Chapter Thirty-Three
RILEY
I don’t know how long I’ve been trapped in this room. Hours? Days?
Time doesn’t seem to move normally anymore. It just stretches and folds in on itself until I can’t tell whether I’ve been sitting here for five minutes or five hours.
The air is so cold, my lungs ache when I breathe.
I’m curled up on the thin mattress, my arms wrapped around my knees, rocking back and forth just to stop myself from shivering, but it’s not exactly working well.
My lips are dry and cracked, and the skin around the cut on my arm still feels hot to the touch as it continues to ooze yellowish pus.
I keep imagining the infection spreading through my bloodstream.
My poor baby is depending on my body to keep it safe when in fact it might already be turning toxic.
A hysterical laugh escapes my lips.
I wonder what will kill me first, dehydration or infection?
A few hours ago, all I had to worry about was whether Kieran was going to read my letter, and now I’m wondering what will be determined as my cause of death.
My breaths come fast and shallow as that familiar surge of panic intensifies with the sound of footsteps outside the door.
My pulse spikes, and I press my back against the wall, my heart hammering so hard I can feel it in my throat.
The door handle turns with a metallic click, and the hinges groan as it swings open.
Sean stands in the doorway, framed by the yellowish light spilling in from the hall.
When he sees me cowering in the corner, his lips pull up into a smile.
“I have some good news. Ye’re going to be reunited with Kieran soon.”
My mouth goes dry because I know better than to take Sean’s words at face value. For all I know, he could mean reunited in death.
“What do you mean?”
His grin widens as he stalks toward me with a feral gleam in his eyes.
“It turns out Kieran is even stupider than I thought. He actually believes I’m going to let ye go in exchange for his life. It’s almost disappointing how easy this is. I was hoping to have a little more fun with ye.”
The room starts to tilt.
“You’re lying…”
“Am I?”
Kieran wouldn’t agree to such a ridiculous exchange, would he?
“All I had to do was dangle ye like bait, and he came running. It’s pathetic how much he’s wrapped around yer little finger.
I guess that pussy of yers must be really worth it.
Makes me wonder if ye were ever really a virgin.
But I guess that doesn’t matter now. What matters is that I make the most of having ye while ye’re still alive. ”
My chest tightens until I can barely breathe.
“Please, Sean, don’t do this.”
“Oh, Riley.” He crouches down in front of me, close enough that I can smell the bitter coffee and the faint tang of sweat on his skin. “Ye still don’t get it, do ye? I’m not doing this to ye. I’m doing this because of ye. Ye made this happen the second ye chose him.”
Tears sting my eyes.
Kieran is willing to give up his own life for me, and the worst part is he doesn’t even realize that it’s all a trap.
“Please, you don’t have to hurt him.”
Sean tilts his head as he looks at me with something like amusement.
“Hurt him? I’m going to do a hell of a lot more than simply hurt him.
I’m going to destroy him. The question is how.
There are just so many options. Maybe I’ll kill ye first and make him watch.
Or maybe I’ll kill him and let ye live with that for the rest of yer miserable life. It’s hard to decide.”
“Please…” My vision blurs with tears.
“If I choose option two, I can take my time to show ye everything ye missed out on by choosing him. In fact, why wait for Kieran when I can start showing ye right now?”
Before I can even register what he means, Sean grabs my ankle and unlocks the cuff, letting it fall to the floor.
“Get up.”
“Please—”
He grabs my arm, yanking me to my feet.
My balance falters, and my bare feet slip on the cold floor, but Sean doesn’t care.
He drags me into the hall and pushes me up a narrow flight of stairs.
The old wood creaks beneath our weight, and the smell of dust and rot fills my nose.
“Where are you taking me?”
He doesn’t answer. He just pushes me toward another door before throwing it open and shoving me inside.
It’s a bedroom with nothing inside except for a bed that has been stripped bare apart from the yellowed sheet covering the mattress.
“Perfect,” Sean whispers in my ear.
My stomach turns to lead as I realize his plan.
“No—”
He grabs me by the shoulders and forces me down onto the bed.
I scream, twisting out of his grip and clawing at his arms.
But he pins me down easily, pressing me into the mattress with his body.
My throat burns with bile as the evidence of how turned on he is pokes me, but the more I struggle, the more he seems to enjoy it.
“No! Stop!”
“Relax.” His breath is hot and sour against my cheek as his mouth brushes the edge of my jaw. “Ye’ll like it if ye just stop fighting.”
“No!” I twist again and free myself enough to slam my knee right into his groin.
Sean grunts and rolls off me, cursing through his teeth, and I quickly scramble off the bed, my heart pounding as I make a run for it.
I don’t look back.
This might be my only shot at escaping. If Sean gets his hands on me again, he’ll kill me.
The hallway stretches before me in a blur as I fight back tears.
It’s a miracle I don’t trip on the stairs from how badly my legs are shaking.
I just need to make it to the front door. If I can do that, I might be able to survive.
Footsteps pound the floor behind me, but I don’t stop running.
The front door is just ahead.
I’m so close—
I grab the handle, yank it open, and slam straight into a chest.
For a moment, I imagine it’s Kieran. My mind can’t process reality, not after the endless blur of hours spent in a blind panic thinking that I’ll never see him again.
But when his arms are around me, crushing me against him, I look up.
“Kieran,” I choke as my knees give out.
His body is so warm and solid that I finally break. I sob into his chest, shaking so hard I can barely stay upright.
He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me over the threshold of the house and away from the doorway.
“I’ve got you.” His voice is rough with emotion. “You’re safe now.”
“H-he tried to—” The words catch in my throat as I fight back tears.
“I know.” Kieran brushes a kiss against my temple. “I know, but it’s over. I’ve got you.”
All I can do is cling to him, shaking, unable to breathe through the sobs.
Then the sound of footsteps pounding down the stairs comes closer.
Sean.
Behind Kieran, Ronan’s voice cuts through the chaos. “Fucker’s trying to get away. Let’s move!”
Men seem to materialize out of nowhere to surround the house.
“Oscar,” Kieran snaps over his shoulder. “Stay with her.”
It takes me a second to register who he’s talking to.
My brother is here?
Before I can even look, strong arms grab me from behind, pulling me away from Kieran.
“No!” I try to fight to free myself. “Kieran!”
“Riley,” Oscar grunts as he struggles to keep me back. “You need to stay back.”
“He’s going to get himself killed!” I sob.
Oscar yanks me back and turns us both around so that my back is to the house, and I can’t see whatever is happening inside.
“Everything is going to be fine, sis. You’re all right.”
But I’m not all right. I’m trembling so hard my teeth chatter.
Then the shouting starts.
There’s a crash, and the sound of a body being thrown against a wall.
I flinch and squeeze my eyes shut, pressing my fists to my mouth to stop the scream threatening to break free.
Oscar murmurs something in my ear, but I don’t hear him. All I hear is the chaos behind him.
All of the shouts and grunts of pain mix together so that I can’t tell who is winning and who is losing, but more importantly, who is still alive.
My mind fills in the blanks with every possible horror until there’s a final, sickening crack that echoes through the air. And then, nothing.
Silence.
Oscar tenses against me, his grip faltering just enough that I take my chance.
I twist free before he can stop me and bolt toward the house.
“Riley!” His yell is sharp with panic.
But I don’t stop. I can’t. I need to know if Kieran is alive.
Before I reach the doorway, Kieran appears. His chest heaves with every breath, and there’s blood smeared across his knuckles.
His eyes find mine, but I force myself to look past him to where Sean O’Keefe is lying sprawled on the ground, his limbs twisted at unnatural angles and his expression completely slack.
The sight knocks the air out of me.
My legs give out, and the world tilts, but Oscar’s arms are around me, catching me before I hit the floor.
“Is he dead?” Oscar asks.
Kieran says nothing as Ronan appears, his expression completely devoid of emotion. Without a word, he raises his gun and fires one final bullet at Sean’s head.
“He is now.”
“Oh, god,” I breathe as I watch the pool of blood start to grow beneath Sean’s head.
He’s really dead.
It’s over.
I lift my gaze to Kieran’s, and the moment our eyes meet, it’s like all of the fury drains out of him, leaving behind something so raw it almost hurts to look at him.
“Kieran…” I choke.
Oscar releases his hold on me and steps away as Kieran approaches and cups my face with his bloodstained hands.
“Riley…” His voice cracks. “I’m so sorry.”
My vision blurs with tears as I look at him, still barely believing that he’s here.
“You came for me.”
“Of course, I did.” He rests his forehead against mine. “I should have let you explain the situation with the baby, but more importantly, I should have listened before flying off the handle.”
“Kieran—”
“I should have trusted you. I said things I can never take back, and I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to make it right.”
Tears spill down my cheeks as I realize what his words mean.
“I thought you hated me.”
“I could never hate you. I want this baby, but more importantly, I want you, Riley Sullivan, because I love you more than my own goddamn life.”
“I love you too,” I sob before throwing my arms around his neck and kissing him like my life depends on it.
He tastes of blood and salt, but I don’t care. It’s Kieran. The man I love. The father of my child. The one person I can’t imagine my life without.
“Take me home,” I whisper against his mouth.
A faint smile tugs at his lips before he slides one arm beneath my knees and another around my back.
He lifts me effortlessly into his arms. “Nothing would make me happier.”
I bury my face in the warmth of his neck as he carries me toward one of the waiting cars.
Ronan and Oscar trail behind us, scanning the surroundings with their guns raised, but I can’t focus on anything except the sound of Kieran’s heartbeat.
It’s steady and strong.
And for the first time since this nightmare began, I believe I might be too.