Chapter 26
26
T ears ran down her face.
She was sitting tied to a chair and the déjà vu hit her hard. After this, she never wanted to be tied up again.
Well, not unless Colm was doing it.
She couldn’t think of Colm right now, or she would get too upset.
Concentrate, Sofia.
Get out of here alive.
So far, no one had hurt her. Not physically. It didn’t seem to be Step Callahan’s style.
But there were other men with him. Arseni was among those men. Betrayal filled her every time she thought of his duplicity, and she couldn’t help but glare at him.
He just stared calmly back. As though they hadn’t known each other well for the last few years.
She’d thought he was a friend, and to learn his loyalty could be bought . . . it hurt.
That’s what he’d told her when they first arrived. That Step Callahan had offered him a whole lot of money to switch his loyalty to him several years ago.
Fucking bastard.
Sofia wasn’t sure how long she’d been here. But it had to be hours as she was thirsty and she really had to pee.
Exhaustion flooded her, making her head spin. One good night’s sleep hadn’t erased months of poor rest, unfortunately.
“Just tell us about the dreams, Sofia. I know you dreamed about this tattoo.” Callahan showed it to her again. “What did you dream?”
“I told you,” she said hoarsely. “I was a young girl hiding in the bushes when I saw it on a man’s arm.”
She didn’t mention the gunshot.
Miller’s mom.
Her father.
Or the other men.
If she told him everything, he’d have no reason to keep her alive. She knew he’d have to kill her after this or he risked her telling Sacha.
But there was something a bit off with Callahan. This wasn’t normal behavior. He was erratic, emotional. This simply wasn’t smart.
He’d signed his own death warrant. He just didn’t seem to realize it.
“Do you know what it was like to grow up without a father?” he blurted out.
Her hands had grown numb. That wasn’t a good sign, was it? Her head lulled to the side as she watched him move around the room. He was almost . . . manic.
“You don’t because your father lived while mine died! Do you know what happened to me? The monster I ended up with!” he roared.
Okay, maybe she was wrong to think that he wouldn’t harm her. Because with the way he looked at her right now . . . he appeared to want to hurt her. Badly.
Arseni got between them and started talking to Callahan. Was that why he was so obsessed with his father’s murder? Because he’d ended up in a worse place after?
Why did she feel so guilty about that?
It wasn’t her fault.
Callahan and two of his men left, leaving her with just Arseni.
“I thought you were my friend,” she croaked.
“You thought wrong.”
She closed her eyes, the pain immense. Her mind started to drift.
“Come this way, sweetheart . . . follow me.”
She sobbed and the woman turned to shh her. “Please don’t. They’ll know you were there. We have to be quiet. Iker doesn’t know I left the car. And he’ll kill me if he discovers I’m out here with you.”
“Papa shot that man.”
“No, no, baby. You didn’t see that. You didn’t see anything. Neither of us saw anything, all right?”
But she knew what she’d seen. Her father had shot the man with the tattoo on his arm.
They reached her car, and the kind woman opened the back door before getting her back inside.
“Listen to me, baby. Okay? I have a daughter about your age. I know girls can be stubborn, but you’re going to be a good girl, all right?”
Sofia nodded.
She was always a good girl.
“Pretend you never saw this. Tell no one. Okay? You could get in a lot of trouble for being there. We both could.”
Sofia didn’t like to get into trouble.
She didn’t like it when Papa got mad at her. So she nodded and the woman smiled at her tiredly.
“Good girl. I know that your Papa loves you. I’ve heard him mention you a few times. You’re such a good girl. I miss my daughter, but I made so many mistakes that she’s better off without me. Now, forget that I was here. Forget what you saw.”
Voices woke her.
Noises.
Screams of alarm. Was that a gun firing?
“Sofia! Sofia, baby, open your eyes. Please, Mo leannan .”
“You still haven’t told me what that means,” she said.
“Thank God,” he muttered. “I will tell you if you open your eyes.”
She forced them open, gazing up into Colm’s worried face. “Am I dreaming?”
“No, my darling.” He brushed her hair off her face. “That’s what it means. But what I should be calling you is Mo Chridhe. My heart.” He had started undoing the ropes around her arms, but he paused as she shook her head.
He cupped her face between his hands. “You don’t love me, Mo Chridhe ? Because my heart is yours and it always will be. I will love you for now and forever.”
“You can’t,” she whispered.
“Why not?” he asked as he cut through the ropes and then caught her as she fell forward off the chair.
Her arms were screaming in pain and she sobbed quietly.
“I’m not . . . I’m not worthy of you, Colm. And I know you see it. You see how broken I am.”
“You don’t think I’m broken too? We all have broken, sad parts in us, Sofia. But I want to help heal those broken parts of yours. Can you not do the same for me?” He sat on the chair with her on his lap, rubbing her arms.
“What broken bits do you have?” she asked.
“Wasn’t born wanting to be a part of this life, Mo Chridhe . It was thrust on me. I’m here now and here to stay. But it took me a long time to get rid of the anger against my father.”
“Oh, Colm. I’m so sorry.”
“I’m not anymore. Not if it means I can use everything I learned and know to protect you. Let me protect you. Let me love you.”
“I . . . I love you too. But I’m so scared of losing you. Of doing something wrong.”
“All you have to be is yourself.” He kissed her long and hard but surprisingly sweetly.
“This isn’t something a cousin should really have to see.”
She drew back with a gasp at Sacha’s words. All of a sudden, she realized this wasn’t really the place for a declaration of love.
“Where . . . where are they all? Callahan? Arseni?”
Her cousin’s face tightened. “Dead. Callahan started shooting at us like a crazy man, and so we had to take him down. Arseni tried to run, but Viktor got him. We have to go, though. Even in this neighborhood, someone is bound to call the cops.”
Colm stood with her in his arms. Sacha stepped forward, and to her shock, cupped the side of her face.
She wasn’t used to these displays of affection from him. “Are you all right, Kotyonok ?”
“Of course I am.”
His face tightened. “You’re not ready to share your real feelings with me. I understand. But we will reach the day when you are. I will see to it.”
So arrogant.
When Sacha reached for her, though, Colm stepped back, taking her with him. “I am not letting her go. If you can’t support our relationship, then I’m taking her with me now and you’re not getting her back.”
“Colm,” she said quietly.
“I think Sofia would have something to say about that.” Sacha crossed his arms over his chest. Then, to her shock, he winked at her. “Luckily, I will not make her choose. There will be rules, though.”
“What sort of rules?” Colm asked.
“Anything you see stays on the estate. It doesn’t go back to your boss.”
Shit. She glanced up at Colm, who was looking at Rogan. She hadn’t noticed the leader of the Cavan Gang step into the warehouse. But he must have given Colm the go-ahead as Colm nodded.
“Good. You will treat my cousin with the utmost respect and woo her.”
“Woo her?” Colm asked.
“You will take things slow. Date her. Pick her up and take her out. She needs romance.”
She never thought she’d hear Aleksandr say those words.
“Agreed,” Colm said.
“Very well. She will also live with me while this wooing commences.”
Sirens sounded in the distance.
“For now, we all need to leave.”