Chapter 25

Noah~

I was close to losing my shit, and just about everyone knew it. My wife was fucking gone and in danger, the hospital was refusing to release Craig for the time being, and I was no closer to knowing what the fuck had happened since Craig was claiming ignorance.

The second that Shea had driven off, I had called Declan, and he'd told me that Craig had just been moved to a private room, though he was still out of it. After quickly giving Declan a rundown of what Shea had said, he had agreed to stay with Craig to get some answers, but when I'd gotten there, Craig had insisted that he had no idea what Shea was talking about. He'd sworn that it was just a random mugging, and until I got him to the manor, I couldn't force the truth out of him. Because no matter what Shea thought, I believed my wife, and I knew that Craig had to have overheard the same thing that Shea had claimed to. So, if he was denying it, there could only be one reason why.

"He'll be released tomorrow, Noah," Declan said. "He just has to be stabilized through the night."

"That would help if my wife wasn't fucking missing," I snapped.

"We've got everyone looking for her," he reminded me.

"Which means that she's no longer in O'Brien territory, or else someone would have found her by now," I pointed out. "She also has no money, no phone, no ID, or her purse."

"But she has your gun, so that's something," he said, doing his best to calm me down, though it wasn't working. "You know, I've never seen you so worked up over anything before."

"Yeah, well...I've never had a wife before," I retorted.

Eyeing me from across his desk, he asked, "Do you love her?"

"Yes."

Declan's brows shot upward in surprise. "That was fast."

I downed the rest of my whiskey before saying, "Yer one ta talk, lad,"

"That was different," he claimed. "I don't have an apathetic personality."

Before I could comment on that, my phone was ringing, and when I saw Maksim Barychev's initials flashing across the screen, my back immediately went up. I could use some good news right now, and if they had managed to finally find Klive Simpson, then that would be one less headache on everyone's plate.

"Murphy here," I answered. "Did you guys finally find Simpson?" At the mention of Klive's name, my cousin sat up straighter in his chair.

"No, he still evades us," Maksim answered. "I am calling you for another reason."

My blood ran cold down my spine. "Which is?"

"Something of yours has wandered into our territory, and as a courtesy, I am calling to find out if you want it back," he answered. "And before you ask, she is well, despite being covered in bandages."

I closed my eyes as my entire body shook with a rage that was dangerous for everyone. Shea was in Kotov territory, and I had no idea what it was going to cost me to get her back. If she let it be known that she was running from me, they might not be so inclined to give her back to me without a healthy price tag on the exchange. Granted, I'd pay whatever I had to in order to get her back, but still.

"Where is she?"

"Currently, she is at an all-night diner," he answered. "She was hungry, and the diner just happens to be next to the pawn shop where she was planning on selling her wedding rings."

"Motherfucker," I hissed.

Maksim chuckled on the other end of the line. "While Avgust is not eager to start a war over a woman, what is she doing in Kotov territory, Noah?"

"We got into a fight," I answered, hating that I had to explain myself.

"Big enough to send her running away?" he asked.

"Apparently."

After a few seconds of silence, he said, "The problem is that I don't believe you."

At that point, I put the phone on speaker, so that Declan could hear what was being said. "And why is it that you don't believe me?"

"Because like all dedicated enemies, we have studied you well, and I know for a fact that you Irish would never let a wife leave you," he answered. "If she is with us, there is a reason for it."

I glanced over at Declan, and when he gave me a quick nod, I said, "There was an attempt on her life, and until I can isolate the threat, I allowed her to leave."

"Then perhaps we should keep her if you cannot keep her safe, no?"

"I will gut every single fucking one of you if you do not give me back my wife," I snarled into the phone, his barb hitting too close to home for my liking. "I allowed her to leave with the understanding that I'd be looking for her afterwards."

"That sounds like a lot of complicated drama," he remarked evenly.

Ignoring that, I asked, "How did you know that she belongs to me?"

"The rings, of course," he answered. "Nice touch by the way. It gives me ideas for whenever I am forced to take a bride."

Ignoring his blathering, I asked, "Are you going to bring her to me?"

"Net," he answered seriously. "You must come get her yourself. We will not force a woman to return to a place where she feels unsafe. However, as I stated earlier, Avgust is not interested in going to war over her, either. We've got other problems to attend to."

"I'll come alone," I informed him, recognizing the favor for what it was. "Along with a driver, of course."

"You might want to know that she is still armed," he said, surprising me. "She thinks that she is concealing the gun in her pocket, but we all see it."

"And the rings?"

"Still on her finger," he answered. "Ivan convinced her to eat first, his treat."

"Send me the address," I told him. "I'm leaving now."

"Of course," he replied smoothly. "Just know, if she starts shooting at you, we will not intervene. Let The O'Brien know that, lest he think that we encouraged her."

"The O'Brien knows that my wife doesn't need any encouragement to shoot me," I drawled out.

"I'll never understand marriage," he muttered.

"Send me the address," I repeated before hanging up.

"Do you think it's wise to go there alone?" Declan asked as soon as I looked over at him.

"If they were looking for trouble, then Maksim never would have called me," I replied. "They would have just kept her hidden from me."

"I still don't like it," he said.

"Neither do I," I admitted. "But what choice do I have? If they're not going to bring her to me, then I have to go get her."

"Not by yourself," he pointed out.

"Naill-"

"No," he said, cutting me off. "Until we can question Craig, we don't know who to trust, and that includes Naill. If you're going to go, then take Cathal with you. Him or Lochlan since she's still injured."

"I'll have Cathal drive me," I replied, making up my mind. "Lochlan can check on her once we get back home."

"Are you sure that you want to do that?"

My brows furrowed in confusion. "Do what?"

"Take her to your home," he clarified. "Someone tried to kill her, and she believes that it was you, Noah. She believes that it was you because of something that she overheard between the shooters or the shooter and Craig. Is she safe at your place?" He threw his hand up to stop me before I could lose my shit on him. "And I'm not saying that to insult you. I know that you're very capable of keeping her safe when you have all the facts, but will she feel safe at your place?"

"She doesn't have a choice," I bit out, hating the truth in his words. "If I have to clear out the entire building until this mess is cleared up, then I will."

"Maybe you guys could stay at the cabin for a few days," he suggested. "At the very least, until we're able to question Craig more...thoroughly."

"I'll think about it," I said, relenting a little bit.

"I'll let Keavy know that you might be spending some time there," he returned evenly, gauging to see if I really had shit under control.

"You know, I used to think that you were insane for the way you risked everything for your wife, but I get it now, and it's not a fun feeling," I told him.

Declan just grinned. "If she doesn't scare you just a little bit, then she's not the one."

"I also hate how I can actually sympathize with Sartori now," I added, really hating it.

"Tell me about it," he grumbled, and love really was a motherfucker.