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“I appreciate you giving me this opportunity, Shane,” Cormac adds. “I won’t let you down.”
“I know.”
I spent another two hours with Cormac discussing the next steps for our businesses here in Ireland, and I am even more sure now that I have made the right choice in appointing him as the new head of our operations. He is a good businessman, rational and fair, but ruthless when he needs to be. I’m happy to be able to leave this behind and focus on our business in New York.
Chapter 17
Jessie
Isip my tea and stare out the window at the beautiful view. I had a hot video call with the twins earlier and it was so much fun I had to shower after, but now I’m bored. I should have insisted on going with Shane today. I hate being in my own company for too long.
I wonder if his Aunt Em is busy? She said we should visit as soon as we could and I bet she wouldn’t mind if I went alone. I could ask Shane if his driver could take me and then he could meet me there later. She and I got along so well. Maybe going without Shane would be a better idea anyway, because she could give me all of the stories from his childhood that he’d probably rather she didn’t.
I smile to myself at that thought and look around the room for my cell and frown when I don’t see it. I must have left it in the bathroom.
As I stand up, I hear the sound of the door handle and look toward it. The door opens and my heart skips a beat. “You’re back early,” I shout as I make my way to the bathroom.
He doesn’t reply and I turn to look at him.
“Hello Jessica.”
It’s not Shane.
My feet seem to grow roots, anchoring me to the carpet. My blood turns to ice as it trickles through my veins and my heart stops beating in my chest. Time stands still. I want to run but my body won’t let me move.
“How?” I stutter as I stare at the face that has haunted my dreams for ten long years.
He holds up the electronic keycard. “Shane gave me this.”
“He wouldn’t,” I stammer.
“No?” he smiles at me. It is cruel and twisted. It mocks me. He stalks toward me but I still stand frozen to the spot. My bladder suddenly feels like it’s about to burst and I close my eyes, willing my body not to betray me. “You have no idea who Shane Ryan is, Jessica,” he hisses as he steps closer. “He told you he wanted you to meet his Uncle Paul, didn’t he?”
My eyes snap open. “No.” I shake my head. “You’re not him.”
“Oh, I am, little bird,” he hisses as he finally reaches me. He towers over me. His beard is longer and bushier now, no doubt to hide the scars on his neck from when I almost killed him, but those cold, gray eyes are exactly as I remember. He runs a fingertip over my cheek and I shudder at his touch. I want to shrink back from him. I want to kick him in the balls and run, but I am frozen in fear.
“My nephews have been keeping you warm for me until it was safe for me to claim you again.”
I try to swallow but my throat is raw and tight. “No.” I shake my head again as tears start to run down my cheeks. This can’t be happening. This can’t be true. I must have fallen asleep on that huge king-size bed, the one that Shane and I made love on just a few hours ago. The one I was lying on when Mikey and Liam told me how much they loved me.
“Yes, little bird,” he croons as he leans closer to me. The smell of cigarettes clings to his clothes and a wave of nausea almost overwhelms me. “Shane handed me this key himself and told me you’d be ready for me. He’s a good boy, my nephew. All of them are.”
“You’re lying,” I hiss, finally able to move I take a step back from him. There’s a gun here somewhere. I have to find it. Where the hell did Shane put it?
“I would never lie to you, my love.”
At last, adrenaline finally kicks in and it surges through my veins. I lunge for him. “I am not your love!” I screech as I aim for his eyes. But he is still quick. He dodges out of my way and I scratch his neck instead.
“Still my feisty little bird,” he mocks me as he grabs hold of my hands and squeezes my wrists painfully. “I taught you so well.”
“I hate you,” I kick out at him but he steps back. He has a foot and one hundred pounds on me and experience reminds me I am no match for him. Perhaps if I had been prepared? Perhaps if I hadn’t been completely blindsided by his revelations.
“You and I have so much to catch up on,” he chuckles as he twists me around, holding both of my wrists in one hand now, until my back is pressed against his chest and his hot breath is at my ear. “So much.”
I wriggle as I feel him reaching into his pocket.
“You’re all mine now,” he whispers and that is the last thing I hear. I feel a sharp scratch on my neck, and then there is nothing.
