Engulfing me in his arms, he breathed in deeply. "My God, you're such an aingeal. I can't believe you're mine."
"All yours, Burke," I whispered. “Always yours.”
Squeezing me so tight, he said, “I’ve got you now, baby. I’ve got you.”
As if he suddenly remembered he was inside me, he began to move. Slowly, he brought me to another intense orgasm, chanting his love for me repeatedly.
Our life wouldn't be perfect, but we would seize each opportunity for the closest thing we could find; our love for one another and our family.
Bonus Epilogue
Kinsley
Breathing silently, I watched the men exit the bar down the street. With the cover of darkness shadowing me, I slipped out from my hiding spot to follow them. It was unlikely they knew of my presence, and even less likely they'd see me as a threat.
Then again, many had heard of my actions at The Algonquin Club, and now knew it was wisest not to mess with me. I'd killed the former head of the Gallagher Family, after all, along with his scheming wife and both the Navarro brothers.
They were the main reason for my night op. Burke would kill me if he knew I was out here . . . especially since our daughter currently sat nestled in my belly. Knowing the dangers, I didn't plan on acting alone, but I needed to destroy the last few Navarro Family soldiers, or I’d never be able to move on with my life in peace. Since I had the opportunity, and the strength I never used to possess, I wanted to prove I could take down our enemies myself.
Noah was the only security guard who’d agreed to my plan, knowing I would go out alone if given no alternative. He’d grab the men for me, but I’d be the one to take care of them once and for all. I simply couldn't risk the chance of anyone posing a threat to my children or my husband. Those men deserved whatever I could conjure up for them, whatever torture I chose to inflict on traitors.
Hard to believe I’d ever felt queasy at the idea of blood.
Now, I craved the feel of it painting my skin, washing its warmth over me. Bathing in it, dancing in it, was a deranged kind of celebration of life. It meant no one would ever mess with the Gallaghers again, not with the Carmichaels on our side and everyone else dead. If a new threat rose up, we'd tear off its head before it got very far.
“Eyes on,” I said.
“Spotted,” Noah responded in my earpiece.
I took my time, letting him close in on them before I did anything. If I wanted to stay out of danger, then I had to stay out of sight until he’d secured the men. Then, I’d see what I was truly made of.
Alongside our allies, we’d taken out many men in the past months; those who were still loyal to Carson, and those who hated us for taking out the Navarro Family leaders. With Burke, everything was a calculated risk. He didn't want me involved in any of it, and to an extent, I understood him. Since I was pregnant, he wanted me at home knitting booties.
That simply wasn’t who I was anymore. For the time being, while Maeve was nothing more than a whisper in my womb, I could handle these men. My time was limited, I knew that, and once it was all said and done, I’d give up this life.
But that time had yet to come, because these two men had defied us every chance they got. The last vestiges of the once-thriving Navarro Family, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum had tried to take out a hit on Burke. Thankfully, the Carmichaels' foot soldiers had intercepted the directive before it reached its intended target. They’d asked a mercenary, someone without loyalties who would do anything at all for the right price.
For that, they would pay with their lives.
“Ready for you,” Noah said in my ear.
With an emotion nearing glee, I headed to the warehouse we used frequently for the less desirable parts of our business. The entire complex along the waterfront had been in the Gallagher name for ages and made the perfect front for legal business, even if it was anything but.
Upon entering the vast open space, I saw the two men I’d tracked were trussed up and hanging upside down from the ceiling. How kind of Noah to go that extra step for me.
“Gentlemen,” I greeted them, approaching quickly.
I’d worn all black, including gloves so I didn't have to get my hands messy. Then again, sometimes I craved the filthier parts of violence in a way most people wouldn’t understand.
“Perhaps you don’t know who I am, so allow me to introduce myself. I am Kinsley Gallagher, wife of Burke Gallagher, and the second in command for our organization.”
One of the men struggled, and I smiled at his upside-down face as he tried to say something behind his gag.
“I see my reputation precedes me for at least one of you.”
Noah stepped away from the side wall, handing me a baseball bat.
“Now, I hear you tried to take out a hit on my husband. Do you deny it?”
