Chapter 35

Tag

The drive back to the compound seems long, but Rose is resilient and doesn't complain. I'm just so thankful she was upstairs when the McGuire men broke in. Otherwise, she wouldn't have had access to her panic room.

"The assholes didn't anticipate me being unreachable," Rose says. "I could hear them over the comm system. They knew I was home; they just couldn't find me."

I have her hand in mine, and I give it a squeeze. "The McGuires couldn't find their own cocks if they weren't attached."

As we pull up to the gate, Aiden straightens in his seat, and I follow his gaze. "What is it?"

"Something's wrong. The guards are scrambling."

I roll down my window and lean out. "Oi, Andrew. What's the trouble?"

Andrew approaches swiftly, his expression taut with urgency. "Boss, someone hit the panic button at the main house. We're about to deploy."

Murderous rage overtakes me in a fiery storm. "Open the gate and go."

Andrew relays the command and rushes through the guardhouse to the awaiting ATVs. As they race off, I'm trapped behind the iron gate, the hum of the mechanics having never pissed me off so badly.

Has the gate always been this slow?

The moment the opening is big enough for the truck, Aiden floors it, the SUV's engine roaring in response as we tear up the driveway to the house.

Pea gravel spits and spins when we arrive at the house, and I turn to Rose. "Stay in the truck. It's bulletproof, and Aiden is leaving you the keys. No matter what happens, stay locked inside."

Her eyes are wide, her nod shaky, but she locks the doors as we disembark.

With her safe, Aiden and I move toward the hive of activity of my men readying to deploy.

I scan the scene. "The call came from the house?"

Andrew nods. "Just before you pulled up."

We breach the side door in military form, eight bodies advancing with only the quiet weight of boots hitting marble. I can barely see beyond the haze of my fury.

Everyone in Dublin knew the Quinn brothers would be at the fight tonight. The McGuires targeted my home to get at Laine.

And they'll die for it.

"Shit. Cora." Aiden breaks off and kneels on the floor just inside the dimly lit hallway. She's on the ground, bound and bleeding.

I rush to her side as Aiden removes the gag. "Cora, who's in the house and how many?"

"Just one that I know of—Laine's husband. He's here to kill her but wants her money first, so he can get away."

Rage, cold and sharp, slices through me. I signal for one of Andrew's men to help Cora and tap Aiden's shoulder. "You're with me, mate."

The two of us head for the stairs at a run and take the risers two at a time. Laine's husband?

Why the fuck would he want to kill her?

The weight of that betrayal and the threat against Laine consumes me. He has no right.

Laine is mine.

Mine to protect. Mine to love.

My grip tightens on my gun—an extension of my resolve. As we reach the top stair, I hear the faint sound of voices down the hall. The protective fury that fuels me sharpens my focus. This man invaded my home and threatened my family. He's dead.

As I burst through the door to the king's suite, the scene before me freezes my blood. A man has a gun pointed directly at Laine and she's backed into a corner with nowhere to go.

I step fully into the doorway, my weapon raised and trained on him. "Touch her and die, asshole!"

Marco's head snaps towards me, surprise flickering across his face.

"Get the fuck away from her." The fury in my voice fills the room, echoing off the walls.

It's all the distraction Laine needs. With a swift, brave motion, she grabs a massive bedside lamp and swings it with all her might. The heavy base connects with Marco's head with a sickening thud.

The impact makes him tense up as he drops and he squeezes the trigger. The gunshot explodes in the room, and I feel the burning impact as the bullet rips into my flesh.

Laine screams, but I can't go to her, not yet.

Pain flares, bright and hot, but it's background noise, my focus on Marco and the threat he still poses. The asshole has crumpled to the floor, disoriented by Laine's counterattack, but he's still clutching the gun.

I stomp on his hand with the heel of my dress shoe and twist until he cries out. When he recoils, I kick the gun across the floor.

"How dare you think you can take her from me!" I stand over him, my weapon aimed directly at his chest. "Laine is mine."

Our eyes meet, mine filled with the fury of almost losing Laine to a man who never deserved her, his filled with shock and a dawning realization of his imminent end.

There's no hesitation. I squeeze the trigger twice and end the threat to Laine's life. Then I turn to her and let her see the man she shares a bed with.

This is the real me.

I warned her of the beast that lives within me, but now she is seeing the monster firsthand. No matter how badly I burn to hold her in my arms, I hold my position, giving her the time and space to understand what just happened.

"You came," she breathes, pressing one hand against the nightstand to steady herself.

"I will always come, luv, and I will kill anyone who gets in my way."

She stares at me, shocked but alive, her eyes wide as she takes in the lifeless body of her husband on the floor. "Is it over?"

"It is for him."

She nods. "He said it was him or me. I'm okay with it being him. Thanks for the rescue."

I move to her in two quick strides, pulling her into my arms, away from the horror and the blood staining the carpet. Her body trembles against mine, and I hold her tighter. "You're safe now, luv. I've got you."

Aiden moves in to handle the aftermath. "I'll take care of this."

I grunt. "Roll the fucker up in the carpet and get rid of them both."

"Will do. Now, go down to the med room and have Doc plug that hole."

Laine eases back, the color in her face draining pale. "You're shot. I got you shot."

I lay a heavy arm over her shoulder and start the long trek to the main floor. "You defended yourself and gave me the opportunity to take out a threat. The doc will have me patched up in no time. You'll see. Then you can nurse me back to health."

Laine chuckles. "Do you want me to get one of those skimpy nurse costumes?"

I grin. "Now that you mention it. I think you absolutely should."