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“Yes, you?” She felt him shrug and smiled to herself. “If I remember correctly, you used to be a runner.”
“Sure, back when I was young and fit,” he teased.
“Um, I’ve seen you naked, Cian. You’re still pretty damn fit. As for young, you’re only two years older than I am, so watch calling me old.” He laughed and turned, pulling her into his arms.
“What’s your point, Lil?” he asked.
“Why not go for a run?” she asked. “I mean, we’ve been here for two months now and haven’t left this cabin.” Savage had their groceries delivered, along with everything else that they needed, so there was no reason for them to leave the cabin. Well, except to keep their sanity.
“Just go for a run,” she ordered. “I’d love for you to get some fresh air and maybe even come back less of a sourpuss,” she teased.
He grimaced and nodded. “You sure that you’ll be okay here for about an hour? It will be the first time that we’re apart in two months.”
“I’m sure,” she said. “Besides, some time alone might be good for us. I’m planning on taking a nice long hot bath while you’re gone.”
Cian chuckled and nodded, “Fair enough,” he said. “Maybe I’ll even join you when I get back from my run.”
Lil wrinkled up her nose and shook her head. “I’ll be squeaky clean by then and you’ll be a sweaty mess. I think you should shower first. How about I meet you in the shower when you get back?” she asked.
“It’s a date. I’m looking forward to messing you up again after your bubble bath,” he joked. He kissed her and swatted her ass on his way back to the bedroom. “See you soon, darlin’,” he promised.
Cian
He’d run until his legs felt like they were turning to jello and then, he ran a few more miles before turning back to run to the cabin. All in all, he felt a hell of a lot better and although he hated to admit it, Lil was right. Leaving the cabin and going for a run was a good idea. He was starting to feel more like himself and that hadn’t happened since he had left Ireland.
He ran about five miles back to the cabin before he noticed the billow of smoke coming from that direction. “Shit,” he mumbled to himself. His legs, which moments ago felt as though they couldn’t run another mile, suddenly got a second wind and he ran back to the cabin. And what he found stopped him cold. The cabin was on fire and there was almost nothing left of it or his pick-up truck.
“Lil,” he screamed at the burning cabin. If she was still in there, she wouldn’t be alive. He dropped to his knees. Cian had lost his entire world and he only had himself to blame. Lil was gone and this was all his fault.
“Sid,” he shouted, standing, and turning in a circle, hoping to find the fecker there. He knew that the guy had to have donethis. Sid had taken his whole world from him and now, he had nothing more to lose. He needed to find that asshole and then, he’d find a way to avenge his Lil. He found a white piece of paper nailed to a tree that stood next to the cabin. It was the only thing not on fire in the vicinity and he knew that it had to be left behind for him to find. Cian walked across the yard and read the note, holding it taught so that it wouldn’t flap in the wind, the smoke almost choking him.
“I have her,” he read out loud. “You want her back, you come find her.” It was crazy to feel so much relief about the fact that Sid had Lil. Knowing that she was still alive, for now, was enough for him. He pulled out his cell phone and took a picture of the note, with the address on it, just as the tree’s branches caught fire.
“I’m coming, Lil,” he whispered, tucking his cell back into his sweats. He started for the main road. First, he needed to find a rental car, then, he’d drive back to the address in Huntsville, Alabama that Sid had left for him to find. He’d follow the trail left for him if it meant finding his woman. There’d be nothing to stop him from getting to Lil—not even Sid and the Dead Rabbits.
He sat in the rental car, just outside of the Alabama warehouse where Sid told him to meet him. Cian wasn’t a fool—if he walked into that warehouse, they would kill both him and Lil. There was no way that Sid would let either of them live, knowing what they knew about him and the Dead Rabbits. Lil had done enough research to bring down Sid while they were in the safehouse, but they still couldn’t go to the authorities for fear that they’d be in Sid’s pocket. Back in Ireland, the Dead Rabbits owned the cops, and he was sure that the same would hold true in America. Sidwould leave no stone unturned to get what he wanted, and Cian had a sick feeling that what he wanted was both him and Lil dead.
He sat in that fucking car for almost two days, watching the change of guards, counting the men who went in and came out of the warehouse. He needed intel if he was going to go to Cillian and Savage to ask for their help. That was the plan, asking Lil’s brother and his club to help him get her back because there was no way that he’d be able to live without her. She had become his whole world since she found him in America and there was no way that he’d let Sid or anyone else take her away from him.
He had counted about twelve guards. He also knew that Sid was coming and going from the warehouse, and he might be in there when they finally formulated a plan to go in for Lil. That would make thirteen and he knew that he wouldn’t be able to handle those odds on his own, even if his mind was playing tricks on him from lack of sleep, telling him that he could take them all. Sleep deprivation had him believing that he was invincible and that would only end up getting Lil killed.
After two days of laying low, pissing in the woods, eating protein bars, and praying that they’d transport Lil to give him the chance to grab her, he decided that it was time for him to call Cillian.
Cian went to the only hotel with a vacancy in Huntsville and booked a room for the night. He showered, shaved, and changed into some new clothes that he had picked up. It was time to schedule a meeting with Cillian and come up with a good plan to get Lil back, hopefully, one that would end up with them both alive and Sid behind bars.
He pulled the burner phone, that he bought at a gas station, from his pocket and dialed Cillian’s number, thankful that he had committed it to memory. “Who the feck is this?” Cillian answered.
Cian barked out his laugh. “Is that really how you answer the phone?” he taunted.
“When I don’t know who’s calling, sure,” he growled. “So, I’ll ask you again—who the feck is this?”
“It’s Cian,” he said. “Listen, Sid got Lil and I want her back. You in for helping me?”
“Shit, Cian,” Cillian growled. “You need to give me some more details. How the hell did Sid get my sister?”
“I went out for a run, and I got back to the cabin and found it and my truck both blown to bits. I thought she was dead until I found a note nailed to a tree in the front yard. Sid left me a message and told me where I could find her. He wants me to trade myself for her,” Cian said.
“And you don’t trust his offer, right?” Cillian asked.
