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“Okay. I’ll leave you both to it then,” she says as she stands.
“Thanks again, Lisa,” I tell her before she leaves the room.
“Anytime,” she says, but she has a serious expression on her face. “But I wish you boys would retire. Because I am terrified that one of these days I’m going to be discussing taking a body to the morgue instead of trying to enforce bed rest.”
I suck in a deep breath as I watch her walk out of the room.
“Well, that was sobering,” Conor says with a grin.
“She’ll kick your ass if she sees you grinning like that,” I warn him as I smile at him too. Lisa is right, and we both know it, but right now we are too fucking relieved that our baby brother is okay to be anything other than thrilled.
“You want to come bring the guns up from the car while Lisa and Matt finish up?” I suggest, wanting something useful to do.
“Why not?” he agrees with a smile and we walk out of my office together.
It doesn’t take Conor and me very long to clear the car of weapons, and we leave them in one of our safe rooms in the basement before heading back upstairs. We talked the whole time we worked, about the club, about the football, about the new bar staff our manager hired, all the while avoiding the elephant in the room that is me and Jessie.
As we stand in the elevator on our way back to the penthouse, I feel Conor’s eyes burning into me.
“What is it?”
He turns his body toward me. “You know that I respect the hell out of you, right?”
“Yeah.”
“And you are the person I trust most in this whole world?”
“Yeah. So?”
“So, understand that I say this with the greatest of respect and love for you as my brother, and the man who raised me, but you are a fucking fool.”
“What?” I blink at him. After the start of that speech, I had no idea this is where it would go.
“What the hell does she have to do to prove herself to you, Shane? She gave up everything for us and that’s still not enough for you?”
“It doesn’t change anything, Conor,” I snap.
“Really?” he shakes his head at me.
“Really.”
“You have this incredible, strong, kind, sexy woman who fucking adores you and you’re letting her slip away from you because of some stupid rule you have about not giving people second chances. And I know that you love her too, Shane. I see the way you can’t take your fucking eyes off her. So, if you want to die on this you only get one chance with me hill, then be my guest. It’s one less person I have to share her with,” he says as the doors open and he walks out, leaving me to stare after him, wondering if he has a point.
Chapter
Ten
JESSIE
Iwalk out of Liam’s bedroom and lean back against the wall, letting the waves of relief wash over me. Lisa and Matt have checked Liam’s dressing again and all of the bleeding has stopped. His injuries are all going to heal. There will be no permanent damage. He is going to be okay. Alexei is dead. We’re all safe.
The door opens again and Shane steps out of the room. He stands directly in front of me and I swallow as I stare at him.
He reaches out and brushes his hand over the cut on my cheek, his fingertips leaving trails of electricity in their wake. “Did you get that looked at?” he frowns, his face full of concern.
“Yes,” I rub my own fingers over it absent-mindedly. “Lisa insisted on looking at it. It doesn’t need stitches and there is no fracture.”
“Good,” he whispers.
