Page 50 of Dublin Beast

After a long moment, she exhales. “What are your next steps?”

I lean back, folding my arms across my chest. “First, we gather more intel. We need to confirm if Siobhan is still in that farmhouse and, if she is, how to get to her.”

Harper watches me carefully. “And if she’s in there?”

My jaw tightens. If Siobhan is in that fortress, getting her out will be damn near impossible. Not with how heavily armed the place is. Not without escalating things in a way Harper doesn’t need to know about.

I don’t tell her about my idea.

Rocket launchers. Fire. Burning that goddamn compound to the ground and everyone in it.

She doesn’t belong in that world—the world where men like me solve problems with violence and bloodshed. The world where revenge is the only currency that matters. I might like her, but I’m under no illusions about what we are.

And more importantly, what wearen’t.

So, I keep it simple. “If she’s still there, we figure out how to get her out. But we can’t do that until we have more information.”

A silence stretches between us.

Harper grips her mug tighter, her thoughts taking over. “What about my purse and suitcase? How did all my stuff end up here?”

“The server from the restaurant—the one who called to warn me you’d been taken—said your purse was left behind when Jamie grabbed you. Logan did us a favor. He packed up both our rooms and forwarded our stuff through a personal courier this morning. Hopefully, you have everything, because we won’t be going back to Liverpool anytime soon.”

Harper exhales, her fingers curling against the fabric of her sweater. “That’s fine with me. I’ve got a horrifyingly solid understanding of how Eddie Mason’s business works. Putting a little distance between me and his plans sounds great.”

I bet it does.I almost leave it at that, but figure she’ll want to know everything. “Also, you should probably let your partner know you’re safe.”

“Partner? I don’t have a partner. I’m a lone wolf, remember?”

“Well, your friend Anton gave Logan a hard time, demanding answers about what he was doing. You might want to call him to let him know you’re all right.”

She sucks in a breath and unfolds herself, hurrying back into the bedroom. “Ohmygod, I bet he’s losing his mind.”

* * *

Harper

At the mention of Anton, I rush into the bedroom to where my things have been left on the dresser. I dig through my purse, fingers fumbling until they close around my phone.

Relief trickles through me when I see there is still seventeen percent left on the charge. With a deep breath, I pull up Anton’s contact information and tap the screen.

It barely rings once before he picks up.

“Harper?” His voice is sharp, frantic. “Jesus Christ, where the hell have you been? I’ve been calling, texting—then a man was in your room. He wouldn’t give me a straight answer, just said you were safe but wouldn’t say where?—”

“He’s right. I’m safe.” Guilt twists around the tea and toast in my tummy for worrying him. “I’m sorry. Things got unexpectedly…messy.”

“Messy?” he repeats, his voice rising. “Harper, what the hell happened?”

I close my eyes, inhaling deeply before exhaling through my nose. “Jamie grabbed me when I went out to grab food at the pub. I wasn’t expecting it, and before I could react, I was already being taken.”

Anton sucks in a sharp breath on the other end of the line. “But you’re safe now?”

“Yes. Bryan got to me. He pulled me out before anything happened.”

There’s a long pause, like he’s processing that. When he speaks again, his voice is lower, tightly controlled. “And you swear you’re okay?”

“I swear. I’m still a bit groggy from the tranquilizers they pumped me with, but the nurse just left. I’ve been instructed to rest and take care of myself. I’m safe and in another day or so, I’ll be fully recovered.”

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