“Sir, I’ll call the emergency helicopter for you.”
Sloan shook his head. “No. No hospitals.”
I frowned angrily at him. “Sloan, stop being stubborn. You’re hurt. They fucking hit you. If this was me, you’d be forcing me to go.” I turned to Daire. “Call them. Now.”
Daire gave me a short nod and walked away to do as I’d instructed.
Sloan chuckled. “I like it when you’re bossy with our men, Pet.”
I huffed and pouted at him, an urge to slap him for not having other men around making my fingers twitch. “They could’ve killed you.”
“They should’ve instead of trying to seem tough,” he drawled. He tilted his head and stared at me for a moment. “I’m sorry for what I did to the greenhouse.” He gestured at the foundation. “I’m rebuilding it.”
I groaned and seized his hands, kissing them, even though he had some blood on them from touching his face. “I don’t care about a fucking building and the fact that you didn’t talk to me about it right now. We can hash that out later. I love you, boss, and you nearly fucking died. If O’Nunan wasn’t already dead, I’d fucking torture him.”
Sloan laughed, then winced. “Yeah, well, at least we’re weeding out the traitors.” He narrowed his eyes in thought and glanced toward Tiernan, who was pressing the face of one of themen into the grass. He grinned, obviously enjoying it when the man spluttered.
Tiernan looked at him. “Boss?”
“I think it’s time to bring over some men from Ireland. Family, too. The soldiers here in New York need reminding of what true loyalty looks like, and we need to flush out the rats. Think you can make some calls?”
Tiernan’s smirk was downright terrifying. “Sounds like a brilliant plan to me, Boss. I know some blokes that’d love to make the trip.”
“Make it happen.” Sloan groaned and pressed a hand to his forehead, and the ache in my heart deepened. I nearly lost him. The thought stirred nausea in my stomach. I’d left angrily yesterday and if that’d been the last day I’d seen him, I would never have forgiven myself.
“I’m sorry.” I eyed the blood on his face and yanked off my shirt. I pressed it against the cut in his temple. “I shouldn’t have left. I was a bad partner.”
Sloan smiled. “Pet, I did something stupid. I reacted to emotions and I’ve always taught Fionn not to do that. But I see you sick and hurt and I react badly.”
I laughed quietly. “I know that feeling.” My heart was still racing. The sight of him on his knees ready to accept death was in the forefront of my mind. Never again. “I won’t ever leave you, even for a few days, no matter how angry I am. I promise.”
“Good.” He laid a hand on the back of my neck and drew me in for a kiss, and while I should’ve protested because he was injured, I let him because I needed to feel his lips against mine. My love for him was a balloon in my chest, expanding until it was hard to breathe, but I wanted to float with the feeling.
Footsteps sounded behind me and I glanced to see Fionn had brought the new doctor. I hadn’t even had the chance to learn his name yet, but he was different than what I’d expected.With sandy blond hair and a pair of semirimless glasses that were black on top, he had the appearance of a stereotypical nerd rather than amob doctor. He was short, too, and only came up to my shoulders. I didn’t know what I’d anticipated—maybe another broad shouldered, tall man like the rest of the Company men—but he certainly wasn’t it.
“Are you old enough to be a doctor?” I asked before I could stop myself.
The doctor blinked his big hazel eyes at me. “Uh, yes? I’m thirty-five. I specialize in emergency medicine.”
I glared. “You better be because our boss needs help and if you hurt him, I’ll hurt you.”
Fionn made a sound of amusement, but I ignored him as I forced myself to move away from Sloan and stand. I gestured to him. “Help him then.”
The doctor swallowed and nodded, but as he went to crouch, Sloan raised his hand in a stop motion. I opened my mouth to argue with him, ready to fight fire with fire and use some blackmailing on top of it, but Sloan shifted to his good knee before I could. He stretched out his bad leg, I guessed because he couldn’t put any weight on it, and held out his hand toward me.
“Come here.”
“Sloan—”
He raised that damned eyebrow, and my stomach fluttered when he stared at me expectantly. His blue eyes gleamed in the sun, and despite the urge to protest, I stepped forward to stand in front of him.
“No one’s touching me until I say what I need to,” he whispered.
He grasped my hand in his, and I bit my lip when I took in the awkward position he was in. I hated it, nearly as much as I hated all the blood on one side of his face and over his chin. Some of the bleached strands in his hair were stained red, too.
“I don’t want any more apologies,” I hissed quietly so only he could hear. His grip tightened on my hands.
“I’m not apologizing.” He grinned and his blood-painted teeth made me wince. I fucking loathed seeing him like this. The moment we were allowed, I was washing him down until he was clean, then putting him to bed where I could keep an eye on him. He raised my hands to his mouth and placed a kiss on the back of both. “Conall Morrissey, you told me to wait until I was out of jail, and now I am.”
