Page 41 of Guilty as Sin

Bone cracks as the bat collides with the back of Baldie’s skull. The man’s large frame topples forward and thuds onto the ground face down.

Vaguely I realize my arms are numb from the impact. The small bat slips from my grasp as Finn and I stare at each other over the inert body, both of our chests heaving.

He’s still unsteady on his feet, and I move toward him to help hold him upright. But he flings me off, surprisingly forceful for how wobbly he looks.

“Get inside,” he barks at me. He turns his head to the side and spits blood, then shows me his reddened teeth in a snarl.

Fuck it. I rush up the sidewalk and into the building.

“Whoa,” the guard in the security office says. In my panic, I can’t remember his name, but he must be a trusted O’Sullivan man if he’s guarding the high-rise.

“Finn,” I pant. “Outside. Finn needs help.”

The guard runs out of the building without another word, and I stagger across the lobby. Leaning heavily against the cool marble wall, I pull out my phone to text Connor. My fine motor skills are shot, and my palms are so sweaty that I drop the phone twice.

My brother doesn’t need to know that I was just attacked, he’d worry too much. I’m certainly not going to tell him, but if the O’Sullivans do, I need him to rest assured that I’m safe. My fingers shaking, I send him my message in the hope that he’s still asleep.

Me: Back safely at the penthouse. Sleep tight.

I try to take comfort in having done the right thing. But my breath is still coming in jagged gasps, my pulse still beating in my throat. Trying to swallow down my heartbeat, I open Brady’s contact. His hearing about this is inevitable, but suddenly I don’t want to tell him myself.

The violent anger inside me is still whirling. For it to meet Brady’s anger right now would be catastrophic.

Chapter 19

Brady

The knot in my shoulders tells me I’ve been hunched over my computer for hours. I lean back in my chair to roll my neck.

Outside, night has fallen. I’ve been so focused on my work I didn’t realize my office had gotten dark. Everyone else in the building must’ve left hours ago.

I stand up and stretch. I wonder how irritated Cora is about the fact I’m out late again. If she’s anything like me, she’ll still be pissed about the note I left her this morning. And she’s very much like me, all the way down to our stubborn pride.

Through my wall of windows, the city lights below me twinkle like perfectly arranged stars.

My phone rings, and I frown at it. Liam never calls without texting first. He starts talking as soon as I answer.

“Stay calm,” he says. “Cora’s okay.”

My adrenaline spikes. Sprinting out of my office, I yell so many questions at Liam without stopping that he’s forced to shout over me. The more he tells me, the more my fury builds.

I swing my fist into the nearest wall. It happens to be a glass conference room. The wall shatters behind me as I keep moving.

I have to keep moving.

“Where is the fucking bastard?” I demand.

“In the basement,” Liam says. “We’re not going to finish him until you get here.”

Damn fucking right they won’t. That bastard’s end belongs to me. He hurt my wife.

“And Cora?” I ask again. I’ve already asked about her a dozen times.

It isn’t enough.

“She’s okay,” Liam says. “She’s at your place.” His patience is thinning, but he can’t understand.

It isn’t enough to be told she’s okay. I need to see her for myself. She’s strong, but she still must be shaken up. All because I failed to protect her.