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I don’t even let him get another word out. My rage and protective instincts are soaring to an all-time high. “SHE. ISN’T. GOING!”
Absolute fury takes over Harper’s face, and I know I’m about to get chewed a new asshole, but I don’t care. I will not bend on this. It isn’t safe out there. She’s safe here. I need her to be safe.
I feel Mac on the opposite side of me now, hand firmly placed on my shoulder. I’ve never been more thankful for the two men next to me. I would never lay a hand on Harper in any way that wasn’t welcome. I’d never harm a hair on her gorgeous head. They know that, and she knows that. But they, like me, would do whatever it takes to protect her, even from me.
“Brother,” Mac warns.
I nod and take a deep breath, trying to calm my temper before speaking to her again. Hanging my head, fists clenched at my side I mutter low enough so only they can hear. “I know. I know.”
I pick up my head only to find Harper’s face right in front of mine. Gone is any trace of anger and in its place, understanding, and compassion. She cups my face in her hands, gently stroking my cheeks with each thumb. I take another shaky breath and let myself get lost in her for a moment, taking in every freckle, every stray curl, her long dark eyelashes, her perfect green eyes as they stare up at me, silently pleading me to listen to what she has to say. I reach up with both hands and grip her wrists, stroking them with my thumbs in the same rhythm she is my cheeks.
“Ronan, Baby, listen to me.” Baby. Fuck, that kills me. I feel Mac’s hand drop from my shoulder. “You all keep trying to pull me out of the darkness. You’re trying to keep me away from it. I know it’s because you’re trying to keep me safe, but I don’t want it. I don’t want to live in the light because the darkness is where you are. It’s where your life is, where all your dreams and desires lie. It’s where I feel safe—not locked up in some penthouse. Safe is when I’m with you. All of you. Don’t keep me out of the dark. This is my life, too, and it’s where I belong. Let me in. Let me be your light. Keep me safe. Give me everything.”
I shake my head, trying to will away the sting behind my eyes. I don’t fucking cry. Ever. Harper stands on her tiptoes, and I drop my head so my forehead rests against hers. “Let me in, Baby.”
Fuck. She has me, and she fucking knows it. I could never say no to that. I tightly squeeze her wrists, “I just want you to be safe. If anything happened to you… Fuck, Harper. I don’t think I could bear it.”
“I’ll be okay. You’ll keep me safe. Finn will keep me safe. Mac will keep me safe.”
“We can’t ask her to stay behind, brother. If she says she can handle it, we have to trust her.”
“We’ll have eyes on her the entire time, man,” Finn voices, agreeing with Mac.
“Promise me you will stay in the car. Do not get out under any circumstances. I don’t want him to know you’re there. Promise me that, and you can come.”
“I promise, Ronan.”
I draw in a deep breath. No matter how much I want to, we don’t have time to argue about this anymore. “Alright,” I kiss her forehead lightly, “Let’s go.”
39
Ronan
Forty-five minutes later, the guys and I are standing against a building near the dock, tucked away from the flickering lamp post a few feet away. We wanted to make sure that Liam and his guards got out and away from the vehicle before we made ourselves known. Fog rolls off the river as the sound of chain link fences rattle in the wind. The entire scene is pretty fucking apt if you ask me. I parked my black Lexus LX down the way, Harper still inside as promised, and Finn’s Audi Q2 is parked behind it. They’re just far enough out of sight that if you weren’t looking, you wouldn’t even know they were there, but close enough that we can all get to Harper in under a minute if necessary.
“Are you both sure about this?” Finn asks, staring blankly into the Hudson as he leans against the brick building next to Mac.
Mac and I nod in agreement. “Yeah, we’re sure. You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to, man. We’d understand if–”
Finn cuts him off. “Don’t even start. I’m with you guys all the way.”
No one else says anything until we hear tires crunching against the gravel. “Here we fucking go.” Mac stands up straight next to me.
“Nobody moves until they get out of the car and walk towards the building.” We watch Liam’s guards exit the black Cadillac first, taking a quick look around them, scanning for any threats. Once they feel like they’ve done their due diligence, they nod at one another and move to open the back door. Idiots.
Like the mafia don he thinks he still is, Liam steps out of the SUV in a black suit, complete with a black trench coat smoking a fucking cigar. He looks like he belongs in the show Peaky Blinders for Christ’s sake. “What a fucking asshole,” Mac scoffs, more than likely thinking the same thing as me.
“Alright.” I shove off the wall and start moving out of the shadows as the three men make their way in our direction, quickly glancing at my Lexus to make sure no one is near Harper. Mac and Finn follow close behind.
As the guards see us step into the light, they immediately step in front of Liam and draw their weapons. I play it cool… for now. “Whoa, boys. It’s just us.” The second they see my face, they drop their guns, giving me an apologetic look. Not that it matters. They’ll be dead in a few minutes anyway.
“What are you three doing down here?” Liam asks, already on edge.
“Hey, Pop. No ‘Hi, how are ya?’”
“Cut the shit, Ronan. What’s going on?”
“I actually had to talk to you about a few things and didn’t want to do it over the phone. Mum said you had a meeting to attend tonight, so I figured this is where you’d be.”
