Chapter 24
Six weeks later
”Little Dancer,”I hear the low tone of my husband. ”You need to eat,” he says.
He”s always looking after me, always making sure I”m happy, healthy, and taken care of. I adore him so much for giving me something I had been missing for years. I love everything about Stephen. While I may not agree with killing people, I know that”s who he is and what he does, and it”s not something I can change. It”s because of who he is that he shows me just how much he cares for me.
”I will,” I tell him as I finish pouring him a cup of coffee. With none of the men really knowing how to cook other than Freddie, and it”s only because he has to, I”ve taken over that task as I love to do it. I love to experiment, and thankfully, the men will eat anything I put in front of them. For Stephen and I, breakfast is the meal we tend to spend alone together as the rest of the day, Maverick, Freddie, or Jer are here.
I hand him his coffee and slide onto the seat beside him. He”s already got a plate piled up with food for me as he tucks into his own. ”What are you doing today?” I ask, wondering if he has to go anywhere.
”You,” he replies, and I feel my cheeks heat. How is it that I still blush when he says something sexual?
”Stephen,” I whimper as I squirm in my seat.
He chuckles as his hand clamps down on my thigh. I”m wearing his t-shirt. It”s oversized and so damn comfortable. ”Little Dancer, I fucking love how sweet you are,” he says. ”But you need to eat. You need sustenance so I can fuck you.”
I spear a sausage with my fork and bring it to my lips. His eyes darken as I wrap my mouth around it and release a low moan. I may be innocent, but I”ve watched movies and read books. I feel awkward sometimes, but the way Stephen looks at me encourages me to do what I feel would be good, and teasing him like this feels really good, especially when his eyes darken as he looks at me.
I see his muscles tense and watch as he shifts his gaze toward the door. ”Someone”s here,” he says through gritted teeth, and my heart races with fear. My whole body freezes, like it”s on lockdown.
”Stay here,” he commands, rising to his feet.
I grab his hand, my fingers trembling as I ask, ”Who?”
He”s never like this when Maverick, Freddie or Jer come over. His jaw clenches as he slides his eyes toward me, but then I see them soften. He curls his hand around mine, holding me tightly. He reaches for his phone, and I feel a sense of relief wash over me as I see him relax. ”It”s Mav,” he tells me softly, but I see the anger in his eyes still.
I take a deep breath to steady myself. ”Oh God,” I whisper, letting out the breath. ”You scared me.” For a moment, I thought something terrible had happened. I slide out of my seat and quickly press a kiss to his lips. ”I”ll get dressed. It”s a good thing I made plenty of food,” I tell him with a smile, hoping it”ll ease the anger he has.
I don”t turn back as I walk toward our room, my heart racing a mile a minute. God, he scared me. I truly thought something bad was about to happen.
I take my time getting out of Stephen”s t-shirt and into my own clothes. As comfortable as Stephen”s top is, I wouldn”t wear it around my cousin. I pull on a gorgeous pale pink maxi dress that fits me perfectly. I honestly don”t know when Stephen has the time to go shopping, but he came home two weeks ago with at least twenty new outfits, all of them even more gorgeous than the last.
I pair the dress with a pair of sandal wedge heels, my necklace Mam bought me for the last Christmas we spent together—one that I was too scared to wear before in case Dad broke it—and my wedding ring. That was another shock. The day we got married, not only did Mallory, Jer, and Stephen have the perfect ceremony, dress, and day, but Stephen had purchased our wedding ring set. I was floored by how beautiful they were. Not only the wedding band, but an engagement ring. Something I hadn”t gotten before and hadn”t thought about due to the whirlwind of our relationship, along with how quick the wedding came about.
Platinum bands were used for both engagement and wedding rings. My engagement ring is a beautiful Marquise cut that sits perfectly above my platinum band, which is engraved with our initials. I”m so very grateful that Stephen gave me the rings after we returned home that evening as I cried like a baby when he gave them to me. They”re perfect and I love them so much. I will cherish them dearly until the day I die.
When I enter the kitchen, I”m surprised to find Stephen”s still angry. He”s eating, but he”s pissed.
”Am I interrupting?” I ask, not wanting to intrude if they”re talking about work.
”No, baby, come and eat. Maverick has just informed me that his ma and Callie are on the warpath and demanding to know what”s going on. Apparently, they went to your house yesterday as Chloe hasn”t heard from you and Mallory in a few weeks, and when Nicola and Callie got there, the door was ajar and the house was ransacked.”
I wince. Damn, with everything that has been going on with me and Mallory, I had forgotten to check in with Chloe like I usually do. I”ve been so focused on ensuring Mal”s safety that I let my friend down by checking out. ”I”m sorry,” I say, hating that I”ve caused this mess.
”Don”t apologise, Jess,” Maverick says. ”Ma and Callie were always going to be like this. They”ve been asking for weeks to see Stephen, but he”s been busy—rightfully so—and they”re worried.”
”Shall we go and see them?” I ask my husband, knowing that if we go, there”ll be loads of questions and probably tears and arguments, but if we don”t, then they”ll just worry and that”ll lead to more questions and worry.
”Yes,” he says through a growl. ”But eat your breakfast first.”
I retake my seat knowing he”s not going anywhere until I eat something. I glance over at Maverick and see he”s already tucking in. ”Good morning, Maverick.”
He grins at me. ”Morning, Jess. I should warn you that it”s not going to be fun when we get to Jer”s.”
I sigh. ”I know. Aunt Nicola can be a tad neurotic at times.”
Maverick laughs, whereas Stephen grunts, his hand sliding along my waist as he pulls me closer to him. ”You look beautiful, Little Dancer,” he says thickly. ”I fucking hate this shit. Your ma, Maverick, needs to calm the hell down.”
He”s not wrong. Aunt Nicola always makes a huge hoo-ha about everything, especially if she”s the last to know about it.
”It”ll all be okay,” I assure him.
”It will be.” Maverick grins. ”If they upset you, Stephen will lose his shit.”
”Eat,” I tell him, knowing he”s not helping matters.
My stomach is filled with dread as we continue to eat. God, I”m not looking forward to this.
* * *
Maverick walks ahead of us as we walk toward Uncle Jer”s house. Stephen keeps his arm tight around my waist. I have a feeling he”s not going to let me out of his sight anytime soon. ”They”re watching,” I say, noting the curtains twitching.
”Nicola should be on the neighborhood watch or something,” Stephen murmurs.
”She already is,” I quip. ”That woman needs to know everyone”s business.” Ever since I was little, it”s always been the same. She loves to be involved in everything and know what”s going on. I think it”s what happens when you”re born in a small village. Mam, Nicola, and Jer weren”t born and raised in Dublin. They were raised on the outskirts, in a small village where everyone knew everyone”s business. Nicola never grew out of that mentality. Of course, it”s different if it”s people wanting to know about her family.
”Calm down, baby, it”s going to be fine,” he assures me. ”You”re tense as a fucking bow.”
I sigh. ”I know, but I”m just worried about what they”re going to say.” I know they”ll be pissed that we”re married, and they weren”t invited.
”Nothing,” he grunts.
”Jessica,” I hear Uncle Eric”s deep voice greet me. ”How are you, sweetheart?”
I move forward, fully intent on giving him a hug, but Stephen”s hand clamps around my waist and he keeps me close. ”Eric,” Stephen says with a nod.
”Boy,” Eric sighs, ”I”m not going to harm her. She”s my niece. I haven”t seen her in a while.”
My husband shrugs. ”That”s your fault, not mine.”
Eric”s lips twitch. He”s used to Stephen and how intense he can be, but I”m not sure anyone could have predicted him being this protective. ”Alright, son, come on in. The women are dying to see you both.”
I manage to pull out of Stephen”s embrace and walk toward Uncle Eric. ”Hey,” I say softly as he envelops me in a hug.
”Hey, Jess,” he says and quickly pulls back. His gaze moves to my hand. ”Nice rock. I guess we”ve missed a lot.”
I step backward and I”m immediately hauled into Stephen”s embrace. ”Yeah, a lot has happened.”
He nods. ”Alright then,” he says with a wicked grin. ”Let”s get this show on the road, shall we?”
Stephen takes my hand and leads me into the house.
”Oh my god, where have you been?” Callie asks the second she sees him. ”I”ve been worried sick, Stephen. You”re not answering my calls. What the hell?”
”Mo ghrá,” Denis Gallagher calls out. ”Let the man into the room before you pounce on him and maybe let him speak?” There”s humor in his voice and I feel a little relieved.
”What”s happened?” Nicola asks. ”And why are you holding on to Jess and not letting her go?”
”Nic,” Eric says from behind me. ”You may want to ease up. We”ve missed a lot. Look at Jessie”s finger.”
Just like that, everyone”s gaze goes to my finger, where it”s hard to miss the wedding rings.
”You”re married?” Callie asks, her brows practically hitting her hairline. ”To who?”
”Mo ghrá,” Denis says, and this time I can”t stop the smile when Callie”s gaze goes from my hand to Stephen’s. ”It”s obvious who she married. Judging by the pissed off look on Maguire”s face, I”d say he”s not happy about being summoned.”
”Not at fucking all. So what”s going on?” Stephen grunts, not being the least bit accommodating.
”I want to know what the hell is going on,” Nicola shouts. ”She”s eighteen, Stephen. Too damn young for you. What the hell do you think you”re playing at?”
”Aunt Nicola,” I say with a bit more bite than I had intended. ”Stephen and I are married. Nothing you can say will change that. We”re happy and this is what we wanted.”
Stephen”s hand tightens around mine. ”Not going to argue with you, Nicola, but I will say, you piss me off or upset Jess, then we”re leaving.”
Aunt Nicola”s face reddens with anger. ”What I want to know is what does Jess” dad have to say about this?”
”That cunt,” Stephen hisses, ”can get fucked. While you were oblivious to anyone around you, that fucking cunt was beating his child.”
Nicola pales, as does Callie, and I hate that this is how he told them.
”What?” Callie whispers. ”What did Thomas do to you?” she asks. Gone is the anger. Instead, her voice is filled with anguish.
I shake my head. I really don”t want to talk about it. Not now, probably not ever.
”Stephen,” Denis says, ”I understand that you want to protect Jess, but we”re going to need more than that.”
I squeeze Stephen”s hand. I don”t want to do this. He turns and faces me. ”Go to the car and I”ll be out in a minute.”
I nod and he presses a kiss against my lips. I step away from him and start to walk out of the house. I”m so very grateful that I have him on my side. He”s always here protecting me. I hear footsteps behind me, and I don”t need to turn to know that it”s Callie.
”I”m sorry,” she whispers as she reaches me. ”I”m so sorry. I promised you at Aunt Patricia”s funeral that everything would be okay and I failed you. We all did,” she says, pain filling her voice. ”I understand how hard it is to talk about what happened to you, how horrifying it is to rehash the trauma you”ve lived through. I”m so glad you have Stephen on your side. He”s the best man I know.”
I swallow hard. ”He really is, and I love him.”
She smiles at me. ”That”s good, because he needs that. He needs someone who”ll love him unconditionally.”
”I—” My words are cut off as a loud explosion echoes through the house. In an instant, a violent shockwave surges outward, slamming into me like a freight train, lifting me off my feet and throwing me from the step.
For a moment, I feel like I’m suspended in the air almost as if I’m floating, then, the ground rushes up to meet me with a harsh force, knocking the breath from my lungs. My head smashes against the ground and bounces with a sickening thud.
I can’t move. It’s as though I’m stuck. My mind is racing. Where’s Callie? She was right beside me and now I can’t see her. Then my heart thuds against my chest as I realize that the explosion came from inside the house—where my husband is. Is Stephen okay?
“Jess!” I hear Callie’s frantic voice. “Let go of me, you bastard. Jess, can you hear me?”
What is going on? Who has Callie? I try to move, but I can’t. I’m still sprawled on the floor, unable to move. I open my mouth, intent on calling back to her, when a shadow looms over me.
“There you are,” I hear the angry tone of my dad. “It’s been a while, Jessica. Now I finally get to do what I’ve wanted for a long fucking time.” He reaches for me, pulling me up by my hair. I can’t cry out. The darkness is pulling me under, and I can’t help but feel a sense of déjà vu.
God, what is he planning on doing to me?
Dad lifts me over his shoulder and starts to move toward a car. My mind swarms as pain ricochets through my body.
“Jess,” I hear screamed, and my heart soars. Stephen... he’s alive. God, he’s alive.
Dad throws me into the back of the car. My head slams against the door, and I can’t keep the abyss at bay. It pulls me under like a current. I just pray that everyone is okay.