Chapter 51
Chapter Fifty-One
SEAN
Walking away from the basement, I hold my head high even as I hear Mykela screaming my name. Calvin and a couple of his female guards have come to collect her and her brother's body. They are going to take her to do what needs to be done. We have no choice; she needs to die.
Mykela knows every single one of our secrets, locations and protocols. We can’t trust her to keep her mouth shut, especially as she's becoming crazier by the hour. She needs to go, but none of us could do it. Killing her brother was one thing, but a woman is a low even Christian will avoid at all costs.
McIntire has already killed her brother, he took great pleasure in it, and we can't help wondering what exactly Eddie did to Abigail because McIntire’s reaction to the piece of shit was extreme, considering they weren’t trying to get to him personally.
McIntire and Christian are upstairs with Jasmine to find out what she wants them to tell Abigail about the whole mess.
Fuck, this is not how this week was meant to go at all, and I feel solely to blame.
Exiting the tunnel, I walk through the sparring room and, for a moment, consider forgetting everything and spending an hour in here to release some of the pent-up anger. But I know I can't hide from her any longer. I need to face Jaz and check that she’s okay.
“Sean, wait a minute.”
I look over my shoulder just in time to see Jason exit the secret entrance to the tunnel. He looks as tired as I feel.
“You okay?” he asks, shoving his hands in his pockets as he approaches.
“No, not really,” I answer, desperate to get the hell away from all of this and clear my head.
“You didn’t do anything wrong. Even Terry had no idea how obsessed she had become with you. There was no way you would have foreseen the extent she was willing to go.”
I nod, not trusting myself to speak, as I hold the door open for him, which leads to the stairs into the house.
“How much did she hear?”
Jason looks at me, and I know I won’t like the answer.
“All of it. But she knows you were just saying it to get information from Mykela.”
I nod, wishing I could believe him, but I can’t. I know it will be playing on Jasmine’s mind as I used every insecurity she has ever voiced.
“Even pretending made me feel like shit,” I admit as we walk into the hallway. “I honestly had no idea. If I have done anything to lead her on, I’d-”
“You’d what?” Jason asks, coming to a stop. “Sean, you wear your love for Jazzy on your sleeve. Anyone who has known you in the last four years knows you have waited for her. You didn’t even try to fuck her out of your system like the rest of us. You knew she was yours from that moment in the hotel, and no one can say otherwise.” I know he’s right, but it doesn’t help. Just the thought of Jasmine questioning my love for her has me wanting to fall to my knees and beg her until she knows how much I love her.
“Come on, she will be wondering where we are.” Jason pats me on the shoulder before we head to the sitting room, knowing that’s where the others will be.
Jason walks in ahead of me; I swear the pressure in my chest is enough to floor me. Slowly entering the room, I eventually force myself to look at her, only to find her already on her feet and rushing towards me. Jasmine throws herself at me, and I only just manage to keep us from falling. She wraps her arms around my neck and squeezes me to the point I laugh.
That’s what this woman does for us. She always has been the light to our dark, and how Mykela ever thought I would give up my Princess is beyond me.
“I love you,” I whisper into her ear. “There hasn’t been anyone since we met, and there never will be. It's always been you, Princess.”
“I know.” Lowering her feet to the floor, I reluctantly let her go. But Jasmine has other ideas as she takes my hand and leads me to my usual spot. I sit down, and she curls up on my lap.
“Here you go, Shorty,” Maximus smiles when he passes over her blanket. Thanking him quietly, I help her get comfortable before holding her close to me as she rests her head against my shoulder, looking at the others.
“Everything okay?”
Looking at Christian, I nod and let out a deep breath.
“They’ve gone.” Jason hands me a glass of bourbon as he sits with his own.
“Good, then I will leave you in peace. Hopefully, that will be the last of the drama for a little while.” McIntire announces as he stands. He turns to Jasmine, and his smile softens. “Thank you for all you have done for Abigail; I know she will understand when the time comes to tell her what happened here today.”
“Be gentle with her; she's not as strong as she tries to make out. She is still very vulnerable,” Jasmine says, looking him straight in the eye.
“I know, and that’s why I’ve been trying to help.” A look is shared between them before Jasmine relaxes back against me.
“Just remember, I will always protect her, even if that means from herself,” Jasmine adds, staring at one of the most dangerous men in the UK. He stares right back at her before laughing.
“Jasmine, darling, I saw you knock out a woman with one punch. I have no intentions of ever being on the receiving end of that fist.”
“Then don’t upset or hurt my friend, and we will be fine.”
I see the others tense out of the corner of my eye as I wait and mentally prepare myself to get Jasmine out of the way if he pounces, but instead, he gives her a short nod and smiles.
“Message heard, Miss Connors.”
“It’s O’Reilly,” she announces, looking away from him. “I don’t need a piece of paper to tell me what I already know.” Our eyes meet, and her stare floors me. “I belong to my men as much as they belong to me.” Just like that, when I thought I couldn’t love her anymore, I fall even deeper in love with her.
“You are absolutely right, Mrs O’Reilly.”
I can't tear my eyes away from hers as I hear McIntire take his leave. Lifting my hand, I run my knuckles down her cheek.
“Are you okay?” I ask, needing to hear it from her. A small smile appears as she nods her head.
“I really am.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” I whisper against her lips.
“So, what's the plan then?” Maximus announces as he climbs to his feet and heads to the minibar.
“With what, exactly?” Christian asks, sipping his drink.
“Well, the bad people have been taken care of, and we can safely leave the house again. So is Sunday still going ahead?”
I look to Jasmine, who is looking around at the others.
“What do you want to do, Princess?” I ask, holding her close.
“I want to get married,” she smiles at me before turning to Christian. “Unless you can think of any reason, we can’t.”
“Sweetheart, I can’t think of a single reason not to. But can you still get everything done in time?” he asks.
“Everything is done. All the girls and I have to do is get things sorted on Sunday morning. Like putting up the decorations once the tents are up.”
The five of us all look around at each other and smile.
“Message the girls and tell them everything is going ahead.” Jasmine bounces excitedly on my lap, to the point I have to protect my balls. “But …!” Christian adds, which has her stopping in her tracks.
“But what?” her face drops, and I can't help smiling. She is so adorable when she pouts with her sad eyes.
“But … I want them here in the morning for ten AM and to have everything they need to stay overnight. I will organise everything with Verity’s Daddy, so don’t worry about that. Just talk to her.” I can tell from the grin on his face that Christian is planning something special for our girl.
“Okay, Daddy, thank you.” She kisses me on the cheek before jumping off my lap, picking up her puppy and rushing around to kiss everyone else before leaving the room to call the girls.
“What are you up to?” Jason asks, smiling as we all turn our attention to Christian. He’s sitting back with his left ankle resting on his right knee, sipping his drink, unable to hide the smirk on his face.
“I think she has done enough for this wedding, don’t you?” We all nod in agreement as he grins. “Tomorrow, we will get the girls to show us what goes where and then ask the tent people to come early. They were only coming Sunday morning because we didn’t want anyone seeing them the night before and guessing what we were up to. But now we can do things properly, which includes spoiling our girl.
“As soon as we know what’s what, the girls can go and spend a day in a spa and sleep in a hotel before getting ready there for the wedding.” Christian smiles as he seems to relax on the sofa. “The wedding of her dreams may have been ruined, but we can still ensure she has the best day of her life.”
“I can agree with that,” I smile, holding up my glass.
“I think we all can,” Jason adds, lifting his own glass at the same time as the others. Taking a sip of our drinks, we plan and book a few extras to make our girl's wedding even better.