Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 56875 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56875 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
“Una is reacting the same.”
“But Anna doesn’t know me,” I replied, confused.
“Una probably talked about you. You carried her out of hell, Niall. It makes sense she feels safe with you.”
Unable to stop myself, I looked over at Anna again. She glanced up, our eyes locking, and then she lowered her head, tilting her face to Una. They were both dressed in clothing too big for them. Our clothing. As if we were surrounding them even when we were ten feet away.
“Get her some clothing from the boutique tomorrow,” Finn murmured.
“Yeah, already thought of that. I gave her what I could.”
“Has she eaten?”
“Tea. Toast.”
Finn chuckled. “These two are alike. Although I did get some soup into Una.”
“Damn it,” I swore. “I never thought of soup.”
He clapped me on the shoulder. “You’ll figure it out.”
“Doc Barnes says she’s severely undernourished. Dehydrated. She needs care and rest.”
Finn nodded, looking serious. “She’ll get whatever she needs. Una is very fond of her. Protective.”
“Yeah,” I muttered. “I fucking get that.” Finn looked at me, a smile pulling on his mouth, but he remained silent.
“Have you heard from them?” I asked, meaning Roman, Luca, and Aldo.
“A text saying it was done. They should be here soon.”
“We need to meet.”
His gaze drifted to the sofa. “In my suite. I can’t leave Una.” He stood. “Bring Anna with you. She can stay with Una.”
I looked at them, holding hands, quietly talking.
He sighed. “I think they need each other right now.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
We met with the men a short while later. Everyone looked exhausted. Finn arranged food—platters of sandwiches and carafes of coffee filled the table.
Una and Anna were on the sofa. Across from them were Effie, Vi, and Justine—the men’s wives. Finn had invited them, and it looked as if it was a good call. The five of them were close together, their soft voices a hum in the background. I knew they were offering comfort that Finn and I had no experience with.
Finn sat back, sipping coffee. “Fill me in.”
“Almost everything went according to plan,” Roman stated. His gaze flickered to Luca. “Almost.”
“What didn’t?” Finn hissed, leaning forward.
“Juan escaped.”
Every fiber of my body locked down, and I gripped the edge of the table to stop myself from yelling. I met Finn’s eyes, mine furious, his worried but calm.
“I thought he was dead!”
“No, the coward was pretending. He was shot and played dead. In the aftermath, he somehow got away. We don’t know how badly he was hurt, but we have men out looking for him.”
“Fuck,” I muttered. “Anna told me he was obsessed with her. She was there for over three weeks.”
“We’ll keep her safe and hope he’s crawled away to die somewhere,” Finn assured me.
Aldo looked grim. “I hope he dies painfully.”
“And the building?” Finn asked.
We kept our voices low enough the women wouldn’t overhear. The men assured us the building was demolished, the bodies burned beyond recognition, and none of us implicated.
“The rumor has already started that there was a fire in the lab, and the entire place went up with them all in it so quickly that no one could escape. All Lopez’s fault for having an auction in the same place as a dangerous lab,” Roman informed us.
We spoke at length about the syndicate, working together, and our mutual hatred for what Lopez had represented. The sort of drugs he made and sold were bad enough. Human trafficking was something none of us tolerated.
Some laughter made us look toward the group across from us. Finn smiled. “Your women seem to be the best medicine right now.”
“They understand,” Roman replied, a look of adoration in his eyes as he looked at his wife.
“I am obligated to all of you,” Finn said seriously. “I owe each of you a debt I can never repay, and I will be there if you need me.”
Luca grimaced. “Getting rid of him was in all our best interests. But we’re happy to have helped. I think this has made the syndicate tighter with a common goal. The message will be heard, however it is delivered.” He stood. “But I need my wife and some sleep. We’ll talk more before we leave tomorrow.”
We stood and shook hands. “Thank you.”
Anna shook her head. “I can’t take your bed, Niall.”
I lifted the covers. “I sleep on that sofa more than this bed, Anna,” I lied. I was not letting her sleep on the sofa or getting a rollaway cot. She needed the comfort of the bed. The distance from the door. It seemed to bother her, although I’d shown her the proper locks and reminded her gently that she was safe. I hadn’t mentioned Juan’s apparent escape. I didn’t want her more upset. Still, she was anxious being close to the door leading to the hallway.
“Get in,” I said firmly.
She slid in, her body relaxing into the pillow. “Can you leave the light on?” she asked, sounding ashamed to ask.