Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Liam
D oc patches me up the best he can, but he still recommends I head to a hospital and get my leg looked at. There’s a good chance there’s nerve damage, which is fucked up, but still better than dead.
As Xander tries to talk Doc out of dragging him away from Cece, who’s perched on top of the trunk we were all jammed in just a few hours ago, I can’t say I regret much about tonight.
Getting shot? Yeah. I should have had a better plan than just throwing my superior mass blindly out of the trunk, but all I could think about was Eddie’s anger if I let his kid sister get hurt.
And as Eddie hangs up from one of his various damage control calls and strides to me, I have to admit that I’m still in for it with him.
Even if his kid sister ended up being the one doing the protecting.
Sure enough, when the fist flies at my jaw, I brace for it, but don’t dodge. It’s deserved, especially with the way he found us.
“Seriously, O’Connell? I expect this kind of shit from Liu, but you should know better. She’s my sister.”
“And a grown-ass adult,” I say, rubbing my jaw, remembering her annoyance when I suggested otherwise. Before I knew who I was dealing with. If nothing else, it will help sell the “I was mugged” story I plan to use at the hospital.
Eddie glances down at my leg, then motions for me to get into his hand-me-down GTX. Once I’m in the passenger seat with my leg on the dash, he turns to me, his eyes flicking to Cece and Xander. Doc’s treating him while Cece’s curled up in his lap like a cat, Eddie’s shirt not covering nearly as much of his sister as he likely hoped it would.
“She’s more than just a notch in Xander’s bedpost,” I say, guessing where his head is at.
He taps a finger against the wheel. “And you know that how?”
“You weren’t out here tonight. It…listen, we’ve all been in shitty situations. Dangerous ones. Deadly ones. Only there’s something about standing in front of your grave, waiting for death, only to have a SoCal princess, complete in a prom dress, swoop in and save you. I’m just saying it changes a man.”
“So, you’re a changed man, O’Connell?”
Xander says something, and Cece throws her head back, laughing as a kick of wind tugs at her hair. And all I want to do is to drag myself across the gravel to be with them. To catch that lock of hair, tuck it behind her ear, wrap my arms around her, and give her all the hugs she’s missed out on over the years. To be by her side as she shows the world exactly what kind of woman hides behind those shining eyes and mischievous grin.
One who will fight to the death to protect the people she cares about; a woman who will fight for what she wants. While she hasn’t said it, not yet, I’m pretty sure she wants me.
I might be morose, and I might have to work on being less of an alcoholic, but I’m not an idiot.
And tonight was just the beginning.
“Yeah, Eddie. I’m a changed man. And no big brother bluster you could throw my way would keep me from Cece if that’s what she wants.”
He slumps back against his seat. “But all three of you? How’s that going to work? Three heirs can’t all play happy family. That’s not how this world works.”
“This world doesn’t allow female heirs. So, what’s another change? We’ll figure it out. Either that, or we’ll kill anybody who disagrees with the way we conduct our business. But we’ll make it work. We both know that if it’s what Cece wants…”
“Then she’ll fight to the death to get it.” Eddie sighs, snapping his head to me when Xander drags Cece’s mouth to his, the kiss hot enough that even my already spent, injured ass gets turned on. I have a feeling this is going to be a constant state for me going forward. I can’t say I hate it.
“In that case, O’Connell. Welcome to the family. And if you hurt my sister…”
“You’ll kill me. I know the deal.”
“No, you idiot. If you hurt her, I’ll hunt you down and drag you back to her, where she can exact whatever vengeance she’s due. And trust me, what you saw tonight is just a taste of the violence hidden in Cecelia Rodriguez.”
A smile twitches at the corner of my mouth as Doc finishes up, freeing Xander to pin Cece against the back windshield of the old Honda Accord. The newly risen sun coating them in shades of pink and orange as they toy with each other. This leg had better heal fast. Because I want in on that shit. “Understood. It’d be one hell of a way to go, you’ve got to admit.”
Eddie snorts. “If you say so, man.”
He honks the horn, and Cece and Xander both throw up their middle fingers in response. He rolls down the window, something between exasperation and contentment on his face. “Knock it off, you two. You’re acting like teenagers. And your third little lover needs to get to a hospital. So, unless you want O’Connell to lose a leg, get your asses in gear so we can get the hell out of here.”
This gets their attention, but before they slide into the back, Cece throws open the passenger door, one hand on the swell of her hip as she looks down at me. Then she’s wrapping her hands around my neck, directing my mouth to hers. This kiss is better suited for the cover of night, but Eddie’s mortification gets drowned out by the feel of her thighs under my fingers and the taste of her against my tongue.
“I didn’t want you to feel left out. Because I choose you, too,” she whispers as she draws back. But for just a second, I hold on too tight, and she sighs, relaxing against me.
“Same,” I rasp, words tough to gather as peace and hope, so unfamiliar I hardly recognize them, flood through me with her claiming.
Once we’re on the way, driving toward the sunrise and hospital, away from the lingering night beyond the graveyard, it’s obvious that this is my chance to start again. A new life for my battered old soul.
One that centers around a tiny, lethal woman and a world that needs to be changed. If it takes a bit of blood to get there, well, I’m more than familiar with the stuff.
Maybe this time, I’ll get to save her .
Although, somehow, I have a feeling it will always be the other way around for us.
It’s a future I could look forward to, as strange as the realization is. The stroke of her fingers against the back of my neck as she and Eddie bicker, Xander taking her side with a smirk, is more perfect than a fuck-up like me deserves.
If it takes being less of a fuck-up to keep it? Then I better get my head on straight. Because if I’m going to spend my life standing beside the amazing woman currently running her nails over my scalp, I’ve got to be the best.
I catch Xander’s eye, and I see the same steel that’s just cooled in my spine reflected at me. His clenched fist and the tick in his jaw greet my silent question. We’ll be her armor, freeing her to fight the battles she needs to without the worry of taking damage.
We’re hers.
Forever.