Without a word of a lie, as soon as that ring slid over the first knuckle on my wedding finger, a sun shower started. A ray of sun pierced through the clouds and bounced off the gold ring, setting it off so it shone under a spotlight, bathing us in its light.
She squealed in delight when the deed was done. And my uncle hollered my name. “Rosie, let’s go.”
I climbed in the car, the ring she'd pushed onto my finger gone. A fitting end to a very strange encounter. Perhaps she really was dipped in power and magic.
My memories fade, leaving me with a grief-filled heart and a better understanding of how we got here and what I have to do next.
Chapter Twenty-Four
TALLY
The O'Connors' love for Noinin is in everything they do. In the little time I’ve spent with them, it’s clear as day how invested they are in keeping her alive. It’s honestly a beautiful thing to see, especially since my family's experience with child abduction is the complete opposite.
Our grief tore our family apart. During those dark days, I made a promise to Mom that I’d never stop looking until I knew who took my cousin Liam. Then I’d make them pay.
Daisy nearly becoming another statistic cemented that the path I was on was the right one. Someone here is into the skin trade, and potentially, they’ve been doing it for a long time. Even though last night was obviously a Kelly event, I still find it hard to believe the O’Connors aren’t aware, considering the power Paddy O’Connor supposedly wields. Which makes me wonder if the O’Connors are covering for one of their own or someone else. It’s a nauseating thought, but it reinforces the reason I’m here.
Initially, I thought my in might come from Walsh, but the O’Connors may provide an even better entrance into this world. The other upside is, my husbands are absolutely stunning and hit all the markers for my Omega. It's not going to be hard to spend time with them. Hopefully I can keep a handle on what’s real and what’s not, because it would be very easy falling for this pack of perfectly scent-matched, gorgeous bad boys, but it would be devastating to do that then find out they were involved in any way. Sadly, I know the statistics of family members being complicit in crimes, and it happens a lot more than it should.
Getting involved with a pack was not part of my plan, but if becoming their “wife” gives me the edge I need to stop kids from being taken, then I’ll do it. And everyone knows you attract more bees with honey.
Any Omega will tell you we feel things differently, so while I want to bust whoever is responsible and solve Liam’s case, I also know already how played my husbands are going to feel when they discover the truth. And it pains me. As much as I don’t want it to be true—and I wouldn’t admit it to them—Ronin, Keegan, Tynan, and Rafferty are my dream everything. Because of that, I also know discovering they’re involved would destroy me and rip my heart to pieces.
Sentimentality strikes suddenly like lightning as I slide the wedding band onto my finger. Memories of Mom, Liam, and Noinin rush my thoughts like a warm breeze in spring, adding a sweet romantic flavoring to my whispered words. “Please don’t let my husbands have anything to do with this. And if anyone is listening, I have another wish. At the end of this, I want them. I know it’s a lot to ask, but I woke up greedy, and I’m not even sorry about it.”
Although I should probably feel weird about talking to myself, I don’t and never have. If anything, saying it out loud lessens the burden of what I’m about to do.
Now I need to set some ground rules with my husbands, like, don’t fucking drug me again. Period.
Pulling up my sleeves, I open my door and walk straight into a cloud of Keegan’s cinnamon and sugar sweetness, made so much better by the hint of lemon verbena mixed within. Their combined presence nearly derails my plans. I close my eyes and breathe in their perfume, finding clarity and strength in it.
Walking out, I stop where Keegan and Tynan can both see me and hold their gazes before speaking. “If you ever drug me again, this will not work.” I hold up my finger and point to the wedding ring. “And you’re lucky I woke up in a good mood, or I would have used the guns to emphasize the importance of that message.”
Neither of them appear contrite. And they spend a lot of time staring at me, dragging their eyes over every inch of my body, so they have lots of opportunities to apologize, which they don’t.
Keegan stands up, coming closer, and I back up against the kitchen counter. He cages me there, making me feel small but seen, then lifts his hands to brush my hair off my face before sliding them down my face to rest like a soft collar around my throat. “You look better, wife. I’d feel even better if you didn’t look so guilty.”
He stares deeply into my eyes, searching for something, and I turn from his attention. His grip around my throat tightens ever so slightly as he waits for me to tell him. Honestly, he’ll probably have to wait forever because I come alive instead of cowering.
I lean into his grip, booping his nose, probably confusing him like he does me. I stick to the same strategy I used on Ronin—sex—to have him eating out of my hand. “That’s not your intimidation game, is it, Keegan? God, please tell me it’s not, because the only thing you did was make me wet.”
“Wench.” He chuckles, catching on quickly before getting all serious again, tilting me toward the light to check the bruise on my cheek. “Do you have a headache?”
“Nope.”
His hand glides down my chest before cupping my waist, and I’m already pulling my top up so he can check the stitches. My side hurts as much as you’d expect, but the injury won’t slow me down.
I hear a rumbling noise like a dog growl, and I twist around to see what the problem is. Honestly, the man has a different mood for every minute.
Keegan’s lips are pulled back and his eyes are stormy. “You had a shower with it uncovered? You’re asking for an infection.”
“Are you growling at me?” I ask, my mouth falling wide open, winding him up a little more when I start laughing.
He ignores my teasing, getting more pissed by the second. “The bandage was meant to stay on for a week.”
“A week? You’re kidding, right? Besides, there’s no issue. It’s not exposed now, and it wasn’t in the shower, either.” I stare him down before I smirk at him. “Ronin’s hand was over it at all times while I was in the shower.”
“The doctor knows better than you. Do you want a scar?” His scowl deepens.
