Page 170 of His Addiction
The helicopter landed at the coach house just as the sky lit up in flames, a bold sunset blazing across the hills behind Marcus’s estate.
He turned to his brother and grabbed his arm before getting out.
“Marcus. You’re always there for me, mate. I owe you.”
Marcus shrugged. “You always owe me. I’m your big brother. Saving your ass is a full-time gig.”
But Jamie didn’t laugh. He squeezed tighter.
“No, I mean it. I love you, bro.”
Marcus blinked at him, then smirked.
“You sound like you’re about to write me a poem. You should’ve gone with something more flattering like,‘Marcus, you’re a fucking god,’or‘Marcus, I want to name my firstborn after you.’”
Jamie rolled his eyes. “Dead on, mate.”
But the smile didn’t reach his eyes, worry still etched into every line of his face.
“I still can’t believe Bucky spiked the coke with horse tranquilizers,” he muttered. “If security hadn’t caught the exchange on video…”
Marcus shook his head as they stepped down onto the gravel.
“And I still can’t believe you lost your shit, Jamie.You’re lucky it ended with a major heart attack and not a murder charge.”
Jamie didn’t respond. Because Marcus wasn’t wrong.
If Niall hadn’t gone down from a seizure, Jamie would’ve continued to punch the fuck out of him. And fuck, he deserved it.
They stepped inside the Coach House, and Jamie stilled in the hallway.
The scent of home cooking drifted from the kitchen should’ve been comforting. But his stomach dropped.
Shannon didn’t appear…she didn’t run into his arms.
He knew she was here.
“What if she thinks I’m a monster?” Jamie’s voice was raw, barely keeping pace with the chaos behind his ribs. “She didn’t need to see me like that. Yeah, Niall was a fucking bastard, but he wasn’t like Carl Reed.”
A flicker of something cold and violent crossed Marcus’s face. The mention of Carl’s name still opened fresh wounds.
“Niall had a heart attack,” Marcus said, his voice steel. “He was a walking time bomb before you even touched him. If anything, she’ll be relieved you’re free and back where you belong.”
He softened then, stepping closer.
“I’d do anything to protect the people I love, Jamie. And so would you.” He reached up, palm cradling the back of Jamie’s neck, pulling him in. “This is our family now—me, Dad, Lana…you. And Shannon.”
Jamie let himself fall into the rough hug, grippingMarcus just as tight. Marcus slapped his back and grinned.
“I could still take you down, by the way. Even if you think you’re Rocky fucking Balboa now. You know the papers will run with it, right? Jamie McGrath kills man in bare-knuckle brawl. One punch wonder. Shame your big brother had to step in and clean up the mess.”
A breath of laughter cracked through Jamie’s tight chest.
“Marcus,” Lana’s voice floated from the hallway, warm and sweet.
The moment she spotted Jamie, her arms flew around him.
“I’m so glad you’re home, Jamie.” Her embrace squeezed all the air from his lungs. “Are you okay?”
