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“Daniel, you’re not so fortunate. I need you to report back here twice a day to look after her. As long as you do what you’re told and don’t open your mouth to anyone, you and your family will make it through this. Don’t make the mistake of thinking I can’t find you or think I won’t know if you squeal. The risk is not worth it.”
I summon Oisín. I know he is just past the door—just out of sight. “Get him out of here.” I gesture toward the young blond whose name read Aaron on his license. I turn my attention back to Daniel.
“What about my job?” he asks.
“Not my problem,” I snarl. “Figure it the fuck out and just be here at seven o’clock in the morning and again at seven at night by any means necessary. It’s not my goal to bring harm to you or your family, but I will do what’s necessary to ensure that she heals without the threat to my privacy.”
His shoulders drop in relief. “I get it,” he assures. He hands me his license without my asking so I can take a picture. “I will be by before and after my shift. I promise not to say a word to anyone.”
“Make sure your coworker doesn’t either. I won’t take the time to decipher who’s at fault.”
“Understood.”
I leave the room, and he knows to follow. I escort him to Oisín, who just saw his coworker out. I head to my office to pour myself another shot of whiskey before heading back to Aurora’s room. I settle into the chair in the corner with a direct view of her bed. She better rest while she can. When she awakes, she will have hell to pay. I haven’t been able to calm down. The shite with the paramedics put us all at unnecessary risk if my threats fell on deaf ears.
I check stocks and encrypted messages related to myinheritedbusinesses. Fiona came to check if Aurora needed lunch but quickly turned away when she saw me sitting in the corner. They’ve all been trying to avoid my wrath, but it’s coming, and there won’t be a single fucking place they can hide. Two hours in and Aurora begins to stir. I watch as she attempts to sit up and then aborts that plan as she groans in pain. I go to her, sitting at the edge of the bed.
Her eyes widen at the sight of me. “Welcome back to hell, sweetheart,” I greet as condescending as I feel. She groans again but likely not from the pain this time. “You’ll pay drastically for that little stunt you pulled.”
“Please,” she murmurs.
“Your pleas won’t save you,” I promise her. “My patience has officially run out. That means I will be moving your timeline up, and I’m going to start by fucking that ass of yours,” I sneer.
“You’re in danger,” she says, forcing herself to sit up, completely ignoring my very real threat.
I call bullshit, but I will let her get whatever it is she has been trying to get off her chest. It’s just going to make her punishment that much more severe. Nobody jerks me around without paying the price.
“What the hell are you talking about? What danger could you possibly know about?”
“Lachlan.” She manages to get out between pants. That gets my fucking attention. How would she know the name of one of my clan members?
“Spill, what do you know?”
“This pain,” she says nearly in tears. “It hurts to breathe.”
Fuck! I didn’t plan on giving her shite right away. I wanted her to endure the fruits of her attempted escape. “Sit tight,” I say as I storm off to my room.
I dig through the medicine box that I keep on the shelf of my closet until I find the Vicodin. I stop by the kitchen to grab her a glass of water and an ice pack before I head back up. I pass her one of the pills and the water first. She drinks it all, then I raise her sweatshirt to speed things along. The angry black and purplish bruising is humongous along the right side of her ribs. I’m used to bruising, but it looks unnatural against her small, fragile frame. I place the ice and hold it there. She pants harder and tries to escape the bite of the coldness.
“Don’t you dare fucking move,” I command. “You did this. Do you know how much risk you put everyone in? I had to threaten the fucking paramedics to keep quiet.”
She places her petite hand over mine, but she stops trying to push it away. She closes her eyes, likely going to that place she escapes to in her mind. No words are exchanged for the next five minutes or so, and I don’t trust myself to address her before she’s ready. My anger is fueled even more by what she could possibly reveal to me. Has she ever met Lachlan? She opens her eyes, finally ready to speak again.
“What about Lachlan?” I start.
“He’s planning a mutiny. He’s trying to get your clan to turn against you so he can take charge.”
“That’s a serious accusation. Where would you get such an idea?” I’m still trying to hold out that she’s lying— that maybe she somehow knows he’s Irish Mafia and just trying to throw out a name and hoping that it works. What motivation would she have to share if it were true, especially after trying to escape? Am I just supposed to believe she has my best interest at heart now?
“I overheard Borat and Danny when I slipped out of the window. I was hiding in the bushes so they didn’t see me.”
“Who the hell is Borat and Danny?”
“The two men who took me,” she says.
I can feel the blood drain from my face. She’s talking about Liam and Declan— two of my security guards.
“Tell me everything you overheard now, and I will show you mercy.” If she has anything credible, I will spare her.
