Page 11 of Daddy

Tears blur my vision as I enter the elevator. Leaning against the cool metal, I watch the doors close—to the elevator and our relationship. My heart shatters, and tears stream down my face over losing someone who was never actually mine.

I don’t even know how I make it to the street. Or how I wind up on the sidewalk with my back pressed to his building. The blur of the city before me, I sob uncontrollably as I dial Layla’s number. She picks up on the second ring, and I try to get myself together enough to speak, but I just cry into the phone.

“Jorge? Sweetie?” Instantly recognizing my pain, her tone is thick with concern. “What’s wrong?”

“Rory…” I choke, barely coherent. “It… It’s over.”

Layla sucks in a sharp breath and exhales, “Oh, sweetie, no… Where are you? I’m on my way.”

CHAPTERFOURTEEN

RORY

It’s been six days since Jorge walked out of my apartment, and I’m still trying to go more than five minutes without thinking about him. I should’ve followed him. Stopped him. I should have doneanything.

I should reach out and try to fix this, but every time I pick up the phone, something holds me back. I’m too proud. Too stubborn.Too fucking scared.I’ve been running from real connections for so long that when it finally happened, I acted like a fucking twat.

Even tonight, I’m fucking idiot. I’ve passed on family dinner, and I’m sitting on a fucking stakeout for Ivan’s thieves-in-law, Vlad, so I can avoid Jorge. It’s easier to hide in my car, where I can pretend everything is fine, than to face him. Resting against the steering wheel, the buzzing of my phone pulls me from my thoughts, my heart skipping a beat when I see his name on the screen.

JORGE

Can we talk?

Swiping it open, I’m mid-response when two sheriffs’ cars pull up outside the police station as a swarm of officers line the doorway. Closing out my text to Jorge, I pull up Conor.

They’re moving him now.

CONOR

Follow them

We have to know where they’re taking him

Keep me posted, we can’t be more than five minutes from you

I drop my location to Conor’s phone and follow the police cruisers, ensuring I keep a safe distance so I’m not spotted. They pull to a stop, and I maintain my speed, driving past them and parking further down the block. In my rearview, I watch them take Vlad inside and set up a police perimeter.They know someone is coming for him.

Swiping my thumb over my phone, I call Conor. He answers immediately, and I share, “I’m parked down the block. They’re walking him in now. Single-family home. Looks like they’re setting up cops at the front and back. This is going to be a fucking blood bath.”

“Are you up for this?” he asks, and I realize that I haven’t been masking my personal turmoil nearly as well as I thought.

“Fuck you,” I spit. “I wouldn’t be loading an extra mag right now if I weren’t. Why don’t you kids get your asses here already?”

Finn teases, “How the fuck did we all agree to add a second Declan to this family?”

Drawing my best impersonation of Declan, I gruff, “Don’t be a fucking twat, Finn.”

When I see their headlights turning onto the street, I hang up the call. I watch from down the street as Conor and Ivan deal with the two cops at the front of the house. Finn and I join them as they're stowing the bodies in the back of the police car.

Following behind Ivan, we’re inside within seconds. Bullets fly and drywall dust peppers my clothes. A plain-clothed cop steps around the corner, and I fire a round into him before he has a chance to react. He crumples to the floor as we move deeper into the house.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

My ears ring from the shots, nearly drowning out Finn’s cry. “Fuck! Con!” Rounding the corner, I look down to find Finn kneeling in a rapidly growing pool of Conor’s blood.So much fucking blood.I freeze for a second, my mind drifting to the SUV—blood pumping from my chest so viciously that I could feel its warmth pooling in the seat beneath me.

Not Conor… At least not today.

Being the stubborn ass that he is, he tries to push himself from the floor, but he’s already too weak. Bending, I pull his arm around my neck as Finn does the same. Ivan grabs his legs, and the three of us carry him down the hall.

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