Page 187 of Three Irish Kings
A burst of adrenaline and endorphins have me standing up with effort.
Everything hurts, but I open my arms for her.
As I can almost smell her, already feel the ghost of her touch, one of Cormac’s men grabs her from behind.
She screams, and I don’t even think, just react.
I aim and shoot him in the forehead.
He slumps to the ground, and Isla screams again.
The man who was climbing down the stairs has long since expired, and I step over him to get to her.
She throws herself into my arms, sobbing, wetting my shirt with her tears.
“Oh, thank God you’re okay,mo chuisle. I missed you so much. I love you more than word can describe. And I know the timing sucks, but I couldn’t wait another second to tell you.”
It’s the wrong time and the wrong place, but last time she stopped me, and I had to let her know. Especially since I have no idea if I’ll even make it out of this alive. And there is no way I’lldie without telling her at least once how I feel about her. And if we get out of this alive, I’ll tell her I love her every chance I get.
She doesn’t say it back now, of course, she doesn’t. She just cries harder, so I pull away from her long enough to cup her cheek, scanning her injuries.
“Isla, are you all right? Aw, your poor face.”
A black eye that’s yellowing, her nose swollen and slightly crooked.
I pull back a little further without letting her go, and what seems to be bruising is peeking from under her shirt.
My eyes fly to hers. “The baby?”
“I requested a doctor. They said everything was okay, but I need an ultrasound.”
I’m more and more grateful I pummeled that fucker, Reese, to death.
“And you?”
“I’m… I’m fine.” The stutter in her voice worries me, as does the haunted look in her beautiful eyes. She suddenly clutches at my shirt. “Cill. There’s a girl here, a daughter. She… she’s being abused, we need to get her.”
I nod, but I know we don’t have time to do it. Who knows what’s happening to Liam right now since this has all gone balls up.
“We will,mo chuisle,as soon as we can, we’ll come back for her.”
She searches my face as if looking for answers, and then nods.
“We have to go to Liam,” I say finally.
“Liam’s here?”
I can’t help but feel a stab of jealousy at the way her eyes light up, but maybe that’s okay. Maybe I can learn to deal with those jealous feelings. For Isla.
“Aye, and Dare’s waiting outside.”
“You came for me,” she whispers hoarsely, cupping my face. “You all came for me.”
“Of course, we did. You’re our girl, aye?”
“Aye.” She kisses me, and all the world is gone, just me and Isla, in this bubble in between time and space.
But then someone shouts from the hallway above, there’s grappling, someone screaming.
