Page 9 of Beyond Rosy Irish Twilight

“No, for Jade. If I don’t put someone on her, he’s going to assume that I don’t care about her. And since my life is tied to her, I need someone I know won’t fuck it up.”

“Christ. Does that mean I have to stay at her place until the wedding?”

“It’s only for a few more days,” I countered. “Maybe you can gain some insight while you’re there.”

“Are you sure he’s going to allow this?” Chase asked.

“I’ll insist on it. I don’t think he’ll fight me too badly after this attack.”

The guard stopped Patrick as he pulled in and asked to check the vehicle. After looking inside and checking under the vehicle for bombs, he was satisfied and waved us through, but radioed to Ambrose that we had arrived.

Patrick pulled up to the front of the hospital and Chase opened the door for me. I stepped out and made my way to the front with Chase right on my heels. As soon as Patrick parked, he would be by my side. I hated putting him on her detail, even for a few days, but I didn’t have a choice in the matter. Until I knew just how bad the threat was, I had to assume she needed a guard on her. And with his notoriety, I was surprised she didn’t have one already.

The elevator doors opened and I stepped out onto the second floor. A guard stepped in front of me and I narrowed my eyes at him. “I’m here to see my fiancé,” I said sternly. “Let me pass.”

“No one goes to her room unless Mr. Buchanan approves it.”

“Let’s get on the radio and get fucking permission,” I growled.

He pressed his finger to his ear and then stepped aside. “End of the hall.”

I nodded and walked past him. The guard standing outside the door knocked and notified him that I had arrived. But before I could walk inside, Ambrose stepped out into the hall.

“What happened?” I asked, not leaving any room for niceties.

“She was attacked while she was shopping for wedding dresses.”

“Do we have an ID on her attacker?”

He shook his head. “Someone shot at her and then a car blew up. She was thrown through a store window.”

I winced at the thought of her being caught up in an explosion. I hadn’t spent much time with her, but I knew enough that she was just a tiny thing. It wouldn’t have taken much to send her flying.

“How is she?”

“Cuts and bruises. Concussion,” he answered. “Aren’t you more interested in the details?”

My eyes shifted from the door to him. “I figured I would check on the wellbeing of my fiancé before deciding to leave her side and seek vengeance. Or did you not want a husband that cares about her?”

He narrowed his eyes at me. “I’d watch my tone if I were you. You’re not married yet.”

“You said my life is tied to hers. Trust me, I’m not worried about anything other than whether or not she’s okay and how to find the fuckers that did this.”

“I already have men on that.”

I ground my teeth together angrily. This guy was all over the place. One minute, he wanted me to get revenge, and the next, he was telling me to butt out. “I’m sure your men are good, but this issue will follow me after we’re married. I won’t sit on the sidelines.”

His jaw clenched hard. He didn’t like me talking back to him, but he also wouldn’t respect me if I didn’t take a hard stance on this. He wanted me to protect his daughter and I wanted to stay alive. The only way I knew to do that was to take control for myself.

“I’ll be putting a guard on Jade today—”

“She already has guards.”

“And where were they today?” I asked.

“They were exactly where they were supposed to be.”

I found that hard to believe. “Run me through what happened,” I demanded.

---