Page 99 of Craving Sin

A loud thunk in the background.

“Get down!” Conan yells.

The door bursts open, but I can’t see who it is. Rian is on top of me still, squeezing me, my face in his chest.

“Are you hurt? Were you hit?” I ask, trying to feel him, run my hands up and down his back to make sure he’s okay.

“Dad? Are you okay?” a voice I don’t recognize says, which immediately makes Rian stiffen and turn his head.

When he does, I’m able to see, and I know that the guy asking is Cillian.

He’s here.

Rian’s son is here, along with Finan and the others, everyone on the ground, looking around as if they’re trying to figure out what happened.

“I’m fine,” he tells Cillian. “I’m okay.”

At the same time, we both look to the floor…see the body there…my father, lifeless, lying in a pool of blood.

“Who shot at him?” Rian is on alert now, but I can’t take my eyes off my father. “Did you take care of the men outside?” Rian asks the group that came in.

“Yep. All dead, no guns, and we didn’t even make a mess! We got to use our hands. We kept one alive. He’s knocked out and tied up,” a guy says, but I can’t pull my eyes away from my father to see who is speaking.

He’s dead.

My father is dead…I have no family left.

He wanted me killed, but still, he was my father, and he’s dead.

Both of my parents are gone.

“We didn’t want to do anything when he had a gun on you,” another voice says. “Whoever took that shot didn’t have the same concern.”

I finally manage to force my stare away from my father.

“Fin, Rory, Dean, and Tiernan, go find whoever the fuck that was. Everyone else, stay the fuck away from the windows.”

“On it,” Finan says, as someone drags in the unconscious, tied-up man from outside.

“Fuck yes. I expected more action,” the redhead says, and I assume he’s Rory.

They take off out of the house, and then Rian is running his hands up and down my body. “Jesus. I’m so fucking sorry. You never should have been put in this situation. Did he hurt you? Did he?”

“Shh.” I grab his face. “I’m fine. I shouldn’t have come, but I’m fine. You wouldn’t let anything happen to me.”

Rian drops his forehead to mine, and my eyes fall closed. We sit there together, him still on top of me, breathing each other’s air.

“I love you,” Rian says, over and over and over again. “You scared the shit out of me.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I love you too.”

I press my lips to his, Rian’s face still in my hands. I don’t think my brain or body has caught up with what happened here today. That my father drugged me and tried to kill me. That a sniper shot him through the window. That he’s gone. All I know is Rian came for me, and that means everything to me.

I press my lips to his, feel him shake as he holds me, still running his hands along my body like he doesn’t believe I’m okay.

“I’m fine,” I tell him. “You’re here. You won’t ever let anything happen to me.”

Rian has saved me from that first moment in the parking lot, and he won’t ever stop.