Chapter 34 Caroline
CAROLINE
Finn paces across the kitchen. He’s been like this since we got home, except for the first ten minutes when he insisted on looking me over from head to toe in case I had any wounds I didn’t know about. It was overprotective and annoying, but I appreciated it.
“How the fuck did that happen?” Finn’s vibrating with anger. He grabs a bottle of wine and pours two big glasses. “There’s no way we got caught. And there’s no way they knew.”
“Dermot’s not an idiot. Cormac’s good, but he might’ve missed something.” I accept my glass and try to steer him to a chair, but he can’t seem to sit still. “It’s possible we triggered something or maybe Liam did.”
Finn considers it. “That’d make sense actually. Dermot could’ve been watching the whole neighborhood.”
“Why attack though? Why do that?”
“I have no idea.” Finn glares at me unhappily. “But we need to find out.” He looks like he wants to say more, but we’re interrupted when the doorbell rings.
Neither of us moves. I stare down the hall, heart suddenly racing. “Who’s that?” I ask slowly.
He considers, already reaching for a random drawer and drawing out a pistol. I stare at it. Since when did he keep loaded weapons around the house?
“I’m not sure, but let me answer.”
“What if it’s Dermot? Maybe he came here to finish us off?”
“I don’t think so. Shooters wouldn’t knock.”
“Please, Finn. Be careful. I don’t like this.”
He walks to the door. I follow after him, buzzing and terrified. He looks at the security window and turns on the exterior camera—
Malachy stares back.
“He’s alone,” Finn says, panning the image to make sure, before opening the door.
My oldest brother looks bad. His eyes are bleary like he hasn’t slept and his clothes are wrinkled. Mal is usually in such good shape. He keeps himself perfectly groomed and exercised at all times. But now, it’s like he’s falling to pieces.
“We need to talk,” Mal says, glancing over his shoulder. “Privately, please.”
“What do you want?” Finn doesn’t move to let him in.
“Something happened tonight. It’s better if we don’t talk about it out here.” Mal’s face tightens in anger. “I would’ve called you to my place, but I don’t trust it.”
Finn steps aside, lets Mal enter, and tosses me an odd, confused look. I greet my brother and lead him into the kitchen where he pours himself a big drink without asking.
“What’s going on? What happened?” I stand across from him, keeping the island between us. I’m very aware of Finn staying right at my side like he plans on throwing himself in front of me in case Mal decides to pull a gun.
But Mal stares into his drink. “Dermot’s losing his fucking mind. He hired a private security firm and tonight they shot up some random fucking car. One of them is dead. I don’t even know how it all happened.”
I resist the urge to look at Finn. “That’s crazy.”
“Apparently, some algorithm identified the vehicle as being suspicious, and instead of talking to whoever was waiting inside, he decided to have his people open fire. It’s a fucking nightmare of a mess.
” Mal pours a second drink and it finally dawns on me that they had no clue we were even waiting behind the wheel.
It’s hard not to laugh. I barely control myself. Dermot was right—his algorithm really did identify a problem—but Mal is so paranoid and angry that he can’t see it. I bet none of them can. They probably aren’t even asking why a bunch of random civilians shot back.
“That’s pretty bad,” Finn says carefully. He steps closer to the island and picks up his drink. “But I don’t know what that has to do with us.”
Mal’s look is pure loathing. “You think I want to be here? But I have nowhere else to turn. Dermot’s going insane. I think he’s coming for my position. Why else would he hire security? Why else would they shoot first? He’s gearing up for war.”
Finn spreads his hands wide. “And again, I ask, what does that have to do with me? That sounds like your problem.”
Mal’s face tugs into a sneer, but he quickly gathers himself. “I know you don’t like me, Finn. I get it, we had some issues when we were kids. You hold a grudge. I can’t blame you for it. But we’re brothers now, and family helps each other.”
It takes all my willpower not to scream in his face.
The audacity of this motherfucker.
Finn doesn’t have my tact, however. “You’re a hypocritical prick.”
“That’s your problem. You’ve always been emotional.
Try to think about it for a second. If Dermot takes me down, you think my family is going to be worth anything to you anymore?
My brother’s smart, but he’s not capable of handling our business.
Dad trained me to be the heir. Dermot will fuck everything up. You need me as much as I need you.”
“I doubt that.”
“Imagine the good will you’ll earn from my father. I need your help, Finn. I need you to help me get proof that Dermot’s trying to take me down. And I need you to help me kill him first.”
Even Finn’s got nothing to say now. He stares, eyebrows raised in surprise. And again, I have to fight not to laugh out loud.
Malachy has no idea the beautiful little present he just dumped in our laps.
To his credit, Finn plays it perfectly. “I already said this wasn’t my problem. Why not go to my brother? Declan would probably be very interested in this shit.”
“If I do that, Dermot will hear about it. You’re my brother-in-law. Caroline is the only family I have left that I trust.”
I have to turn away and cover my disgust by drinking. This stupid asshole. I’d happily shoot him in the face, but he’s got zero clue.
“And what do we get if we help you?” Finn sounds almost lazy about it, like he really isn’t interested, even though this is the perfect opportunity.
“You’ll have my gratitude… and I’ll owe you a favor. Please be reasonable. This is important. The stability of the Flanagan family depends on what you say next.”
Finn pretends to consider it. And then he nods sharply. “I’ll have my people look into it.”
“Thank you.” Malachy visibly deflates. He finishes his drink with a sigh. “Dermot’s a menace. I just need proof… I need something to use against him… or else my father is going to keep sitting on his hands until my brother puts a gun to my head.”
“Here’s to our partnership then.” Finn raises a glass.
Malachy reluctantly toasts with him. When the drink’s over, Mal practically runs out of the house like he can’t wait to get away. The door shuts and when we’re alone, I stare at Finn, unable to comprehend what just happened.
He grins at me. Finn’s whole face lights up. He walks over and pulls me into his arms.
“I think I believe in miracles,” he says, burying my mouth with a kiss.
I laugh, kissing him back in a frenzy. I paw at him, tugging at his shirt, head dizzy with excitement. I want him, right here and now. I don’t care how precarious our position is.
Malachy just offered his throat and now we’re going to chop off his fucking head.
Finn drags me over to the island. He lifts me up. I wrap my legs around his waist and his hands grip my ass tightly. I whimper as he bites my lower lip and strips off my top. He palms my breasts, luxuriating in my skin. I love the way he looks at me, like he can’t get enough of my taste.
I grind into him, pulsing with need.
“We’re going to do it,” I whisper as he pulls me down and tugs off my jeans. He unbuckles his belt.
“You’re damn right we are.” He turns me around roughly and bends me over. His palm finds my ass hard. “And this is for nearly blowing it.”
I gasp, back arching. “I did not!”
He grabs my hair and spanks me again. “You were laughing. I fucking heard you.”
“Can you blame me?!”
He spanks me again and pulls my hair tighter. “Yes, I really can. You couldn’t keep it together. That’s a very bad girl.”
“Finn!”
He spanks me again and this time his fingers dip between my legs.
I moan, eyes rolling back, as he strokes my pussy.
The bastard alternates between spanking and teasing, his strong palm slapping against my bare ass before his deft fingers rub against my aching, needy clit.
Each strike drives me wild until I’m burning with need for him.
“What did my brother say to you earlier?” he asks suddenly. He leans over me and I feel his cock stroking up against my soaking wet pussy. The bastard loves to drive me crazy.
“Noth…nothing… what?!” I moan with desperate need. “Why are you talking about that?! Please, just fuck me.”
“Not until you tell me.” He fists my hair and bites my shoulder. One hand roughly squeezes my breast and strokes my nipple. “What did he talk to you about?”
“He wanted… to know…” I push back against him, whimpering, pleading. “If I loved you!”
He pauses. His body goes stiff. I feel his cock almost pulsing against my pussy. God, he’s so hard, but now I’m terrified I said the wrong thing, but it’s the truth.
He kisses my shoulder. “What did you tell him?”
I turn around. Finn’s watching me carefully. His face is guarded. What should I say? Should I lie? Act like nothing’s different?
But he knows. Finn’s not stupid. He has to see it, plain as day, just like I do. I reach up and touch his cheek, stand on my toes, and kiss his lips softly, and right then, I’m sure. I’ve never been so sure in my life.
“I told him the truth.” I kiss him again. “I told him—”
“Wait.” He covers my mouth with his palm. I try to say, what the hell, but it comes out muffled. “No. Don’t.”
Tears threaten. Embarrassment floods me. Oh my god. I’m naked, trying to fuck him, trying to tell him that I love him, and he’s stopping me—
Because he doesn’t feel the same way. Because this is fake and it always was. Because he’s going to divorce me once my brothers are dead.
I sink backwards and look around wildly for my clothes. I need to get out of here. I need to run—
Finn doesn’t let me go. “Wait. Caroline. Hold on and listen.”
“It’s fine. You don’t have to say it.” I bite my tongue to stop myself from crying. This is so mortifying. “It doesn’t matter, okay? It doesn’t change anything. Can you just let me—”
He pulls my hips tightly. His cock’s still hard, which is a minor miracle.
“I wanted to say it first, damn it.”
That stops me. It’s like a train slams into my face. I feel dizzy from whiplash. “You wanted to… what?!”
His thumb brushes the tears from my face. He leans forward and kisses me. “I wanted to say it first. I love you, Caroline. I fell like a fucking stone the second I saw you in that sauna. I love you and I’m not letting you go at the end of all this.”
Relief floods me followed by a dizzying vertigo. He feels the same way. He really wants me as much as I want him. This thing we’re doing, this marriage, this romance, it’s not some arrangement we’re both tolerating.
It’s real. It’s good. It’s the best feeling I have in my life.
“I love you too.” I kiss him hard, throwing myself at him, because he’s the first person I’ve been able to be myself with. All my flaws, all my sickness, my brutality, my anger, my scars, my ugly truth, it’s all on display, and he still loves me.
We kiss for a long time until he gets tired of kissing, lifts me up, and fucks me on the island.
I wrap my legs around his hips and come in wild cascades.
I come for my husband. For the man I fell for.
I come so hard I nearly break, and he fills me in return, like he’s finally letting go of a burden he didn’t even know he’d been holding.
I stroke my fingers down his back. I lean my face against his chest.
“This is our home, isn’t it?” I sound small and meek, but I don’t feel that way.
I feel fifty stories tall.
“Absolutely, unless you want something else. That can also be arranged.”
“No, thanks. I’m good here.”
“Good.” He brushes fingers through my hair. “And when it’s over? You’re staying.”
“I guess I’ll have to start ordering furniture.”
“Why?”
“Because this place seriously needs to be redecorated.”
He laughs and hugs me tight. I grin against his chest, eyelids fluttering. My stomach is warm and full. My core pulses to the beat of his heart.
We’re going to kill my remaining brothers, and after that?
Maybe we’ll renew our vows.