Chapter 40 I Promise
DEREK
The rope burned against my wrists as I worked them back and forth, feeling the fibers give way and the rope loosen.
I thought he was lying about hurting Lily. Despite his rocky relationship with Paige, he had never done anything to harm her. Even when he snatched her, he took her blanket and favorite elephant soft-toy with her.
That’s not something someone would do to hurt a kid.
Jack paced in front of me, his movements erratic, while Cillian’s voice crackled through the tiny earpiece lodged in my ear.
“Keep him talking,” Cillian murmured. “We’re checking every room upstairs.”
I swallowed hard, tasting blood where he had punched me. “Jack, listen to me—”
“Shut up!” He turned around, his eyes wild. “Just shut the fuck up, Derek.”
My fingers found the loosened knot.
Almost there. Just a little more.
Then Jack’s head snapped toward the ceiling when we heard a creak followed by silent footsteps.
Damnit.
His face transformed, rage flooding his features. “You brought cops? You fucking brought—”
The rope gave way.
Fucking finally.
Jack charged at me and I threw myself sideways just as he reached me. We collided hard, bodies slamming into old furniture. His gun clattered across the floor.
I drove my fist into his ribs and he choked.
“EVERYBODY OUT! THERE’S A BOMB!” One of the officers upstairs shouted. Boots pounded against the creaking floor as his words made me freeze.
A bomb?
Looking at his bloodshot eyes, it was plausible.
Jack’s fist connected with my jaw and pain exploded through my skull, white-hot and blinding. The world tilted, and I tasted blood, felt something warm trickle down my chin.
Through the ringing in my ears, I heard it. The sound of familiar cries. I heard it through the earpiece that had somehow stayed lodged.
The cries got louder and the deep voice of Cillian said, “I’ve got her. Lily’s safe.”
Those three words made my entire body flood with relief.
She is safe.
She was not harmed. Just like I thought.
Jack staggered to his feet, his legs trembling. His shaky hand was clutching the gun barrel pointing at my chest.
“You ruin everything!” He said, his voice loud. “You always ruin fucking everything!”
I pushed myself up, ignoring the way my vision swam. “You did,” I said calmly.
“What the fuck?”
I stood up to my full height even though there was a gun pointed at me.
“I considered you my friend, a good friend,” I started.
“And you had everything. A woman who genuinely loved you and wanted a future with you, a sweet daughter and a family. A real family.” My hands clenched at my sides.
“And you threw it away because you were a jerk. I warned you. Told you to be good to her and Lily... and you went ahead and slept with someone—”
“I told you it was a fucking mistake!” He yelled, the gun shaking.
“Was it a mistake taking Olivia’s videos without consent and blackmailing her?” I asked, clenching my jaw.
The color drained from his face.
“That stupid bitch!” Jack’s voice pitched higher, and he looked like a mad-man. “If you come close, I’ll shoot you—I’m not kidding, I will do it.”
“And then what, Jack?” I asked, tilting my head. “Go to jail?”
“Of course not. I’ll blast this place. I-I found a bomb, and I’ll blast it. I’ll let it explode, and Paige can cry over you and Lily—”
“Get out of there, Derek,” Cillian’s voice was sharp and commanding through the ear-piece. “He’s not kidding. It’ll be too late before we can defuse it and you have to get out of there.”
I ignored Cillian and took a step forward, closing the distance between us. “They already found Lily.”
His eyes widened. “What? But how?”
“She’s safe.”
“N-no. I wasn’t going to hurt her. I swear,” he said, tears streaming down his face. “I just did it to scare Paige. I would never hurt my own daughter. Never.”
“Then lower the gun and walk with me.”
“Derek, get the fuck out of there!” Cillian yelled.
His hand trembled violently, the gun wavering. “No. They’ll arrest me. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone, okay?! I just wanted to talk with Paige and—”
We both moved at the same time. I lunged for the gun in his hand, but I didn’t look at his other hand. The one in his pocket and pressing down on a button.
A click. And the world erupted.
I don’t know what happened, but one moment I tackled Jack near the door of the house and the other I was falling. I couldn’t tell anymore as heat and a loud explosion rang in my ear. My ears were ringing that drowned out everything else.
Smoke burned my throat and my eyes.
Shit. He fucking exploded the bomb.
Then her voice cut through everything. “Derek! Derek, can you hear me?”
Paige. She was here.
I forced my eyes open and found her face hovering above me. There were two Paiges staring down at me, concern etched on their faces, and both of them were extremely beautiful even though they were blurred.
“I-I can…”
“Oh thank God,” she said, taking my head in her lap as she checked for any injuries. “Are you okay?”
I felt the corner of my lips tug up. “Now I am.”
“Oh my god, you’re—”
“Where’s Lily?” I asked, even though I had a pounding headache and all I wanted to do was sleep. In her lap.
“She’s with Sean. She’s safe. Don’t worry.”
“Is she hurt?”
“No, not a scratch.”
Relief flooded through me. I asked, “And Jack?”
“He... seems okay. Passed out but okay.”
I sighed, letting my head rest against her soft lap. Good. He’s alive so he could rot in prison where he belonged.
Wetness dripped onto my face and I realized that Paige was crying.
I lifted a shaking hand to wipe her tears away. I didn’t want to make her cry when I was okay. Yes, I might have a concussion or minor scratches, but nothing a few days of rest couldn’t handle.
“Why are you crying?”
“Because of you, you idiot!” She said, her voice thick with tears.
“Don’t cry. Hit me instead.”
“Shut up.”
I smiled through the pain. “I love you too.”
She cried harder, bending to press her lips to my forehead.
“Promise me you’ll never scare me like that again.”
“I promise.”
“Promise me you’ll never ever do something stupid like that again.”
“I promise,” I said sincerely.
I cupped her hand on my cheek and kissed the center of her palm. “Now promise me you’ll never ever leave me.”
She nodded, tears still streaming down her face. “I promise.”
“Promise me you’ll love me—”
“I do. I promise,” she said quickly.
“Promise me you’ll be naked and—”
“Okay lovebirds, wrap it up.” Cillian’s voice crackled through the earpiece. He sounded tired, yet amused.
Oops. I didn’t know I still had that damn ear-piece on.
We smiled at each other, and despite the chaos, the smoke, the sirens wailing in the distance, just for the moment, everything was perfect.
Paige was safe and so was Lily.
Everything in the world was perfect.
The End
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“I am asking you to marry me.”
“Are you asking or ordering, Sultan?”
“I am asking, Princess.” I smiled at her.
“For now.”
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