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Her eyes fly to mine and widen. “Wh-what do you mean, you’re undercover? You’re a bodyguard. Have been for years.”
“I was there to gather information. To get to know how things worked. To have my foot inside the door. This meeting tomorrow is just another piece of the puzzle. I’m sorry you had to listen to that. I had to make myself indispensable to your dad. What I never expected was that after meeting you, your protection became just as important. I need you to understand who I am because you need to understand what I’m going to have to do. I’m bringing your father down.”
“No,” she says through trembling lips.
I knew she’d try to fight me, but she knows this needs to happen, she told me herself this was the only way she could be free.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. It has to happen.”
Her hands flail all over the place as she shakes her head. “That’s not what I mean. I mean, no, Kieran, you might think you can, but he’s too smart. Too strong.” Her hands are gripping my arms now. “This is reckless. Foolish. It won’t happen. Don’t you know he has the police—”
I shake my head, but she looks away, swallowing rapidly. Fighting not to cry, but the brimming tears give her away.
“Believe me. Please.”
She faces me again, licks across parted lips and says, “Kieran, I can’t... I can’t...” A sob escapes her, and I see she is trying to fight the emotional dam that’s threatening to break.
“Please, sweetheart. I need you to believe me. Believeinme.”
“I do.” The first tear starts running down her face. “I always have, despite everything. That’s not the problem.”
More tears follow and my heart is ripping open with every new sliding drop down her face.
“Then what can’t you do, luv?”
A ragged breath leaves her, followed by a whispered, “I can’t bear to see you die. And that’s what’s going to happen.”
Free falling now, her tears run unbidden.
I need her to understand it’s not about me. It wasneverabout me.
“If I do this one thing and I die, then so be it. You’ll be safe. You and Finn can escape and start a new life. Be free. Together. That will be worth giving my life for.”
Her voice cracks as she whispers, “Don’t say that.” Shutting her eyes, she just breathes roughly as I take both her hands in mine, winding our fingers together.
The tears falling from her lashes, drawing rivers of pain across her cheeks. Voice soft, she pleads, “I can’t fight this anymore. I’m not strong enough. I wanted to keep you away, to protect myself, my heart, my soul.” Her hands squeeze mine. “I just found you. I just got you back. I just shared the most precious thing in my heart with you. I can't lose you again.”
Her hands grab both sides of my face. "Please, Kieran. This is too dangerous.”
When her arms come around my neck and she pulls me into her, I love the feel of her against my chest, clinging to me because she cares, but after a few seconds, I set her away from me.
With my hands gripping her upper arms, I make her look at me again. “Would you do this for Finn if you were in my shoes?”
Without hesitation, she says, “Absolutely.”
“Then you understand why I’m doing this.”
Biting her lip for a second, she watches me.
“This has to happen or his thugs and all the other families that are involved will keep doing what they’re doing. I know you want to see the reign of terror end. Patrick Coghlan deserves to rot in prison until the day he dies. I know that you are disgusted by the man, but I don’t think you truly know the breadth of his depravation.”
A shudder runs through her, beneath my hands she tenses. “Sheila and Shauna have told me a few things.” After a beat, she asks, “What’s going to happen?”
“First, I’m going to kiss you because I can’t fucking take it any longer. Being this close and not being able to taste you is torture.”
Her eyes soften as I pull her toward me so that I can angle my mouth over hers, devouring her quivering lips with mine. She melts under my tongue, a delicacy that sinks right into my hold. A small feminine groan forms in the back of her throat as her hands flex against my chest. That little surrender takes my breath away.
God.I’m finally home. All those years I’ve dreamed of holding her, kissing her. Loving her. Freely.
