then I did something I absolutely loathed, but it was necessary to keep him off my back. “She’s a woman. She has no place in my business.”

“Let’s keep it that way.”

“Agreed.”

I tore my arm from his grip and headed to the table. As soon as I sat down, a waiter placed a whiskey in front of me and I shot it back. The swarms of rich men filling the room only quickened my desire to get drunk. But we weren’t out of the woods yet. I still had to get out of this fucking place in one piece.

* * *

“You’re expected to dance with your bride,” Patrick whispered in my ear.

I sighed heavily. “Isn’t it time to go yet?”

I felt Jade stiffen beside me. Wasn’t she just as pissed about this whole thing as I was?

“Ash, you can’t walk out of here without the expected traditions. We don’t need people talking.”

I stood and tossed down my napkin, holding my hand out for my bride. It wasn’t just that I didn’t like the idea of putting on a show. It was that if I had her in my arms, it would be that much more difficult to let her go. Still, Patrick was right. I had a show to put on.

Jade slipped her hand into mine and I led her out to the dance floor. Wrapping my arm around her waist, I felt like a fraud. She was tense in my arms, barely looking at me, and definitely lacking the happy smile of a new bride.

“You look gorgeous,” I offered, hoping to break the tension.

“It’s just a dress.”

“It’s not the dress,” I grumbled, my voice coming out lower than intended. I couldn’t help it. Any time I stared at this woman, I just wanted to kiss her. That was a dangerous position to be in.

Her eyes flicked to mine for just a moment before going over my shoulder again. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. So, do you have any plans once we return from the honeymoon?”

Her gaze snapped to mine with curiosity. “What do you mean?”

“You know, a job, a hobby…anything?”

“I’m…I’m allowed to have a job?”

The shock in her voice really fucking pissed me off. Why the fuck wouldn’t she be able to have a job? What had her life been like up until now? “If that’s what you want. You’ll need to keep Patrick with you, but if there’s something you want to do, go for it.”

She swallowed hard, as if she hadn’t even considered any of this would be an option. “I’ll have to think about it.”

“You have time. If there’s ever—”

Glass shattered around us as an explosion shook the building. I immediately pulled Jade to the ground and covered her with my body as I searched for Patrick and Chase. Lock was across the room shouting into comms, and Chase was running toward me. I got to my feet and pulled Jade with me, dragging her beside me as we ran to meet Chase.

“Let’s move!” he shouted.

I didn’t bother to look for Ambrose. Whatever happened, he could deal with it. My priority was getting Jade out of there. Chase led us through the kitchen and then down a hallway. In the dim light, we took several turns before we reached the outer door. He shoved it open, gun in hand as he peeked outside. Patrick squealed to a stop and Chase rushed out to get the back door.

I pulled my own weapon and turned to Jade, who looked like she was on the verge of going into a full-blown panic attack. Grabbing her hand tightly, I rushed out into the night and shoved her into the car, then followed quickly. Chase jumped into the front with Patrick and we took off in a hurry. I buckled Jade in as she sat there numbly, not moving or saying a thing. Then I grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her gently.

“Jade.”

Her eyes flicked to mine and she cocked her head at me. “That wasn’t normal.”

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