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Cathal slams his hand against the door, the sound echoing through my home. His eyes darken, and a shiver runs down my spine as he growls, “I can’t let you off the hook, Tinks. You’re the only way I’ll get to him.”
I try to pull away, but his grip descends on my arm like iron. The fear that courses through my veins leaves me breathless, every beat of my heart pounding in my ears as if it’s attempting to drown out the terror.
“Let go of me,” I whisper, my voice trembling.
“Sorry, love, but I can’t do that.” Cathal’s tone is ice-cold, sending chills down my spine.
Before I have time to react, he yanks me from my doorway, the door slamming shut behind me, and he pushes me toward a black SUV idling at the curb. Panic swirls in my stomach as I stumble forward, my thoughts racing with the knowledge that this is really happening – I’m being abducted by a man who looks just like the one who begged me for forgiveness not ten minutes ago.
“Get in,” Cathal orders, opening the back door and shoving me inside.
My body goes numb with fear as I scramble onto the leather seat, my hands shaking uncontrollably. There is no choice here. I can’t run; I can’t do anything. The heavy door slams shut, drowning out the sounds of the world outside and trapping me within this dark, suffocating space.
“Please don’t hurt me,” I whisper, tears streaming down my cheeks.
He slides into the driver’s seat and pulls away from my home with a chilling sense of finality. “You’re a pawn, Tinks. A pawn to get Ciarán to come to me.”
I press my trembling hands against my mouth, the metallic taste of fear coating my tongue as the reality of my situation sinks in. I’ve been drawn into this dangerous game, one that could cost me everything.
As we speed away from my home, the only thought that echoes through my panicked mind is Ciarán – how he’d left me hungover and incapable of standing up straight. How will he be the one to save me from his brother’s twisted plans? One thing is for sure; drunk or not,heis the only one who can save me now.
23
CIARÁN
Observing the city below, I stand at the window of my too-bright office. The streets are slick from the recent rain, casting distorted reflections on the sidewalks. The feeling of being untouchable has dissipated. Knowing what I know now, I’m hanging on by a thread, trying to figure out how to prove my remorse to the woman I know, without a doubt, I’ve fallen for. Seeing her strength, her compassion, and her willingness to give me a chance but not back down over a few pretty words, while heartfelt, has made me see her in a brighter light.
Automatically reaching for the seemingly ever-present whiskey bottle, I pause and glare at it, tearing my eyes from the cityscape below me.
Instead of picking it up, I turn from it and grab a bottle of water from the mini fridge instead, ripping the cap off and gulping back the contents. My hangover is still raging, but I’m clearer now. More focused.
Flipping the laptop open on my desk, I sit down and open the cams app to see what Summer is doing.
Frowning when I don’t find her, I flick through all the rooms, dread welling up. Has she left without me knowing where she went?
Frantically, I search back and see her opening the door not long after I left.
My blood runs cold as the hidden cam facing the door shows the face I feared when I first started watching Summer.
“Thal,” I growl, gripping the laptop with both hands.
They exchange words, and then he grabs her, hauling her out of her home.
“Fucking cunt!” I roar, knowing this is a way to get to me. He has placed the woman I love in danger, and I’m going to fucking kill him if she has even a faint bruise on her when I find her.
And I will find her.
“Mark! Get in here!”
I know he’s hovering. He’s never far, and he is being vigilant, watching my drunken ass for mutiny. He is loyal, but I still don’t trust him.
He’s got this uneasy look in his eyes, one I rarely see when he enters. “Boss?”
“My idiot brother has abducted Summer.”
He narrows his eyes. “Which one?”
Snorting at the double slur, I reply grimly, “Cathal.” My hands clench into fists as my brother’s name pierces the air. Cathal—my estranged triplet brother, the bane of my existence. Just hearing his name on my lips makes my blood boil. The three of us were once inseparable, but our father’s decision to leave me in charge of the family business drove a wedge between us. We used to be brothers, bound by blood and loyalty, but hatred and betrayal separated us. Now, we’re enemies, each leading our own rival gangs. I haven’t seen him in years, and I’d hoped never to see him again.
