Chapter 34
Sean
When Lillian shakes all over, I tug her into my arms. Filled with emotions I can’t begin to name, let alone understand, I murmur in her ear, “That could not have been easy for you.”
Swallowing hard, she nods. “What if they’re not there? What if I was too late?”
“We’ll know soon. There’s nothing we can do now, except wait.” This sense of coming home weakens my knees when my lips return to hers.
Dammit, how do I explain she’s my everything? “Come to bed.”
“But—”
“I need you.” My hands drift to her hips.
As I tug her closer to my hard desire, her lashes lift.
“Me too.” Licking her lips, her dark pupils widen over her hazel irises.
Before anyone can interrupt us, I interlace our fingers and race her up the stairs. In our temporary bedroom, we toss off our clothes. Naked, panting, we touch each other all over, mending what was broken.
Unable to wait, I place myself at her slick, hot core.
“Eyes, babe.”
“Yes, sir.” Smiling, she arches up at the same time as I plunge.
“Sean!” Her nails dig into my back as she bucks for my next thrust and the next.
She meets my every move with the same desperation. The bed bangs the wall. Skin slaps skin. Nothing exists except us in this perfect moment.
As I slip a finger between our bodies to press her swollen nub, the already impossible pace increases.
When her ankles clamp behind my thighs, I can’t hold back.
“Fuuuck!” My balls fill. My back tingles.
“Yesssss!” she echoes.
We come as one. It’s so damn righteous, a tear slips down my cheek. No freakin’ way will I ever let her go.
Foggy from post-coital bliss, it takes me a few seconds to find my noisy phone.
Dante: We need to talk. Alone.
Me: Too bad. I’m taken.
Dante: You’re an idiot. Conf room.
Me: In 5.
My lovely fiancée doesn’t stir as I slip from the bed, find my clothes where I left them on the hallway floor, and dress. Sneakers in hand, I trot barefoot down the stairs.
Dante grins at my sex-mussed state. “Sorry to disturb.”
“What’s up?” Snatching a bottle of water and a sandwich, I drop onto the leather couch as he turns his laptop. “Mace found the missing ladies, right where Lillian said they’d be.”
“Thank God.” Relief loosens the knot in my gut. “I’ll just go tell her.”
“Hang on a second.” He taps his screen. “We traced the threatening robocall to Boyle.”
“Damn. Lil was right.” I thread my fingers through my hair. “He’s never going to give up.”
“Exactly why I wanted to talk to you. We’re going to kidnap Lillian, and she can’t know.”
Oh, hell to the no. “You got to be out of your fucking—” When I start to stand, he grabs my arm.
“Hear me out. If we don’t strike first, your headstrong woman will go after him without backup. We know how this could end.” He holds my gaze, waiting for me to admit he’s right.
“Go on.” I unwrap the egg salad on whole wheat.
As I take a bite, my friend says, “We’re going to make it appear as if Fitzpatrick did it.”
“What?” I nearly choke. “Why the hell would he do that?”
“Boyle and him have a rivalry dating back to their childhoods. He’ll love pulling one over on Liam”
It takes a moment to force the food down my throat. “For the sake of discussion, let’s say we can convince Liam that his childhood nemesis snatched his daughter. What’s next?”
“The Irishman exchanges her for proof Pearson is dead.”
“Okay, now I’m confused.” Sitting back on the leather furniture, I study Dante, wondering if he’s lost his mind.
In the silence, Dante grabs a sandwich. “The Dublin shootout has gone viral online. Parkhaven investors are pulling out. Fitzpatrick is about to lose a shit ton of money. The scapegoat? Our friend, Pearson. When we’re done, we’ll give Jeff over to Fitz.”
Sighing, I scrape my palm across my chin. “Listen, I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but no one’s going to believe Liam will exchange a fake dead Pearson for his live daughter.”
Eyes on me, my friend chews and swallows. “You’re wrong. The idea is so outlandish, it’s perfect.”
“First off,” I hold up an index finger. “Liam won’t want to get his hands dirty. He’ll hire outside help.”
Dante snatches a water bottle, twisting off the cover. “We’re counting on it. His hitman will be one of our guys. We’ll stage Jeff’s death. Makeup, not a bullet hole through his forehead. Then, we ask our willing Fitz to arrange a swap where we grab Boyle.”
“That’s the plan?” I rub my hand over the back of my neck. “You play a dangerous game, my friend. Liam’s going to want proof of death.”
“No. He doesn’t give a shit about Pearson. His daughter is his only concern.”
“And Fitz? Other than cheating Liam, what does he get out of this?”
“I told you. I’ll tell him where to find Pearson after we’re done. You in or not?”
It’s not like I have a better idea. “Sure. Let’s do this.”
“There’s one more thing.” Dante’s expression turns grave. “Stanley says Pearson and Boyle are either working together…or out to destroy each other.”
“Jesus.” I shake my head. “Parkhaven was laundering money. That’s Liam’s sweet spot. If he wasn’t an investor…”
“He was in direct competition.” As Dante finishes my thought, I sigh.
“I can make Pearson talk. You don’t need to kidnap my girlfriend.”
“True… but answer me this. Will she bolt? Risk her life to save everyone else?” His question freezes my soul because his observation is spot on.
“Christ Almighty, Dante, we do this, and she’ll never forgive me.” While I sweat, my boss studies me for the longest time.
“If it’s love, you’ll get through this. She’ll realize you have her best interests at heart, the same way you understood why she kept your grandmother’s location from you. Otherwise…” He shrugs. “End it.”