Chapter 28

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Nerves tumbled like a clothes dryer in Cass’s stomach as she studied the screen, looking at the dots as they surrounded a building.

Beside her, Angel sat, his knee jigging up and down as if he were as anxious as her.

His actions did nothing to calm her down.

The only calm person in the room was Ox. He leaned against the door frame, one leg crossed over the other.

But while he looked relaxed, he was ready to jump into action, should it be needed.

A buzzing sounded behind her, and Ox moved, grabbing his phone. He took a seat on the other side of her. He put the headset resting on the table over his head .

That could only mean one thing, and Cass took a deep breath, preparing herself to ensure everything went off without a hitch.

“Dock is breeched and secured,” Ox announced. “It’s go time. FBI team enroute. They are ten minutes out to provide necessary backup.”

“Copy. Team A is in position.” Irish’s quiet voice filled the space.

“Team B in position.” This time it was Fox.

“Team C in position,” Hound confirmed.

“You know what to do. We’ve got your six.” Ox’s calm tone did nothing to quell Cass’s unease.

Why was her reaction to this mission so different from the past ones?

Yes, she’d been a little nervous—worried about the guys and what was going to happen. It wasn’t like this was the very first time. Over the years, they’d done many dangerous operations to rescue women who’d been taken.

Heck, it wasn’t that long ago that they were saving Teresa after she’d been kidnapped.

The only answer Cass could come up with was the change in her relationship with Irish.

In the past, she’d been able to keep her feelings and worry about him locked down. This time it was harder. It wasn’t as if this mission was less dangerous than the others.

“We’ve cleared the front. It’s quiet. No one around.” The concern in Irish’s voice was evident.

“We suspected they’d all be down in the underground portion of the house. Proceed with caution,” Ox ordered. “Cass, activate access to the compound security systems.”

“Already done.” She pressed a button, and two of the screens in front of her flicked to show the interior of the house Irish and the others had just entered.

She watched as they crept down the hallway. Hound and Deal broke away, while Fox and Jag remained with Irish and Growler. There was something magical about the way they all moved in tandem and as one. Their strides perfectly in sync.

Irish held up a fist, and they all halted.

Cass leaned forward, waiting to spot what’d caused him to stop so abruptly.

A man dragging a woman by her hair came into focus.

Cass’s breath caught when Irish stepped out in front of him, grabbing him before he had a chance to register he wasn’t alone.

Her lover twisted the man’s neck. The body slumped to the ground, and the woman’s screams filled the room.

Quickly, Jag pulled her toward him, whispering something in her ear. Not everything they said was communicated back to her, and this was one occasion.

The woman nodded, and she stepped into the shadows where Irish and the others had taken cover.

“Heading to central point A,” Irish murmured.

“Copy that. Julian is on the way,” Cass relayed, after Ox shoved his phone in front of her. She didn’t know why he wanted her to pass the message on and hadn’t handled it himself, but this wasn’t the time to question anything. Too many lives depended on them all working as the unit Fox said they were.

Irish, nor any of the others responded, and that was fine. They’d heard what she had to say and had taken it onboard.

Cass held her breath as she watched the four men in black reach the door that would lead them down the stairs.

Where there were no more cameras inside the house.

Even though she knew this was going to happen, it shouldn’t have affected her as much as it was. They still had their trackers on them. She’d still be able to trace their movements, but instead of actually seeing them, all that Cass would see would be six dots moving around the building.

“Comms open,” Fox said.

Was hearing worse than seeing?

In this case, yes.

Cries filled the space she, Angel, and Ox shared.

Along with men’s laughter and the sound of someone grunting. The men on either side of her swore, and their fists clenched as if they wanted to jump through the screen and be part of the action.

As much as Cass wanted to turn the volume down, she couldn’t. What she did was ensure that the recording application had been engaged and prayed that the team would come out unscathed.

Anger boiled red-hot within Irish at the sight in front of him. Of the man and what he was doing to up on a stage. The room was filled with men of all ages, eyes riveted to what was on display.

They had a short window to act before their presence would be noted. He was amazed that they hadn’t been pegged by the security in the room. Then again, there appeared to only be three men, and they were as entranced with what was happening as the rest of the room.

Sick fucks.

They should be protecting the two teenagers on the stage and the other women who were forced to watch what was happening, knowing that they were to provide services to the rest afterwards, not standing guard for the men in the room.

“Back secured.” Hound’s voice sounded in his ear, and Irish rolled his shoulders.

“Sitrep, Irish?” Ox asked.

He ignored the boss’s question and focused on the man on stage. “Finish up, fucker,” he murmured as he raised his gun, his finger on the trigger, ready to pull it.

As if the man had heard Irish’s silent demand, the man groaned before standing up and turning around, a triumphant look on his face.

That was the opening Irish had been waiting for.

A second later, his finger depressed the trigger, and the man on the stage fell to the ground, a bullet lodged right between his eyes.

“Target down,” Irish announced.

The people in the room froze before chaos ensued.

The security guards reached for their weapons, but Fox and Jag quickly picked them off, and they fell to the ground.

Irish felt no sympathy that their lives had ended. They didn’t deserve to live if they could just stand by and let the sick actions happen in front of them. He raced toward the front of the room where the two teenage girls huddled at the back of the stage.

Their arms were wrapped around their knees. Eyes wide with fright. Tears streaming down their faces.

No way could he gather them into his arms and assure them that they were safe. How could they trust another man after what had happened to them?

Irish stopped five feet away from the girls, aware that the FBI team had entered the room and was ensuring the men would be taken into custody and the women ferried to safety.

He felt his teammates presence at his back, protecting him should someone break away from the Feds and come charging to them.

“My name is Irish, and you’re safe. No one is going to hurt you anymore.”

Someone nudged the back of his foot, and he looked down. There were two blankets. He picked them up, shook them out, and then laid them at the feet of the two girls.

He turned his back so they had some privacy. Irish and his teammates formed a wall around them, daring anyone to come near them. He surveyed the room, keeping his emotions in check.

The men were protesting that they weren’t doing anything wrong.

Their pleas fell on deaf ears. If they were innocent, they wouldn’t be in this room. They’d be elsewhere.

“You good?” Growler asked.

“As good as can be expected,” Irish grunted.

“I will never understand what goes through their minds. How they think it’s right.”

“You and me both.” He looked over at the man that was now covered in a sheet. “I hope he’s rotting in hell and if it were possible, I’d drag his ass back just to kill him all over again.”

Thinking that the girls behind them had enough time to cover themselves, Irish turned to check. Both were surrounded by the blankets. Their tears had stopped, but the scars would no doubt remain.

The fingers of dawn crept over the horizon as they headed toward Cass’s house .

Irish had insisted on driving, declaring he was fine. His alertness after the night’s events surprised her.

She’d been able to catch a couple of hours of sleep in her office, while Irish and the others had been debriefing with the FBI after their operation.

Cass hadn’t seen what the others had seen, but she’d heard enough to get an idea of what had been happening.

Irish had said the two girls were okay and had been taken to a hospital to get checked out. Their families were going to be contacted. Same with the others that’d been saved from a horrible fate at the dock.

The minute Irish and the others had come back to the office, he’d pulled her tight against him. Cass had reveled in the closeness but also knew asking him what’d happened and if he was okay would fall on deaf ears.

These guys had to process what they’d seen and done in their own ways. She’d wait and be there for him when he needed her.

The need to touch him overwhelmed her, and she placed her hand on his thick thigh. The muscle bunched beneath her fingertips.

His hand closed over hers, and she breathed out in relief. Part of her had worried that he’d brush off her attempt at comfort. That he’d not appreciate her closeness.

It didn’t matter that they’d shared a hug earlier. Adrenaline had still been pumping through his body, along with the anger. Cass had sensed that from the tension emanating from him.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“No, but I will be.”

“When you’re ready, I’m here for you. If you want to yell and rage against the world, then you can do that to me. I know it’s not directed at me, so I won’t take offense.”

His fingers squeezed hers. “Thank you. I’ll be okay.”

Irish’s response didn’t surprise her. He’d been alone for so long, letting his guard down to let someone in would be hard.

Had he had someone to share his thoughts with before the situation with his team happened?

Cass would never ask him if he’d been in a relationship at the time. Would it be too hard to talk about?

Had his heart been broken by a woman at the same time as his former teammates’ partners, and his family had turned their back on him?

Was it so painful he couldn’t tell her when he’d been telling her about what had happened ?

Could she ask him now?

No. Give the guy some time to decompress.

The rest of the trip was made in silence, and even after the evening they’d had, Irish still made sure that the area was secure before he opened her door and led her to the house.

Cass dumped her bag on the counter and grabbed Irish’s hand.

He didn’t pull away, and she led him to the bathroom. Squatting down, she undid the laces on his boots, tapping each foot so he would lift them to enable her to take them off.

“Cass?”

“Shh, I’m looking after you.”

Irish might not have had anyone there for him before, but he had her now and she was going to show him how much she loved him.

Once she’d dealt with his boots and socks, she turned on the shower adjusted the temperature. Next, she pulled his shirt from the waist band of his trousers, pushing it up and over his shoulders.

Her hands landed on his belt, and in a flash, she had it off and was tackling the button and zipper.

Irish’s hands landed on top of hers, halting her progress.

He wasn’t about to push her away, was he ?

Cass swallowed and looked up. Her gaze met his lust-filled one.

Before she could utter a word, his lips crashed down on hers. His mouth demanded entry, and she gave it willingly.

She’d give him anything he wanted.

Her fingers finished what they had been doing before he’d kissed her, and she pushed his cargo pants and boxers down.

Irish managed to kick them off while he undid her own trousers.

Soon they were both naked, water raining down on them. Their mouths fused together as if they couldn’t bear to be apart.

Which she couldn’t. Her body was on fire, and she was so ready for him.

Irish trailed his mouth down her neck as he lifted one leg, angling her so that the tip of his cock rested against her entrance.

She couldn’t wait for him to take possession of her. Her fingers dug into his shoulders, encouraging him to complete the act.

Yet he didn’t do it.

“What?” she breathed.

“I don’t have a condom. ”

Cass reached in between them and curled her fingers around his hard cock. “I’m on the pill.” She bit his ear lobe. “I want you, Dylan.”

“You know we get medicals regularly,” he murmured against her mouth.

She knew what he was telling her without having to say the words. “I do. I know I’m safe with you.”

“Always.”

Their lips meshed together as Irish pushed her against the tiles of the bathroom and entered her with one swift motion.

Cass hooked her legs around his waist, welcoming the way he pounded into her.

She wanted him to know that he was loved. That he was valued. That he owned her heart and soul, like she wanted to own him.

Their movements were fast, as if they both needed the release that only they could bring each other.

Irish reached between them and tweaked her clit, sending her over the edge, with him following quickly after.

Cass clung to him, her face buried in the crook of his neck.

His harsh breaths blowing against her cheek.

She unhooked her legs and slid them down to the ground. She wobbled a little, but Irish kept her upright.

They didn’t speak, but maybe they didn’t need to.

Now she could do what she’d wanted to do when she’d led him into the bathroom—look after him.

Cass grabbed the body wash, squirting a generous amount onto the loofah. With smooth movements, she swept it across his chest and shoulders, hoping with the water sluicing the suds away, it was taking the remnants of what he and the others had seen and had to do tonight.

Once she was happy, she lifted her face to his.

Irish’s blue eyes were half-closed, and a small smile played on his lips. Lips that beckoned. So she leaned forward and touched hers lightly to them.

This kiss had nothing of the passion that they’d shared not too long ago. It was a sweet, hopeful kiss. One of gratitude as well.

Cass was more than glad that Irish hadn’t been hurt. Grateful that he was in her arms.

He pulled away gently and rested his forehead against hers. “Thank you,” he whispered.

Her first instinct was to brush it away and say it wasn’t a big deal, but it was.

For so long, he’d been outcast by those who were supposed to love him for who he was .

Now he had her, and she wasn’t going to cast him aside.

“Always.” Cass repeated the vow he’d uttered to her earlier.