“Do you still love me, bug?” I need to know. I need to see if she looks at me the same way or if she only sees a monster staring back at her.
She looks into my eyes, her expression softening. “Unfortunately.” Her gaze shifts to our surroundings. Katie looks like she’s had her fill of Dublin and other people for one night. “Will they be found?”
“No.”
“You’re sure?” she presses.
I nod, my grip on her hand tightening. “I’ve taken care of everything. They won’t be able to trace it back to us.”
Relief washes over her face as she exhales deeply. Resting her head on my shoulder, she mumbles, “Keith is going to think I’m a psychopath.”
“He already thinks that of me; you’re grand.” I’m done with work today. Done with paperwork and drunks and the never-ending noise of the city. I just want to wash away the stress and crawl into bed next to this beautiful, unhinged woman. “Let’s go home.”
“I thought you had a lot of work to catch up on.”
“I’ll bring it home and start on it in the morning.” Pushing up from the floor, I stretch my arms above my head, feeling the sting from the chunk she took from my arm. It’s only then that I notice blood staining her lips. “You’re fucking feral.”
“I told you before about restraints; you only have yourself to blame.” She shrugs, following me into the adjoining room,where I hand her a helmet and leather jacket. “I’m not going on that bike; I have my car; I’ll drive myself.”
Shoving the helmet into her hands, I raise an eyebrow. “You just took a chunk out of my arm. You’re going on the bike.”
“No, I’m not.”
And we’re fighting again. Fine. Tossing the helmets into my bag, I throw her over my shoulder, and carry her out of my office. Every bouncer in the club makes a point of looking everywhere but at us as we make our way to the car park. Ignoring their stares, I place Katie on the back of my motorcycle and fasten her helmet securely. “You might want to hold on,” I say with a smirk as I rev the engine.
“You’re such an arsehole!” She gripes, tugging on her dress, attempting to keep herself covered.
“The leathers would have helped with that.” Pulling her arms around my waist, I feel her body tense up. “You might want to lean into me, bug.”
I hear her squeal as I accelerate, and we zoom off into the distance, leaving the Orion behind us.
23
KATIE
Aiden’s taut body glistens with sweat, pinning me to the mattress beneath him. His stuttered breaths brush the column of my neck as he leans in closer, his lips grazing my skin. How is it that a single touch from this man can ignite every nerve ending in me?
“Fuck,” he whispers hoarsely, “I think you might be the death of me.”
His lips fuse with mine in a searing kiss. I’d all but melt to his touch had I not just heard something pop downstairs. I pull away, not getting a chance to ask what the hell made that noise before he’s already out of bed, grabbing his Glock from the nightstand, and pulling me from the mattress.
“Aiden, what the—”
“Shh,” he cuts me off, pressing a finger to my lips as he leads me towards the bedroom door. “Put this on,” he whispers, picking his shirt up from the floor and handing it to me. I quickly slip it on and spot him jumping into a pair of joggers.
“Is that a silencer?” I ask in a hushed tone, watching himattach the suppressor to his gun. Aiden nods, signalling for me to stay behind him, he backs me up behind the bedroom door when the unmistakable sound of footsteps approach. I hold my breath, my heart pounding in my chest, a stark contrast to Aiden, who seems unnervingly calm and collected.
At least one of us isn’t on the verge of having a heart attack!
As the footsteps draw closer, Aiden gives me a reassuring smirk just as the door slowly creaks open, revealing a hooded figure stepping into the room. It would be easier to calm my nerves if it were just him; I can hear more movement downstairs, causing my stomach to slither down to my rectum.
Aiden fires off a shot so fast that it takes the body of the intruder falling to the floor, only for Aiden to catch it to stop the noise from alerting anyone else in the house, for me to realise he even moved.
Covering my mouth with my hands, I trap a cry of shock. I’ve never seen anyone die before, never mind watching my boyfriend take a life so effortlessly.
That red flag is no longer waving in my face; it’s grown legs and doing the fucking can-can in front of me. Christ, he doesn’t even blink. Trying to ignore the blood splattered on the walls and floors, I focus on Aiden’s expressionless face as he calmly says, “Don’t look, bug.” Lifting me into his arms, he carries me into the en-suite like I’m made of glass—I suppose I am when it comes to this part of his life.
“Stay here,” he places me behind the shower wall, completely out of sight from anyone who enters the bedroom or even the bathroom, unless they step into the shower itself. “I’ll be right back, I promise.” Aiden kisses my forehead gently before disappearing into the bedroom, leaving me alone with my thoughts and my growing anxiety.
