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“You see her and then leave. She’s in pain and needs the rest,” Denis instructs them with a hardness to his tone. He’s in protective mode.
“Da, can I see her?” Holly asks softly.
Denis’ gaze moves to his eldest daughter, and then softens. “Yes, but only quickly,” he reiterates.
Chloe’s siblings and their spouses enter her room, and I continue to stand where I am. I’m rooted to the spot. I can’t leave. I need to see her for myself, to make sure that she’s alive.
“She’s been asking for you,” Denis tells me.
I’m glad she is. It means that whatever the fuck this is that we have, she’s feeling it too.
“I don’t know what the fuck happened to my daughter in that basement, Pyro, but I do know that it was awful. Chloe is wary of people and their motives. She learned from a young age that some people have an agenda, and unfortunately, she was used for her ma’s one too many fucking times to count.”
From everything I’ve heard, Zoe Gallagher was the biggest cunt in Ireland. She played not only her husband, but all of her children.
“I don’t know how you met my daughter, nor do I fucking want to know. What I do know is that you went to bat to find her. That’s something I’ll be forever grateful for. However, you’re too old for her—”
I raise a brow at him. He’s one to fucking talk.
“There’s twelve years difference,” I snarl. “What’s there between you and your wife?” I’m far from fucking stupid. Callie Gallagher is in her late twenties, while Denis is in his late forties. There’s no way this man is going to lecture me about being too old for his daughter.
“My wife is none of your business,” he growls. “Whatever the fuck you think you have with my daughter, you don’t.”
“You have no idea who I am, Denis. You really don’t want to make threats. I have no problem slitting your throat if it means I can be with my woman. Did you maybe think to ask your daughter what she wants?” Judging by the way he’s acting, I’d say I’m not the only one who’s feeling this intense connection.
He runs a hand through his graying hair.
“Fucking arsehole,” he snaps. “Hurt her, Pyro, and I’ll kill you.”
“She’s safe with me,” I vow. She’s the only one who is. The moment I met her, I knew she was special. There’s something about Chloe Gallagher that has me sunk, and I’m not stupid enough to let her slip through my fingers again. “We done?” I ask him, needing to go and check on my woman.
He snarls at me, his lips curled at the corners. “For now,” he grunts.
The door to the bedroom opens and out walks her siblings, along with her mom. Denis hugs his kids goodbye before pulling Callie into his arms and steering her away from the room.
“But Chloe may need—” Callie begins.
“Pyro’s staying with her,” Denis growls, the words clipped. He fucking hated saying them.
“She really likes him,” Callie says quietly, but I can hear her. I smile. That’s good, because I’m not going anywhere.
“Fucking hell,” Denis spits. “She couldn’t find a normal guy, could she? No, she had to find a Rambo wannabe.”
“Denny,” Callie hisses. “Don’t be so mean.”
I smirk as I move toward the bedroom door. I take a deep breath and push it open. My fucking chest aches when I see her lying on the bed, her face bruised. Thankfully, the blood has been washed off.
I move toward the bed. Her nose has a bandage on it now, and her eyes look sunken against her face. She’s lost a lot of weight in the days she’s been missing.
I climb onto the bed and pull her into my arms. The moment she’s there, a content feeling fills me.
Her eyes flutter as she snuggles against me. “James,” she whispers.
My finger eases under her chin, and I pull her face to mine. I look at her eyes, hating that they’re dull and lifeless at the moment. I want them to have that sparkle back again.
I press a kiss against her forehead, wanting to feel her skin. She releases a contented sigh as I do.
“No one’s goin’ to hurt you again, Little Bird,” I whisper against her hair.
