Chapter Thirty-seven
I find Richard’s guy easily, holed up in one of the empty apartments across the street from the townhouse.
He has a sniper trained on the house, which tells me he’s one of the guys on his roster.
There’s always been an obvious difference between the Farrow organization, which has been built on only the best, the most lethal, the most brutal, where Richard just wanted money and didn’t care where it came from. The guys he employs match that quality.
Which is why he never saw me coming, didn’t hear a single rock scatter, or mistimed breath. When he finally realized I was there, my gun was already at his temple, and his brains were scattered on the wall.
I dial clean up on the way out, jogging across the street to my house and unlock the door. I check every room as a precaution but find them clear, so I head to the basement and input the code. Stepping inside, I let the door close behind me.
“Sloane?” I call down to her. The last thing I want is to spook her, and if she armed herself like I told her to, I don’t particularly want to get shot. Again.
“Dean!?” Her voice carries up the stairs, and then I hear her steps running. To me. She is running to me.
Before I’ve even had time to think, I’m moving down the stairs, meeting her at the bottom. She’s on me the moment I’m in reach, her arms around my neck, her face buried in the spot where it meets my shoulder. Her feet are off the floor as she clings, her whole body shaking.
“I’ve got you,” I wrap both arms around her, shoulder smarting now that the adrenaline has worn off.
“What happened?” She asks, voice muffled since she refused to let go. I look beyond her shoulder to see the setup she’s made for Lily, piles and piles of blankets to ensure a comfortable bed, and a much thinner one next to that where her phone and the gun still lays. She was sitting there with her.
“Richard stole the recording of your phone call.” I tell her before realizing she didn’t know I had it in the first place.
“What call?”
I set her down onto her feet, keeping hold of her when she moves to step away. “I looked into your records. The incident. I wanted to see if I could find anything.”
Her skin pales.
“It’s not traceable, Sloane,” I promise her.
She doesn’t look convinced.
“Richard got the call log, used parts of your call to lure me in. I thought he had you.”
“I’ve been here all day,” She shakes her head.
“I know, but I didn’t know that, Sloane. I just heard you call for help, and I ran. I will always come for you.”
“I’m okay,” She breathes.
“I know,” I cup her face, “I’ll make sure of it.”
“So, what now?” I let her go when she moves this time and heads over to where Lily is still napping, crouching to tuck her phone into her back pocket before she gently lifts my daughter up, holding her in such a way that her own body is a shield.
“There are some plans I need to make,” I sigh, “It isn’t over with Richard; I’m afraid it’s just begun, but he’s started a war he’ll never be able to win.”
“Dean,” Her blue eyes latch onto mine, and right there, I see the fear swimming in the depths. Her past will always haunt her, and with this, it’s no wonder she’s afraid. “How sure are you it isn’t traceable?”
“I need to find out what Richard did with it,” There’s no reason to lie to her, but it is unlikely he did anything other than use it to get to me.
“What if–”
“There is no what if,” I cut her off, “He can’t hurt you, not here.”
She worries her bottom lip and then nods slowly, “Okay.”
Malakai scrubs a hand across his mouth as he paces back and forth in my living room. Sloane sits in the chair by the window while the other guys take the sofa, and I hover behind her, explaining the whole thing to Malakai.
He cuts his eyes to me, “Does he think he can just take it?”
I shrug, “The man is dangerous, but he is also an idiot.”
“That’s why he’s dangerous, because he has no logic and no reasoning,” Sebastian grumbles. “Should have taken him down months ago.”
The relationship between the Taylor Organization and the Farrows has always been tense. Richard has always wanted what Malakai has, but it’s simply unreachable for him.
He takes without truly seeing the full picture or the consequences that come from the decision.
Malakai looks to Sloane, his posture softening toward her.
I’d told them about the call and what had happened to Sloane, with her approval.
They’d know I wouldn’t just go to Richard without reason and needed to understand the full threat.
And they understand because any one of them would do the same thing if it were their woman.
“What happened to you,” He begins, and I see her stiffen so I offer her the only comfort I can give her right now and slide my hand across her shoulder, “It’s unacceptable, and if you’ll allow, I’d like to work with you to rectify the situation.”
A sudden burst of laughter erupts from Sloane, which has every set of eyes turning to her, mine included.
“I’m sorry,” She waves her hand but continues to laugh, “It’s just the way you said it!”
Malakai turns a frown in my direction. I shrug because I’ve no idea.
“It’s just that you can’t just rectify it. I appreciate it, I truly do, but it isn’t something to be rectified.”
“Well, why not?” Bast frowns at her.
“Because he was never caught, and it’s never that easy.”
“It doesn’t mean we cannot try,” Killian tells her softly. I see it now, how his view on her has changed, morphed into understanding now that he knows why she is the way she is.
She’s being pulled into the fold, an addition to the ever-growing family we’ve all created.
“But why?” She sobers, “You have your own problems.”
“Because when one of us is wronged, it becomes our problem,” Malakai tells her. “And we fix it.”
“You have your own problems,” She continues, but her eyes have glazed over.
“You’ll get it,” Malakai chuckles, “One day, you’ll get it.”
Her face turns to me, and I can’t help but lean down to plant a tender kiss on the corner of her mouth.
“Now, back to Richard,” Bast sits forward, a smirk pulling at his mouth, “Please tell me I get to do it, ‘cause I’ve had a scratch that I haven’t been able to itch for too long.”
Malakai chuckles, “You’ll have to ask Dean.”
“You can have him, brother,” I tell him, “Just make it hurt.”
Sebastian claps his hands together and then rubs his palms, “You know quick ain’t my style, Dean. Now, tell me what we’re going to do.”
Later that night, I have Sloane tucked against me, every naked inch of her touching every inch of me.
“You all seem so sure Richard won’t be a threat in a couple of days,” She whispers.
“He won’t be,” I assure her. “We’ve been doing this a long time and have dealt with worse people than Richard.”
“So why wasn’t he dealt with ages ago?” She questions.
“Because he was a little fish, not really a threat, but he got too big for his boots when he decided to blackmail Sebastian. It’s why he wants to deal with him himself.”
“So now it’s just going to be over?” She circles her fingers on my abdomen, the muscles jumping where she touches. “Just like that.”
“Just like that.”
“I thought I’d be more… scared.” She keeps her face turned away as she speaks, “Listening to your plan, how you intend to kill a man, but I’m not.”
“We’re monsters to everyone else but the people we love.” I tell her.
Her head snaps up. “What did you just say?”
I curl a finger under her chin to force her to keep her eyes on me. “You didn’t know it already, Butterfly?” I tease.
“No,” She breathes.
“I,” I shift us until I can brush my mouth on hers, “Love.” She whimpers against my lips. “You.”
“Are you sure?” She laughs, putting some space between us.
“Sure that I love you?” I chuckle. “No.”
Her face drops.
“Love isn’t a strong enough word.” I fill the silence left behind. “There is not a place you can go where I won’t find you. Not a being strong enough to keep me from you. Not a monster I won’t destroy, not a door that can hold me, nor a length I will not go to for you.”
“You love me,” She chokes out.
“I’ve loved you from the moment you told me to put on a shirt.”
A watery laugh bursts from her right before she slants her mouth over mine, and I taste the saltiness of her tears.
She moves in a way that keeps our mouths attached as she straddles me, and though she doesn’t repeat the words, she shows me, and with her, it’s all I’ll ever need.