It was hard for him to walk away, but Connor needed the revenge more than he did. I was the one still alive, Alannah wasn’t. Turning my back, Tristan growled and started to shout, but I couldn’t hear what he said. A gunshot fired and I heard his body hit the floor with a loud thunk.
As soon as we got out of the house, I jumped into Blake’s arms. “I love you so much,” I cried.
He breathed me in, holding me tight. “I love you too, princess.”
Tears welled in my eyes and I laughed. I’d missed hearing him call me that. “How did you know I wasn’t dead?”
Brushing the hair off my face, he slid his fingers down and cupped my cheek. “I didn’t at first. I thought you were dead. It fucked me up more than anything. But then things didn’t add up and I couldn’t live with that. I had to have proof you were gone, and how it truly happened. That’s why I went to Burnsville and had Logan help me.”
“Logan?” I asked, wide-eyed.
He smiled. “He’s the one who got the satellite video for me. It showed the crash and then Connor getting you out of the car. After that, I knew what to do.”
“What if you were too late? What if Tristan had taken me to Ireland?”
His gaze grew dark. “I would’ve gone over there and fought for you. Nothing was going to keep me away.”
Over his shoulder, I watched Connor exit the house. I couldn’t imagine what it felt like to have to be around Tristan after what he’d done to him. It was vile and completely heartbreaking.
“Connor,” I called. He walked over and I threw my arms around his neck. “Thank you.”
It took him a few seconds, but he returned the embrace and let me go. By the pain in his eyes, I could tell killing Tristan took a lot out of him. Tristan was his nephew, his family. “You’re welcome. Sooner or later, he would’ve killed you too. If not physically, emotionally. I wasn’t about to let him do that to another innocent girl.”
“I’m sorry about Alannah.”
He averted his gaze. “Killing Tristan won’t bring her back, but it had to be done.”
I glanced at them both. “What happens now?”
Blake put his arm around me. “We wait for the police to come, answer their questions, and go home. Then you get the jollies of dodging the press.” That was going to be a nightmare. I’d been in the news more in the past two months than I had in my whole career. It was going to explode when word got out that I was alive.
“What about you?” I asked Connor.
His gaze landed on Blake and he was the one who answered. “His people will probably have him sent back to Ireland, where they can dish out punishment. Am I right?”
Connor nodded. “Killing him will be the ultimate sin in my brother’s eyes, no matter what he did to deserve it.”
Sirens blared in the distance; the police were coming. “What if you’re dead?” I asked.
“We could say one of Tristan’s guys killed you and buried you somewhere. That could work, right?” I glanced up at Blake, hoping he’d agree.
He squeezed my shoulder. “I think you’ve been hanging around these guys a little too long.”
“Not a bad idea,” Connor added. “But I’d need your full cooperation. You’d have to lie for me.”
The sirens were getting closer. “We’ll do it, now go,” I commanded.
His attention landed on Blake. “I have to hear him say it first.”
Huffing, Blake held out his hand. “Go, MacCabe, before I change my mind.” Connor shook his hand and I hugged him one more time before he took off at a sprint. “Hey,” Blake hollered after him. Connor stopped and turned around. “If you bring any kind of trouble to our doorstep, I will hunt you down and kill you. Got that?”
A wide grin spread across his face. “I’m not stupid enough to do that.” He turned and disappeared just in time for the police to barge in through the gate.
“I’m ready to go home,” I said.
Pulling me into his side, he kissed the side of my head. “Don’t worry, you’ll be back to California in no time.”
I looked up at him and smiled. “Nah. I think it’s time I found a place where I belonged.”
Hadley
“So I’m good to go?” I asked the doctor.
She smiled over the file in her hands. “You are, as soon as you sign these for my two little girls. I’m pretty sure I’ll never see you again after today,” she said, handing me two pieces of hospital stationary. “It’s not every day you meet someone who rose from the dead.”
I signed the papers and handed them back to her. “I’m glad to be back. But what about him?” I asked, nodding over at Blake. He rolled his eyes and mumbled something under his breath about being fine. I had to laugh at the sight. He looked like Grumpy Cat in a hospital gown.
Dr. Reese chuckled. “We’re just waiting on more of his test results and then he’ll be ready to go. It doesn’t look like anything’s broken.”
“Because there’s not,” he grumbled. “I’m perfectly fine.” They put us in the same room because he refused to let me out of his sight.
“Still, Mr. Evans, we have to make sure you’re okay. You’ll be out of here within the hour.”
“What about my father? Is he awake yet?”
She closed my folder and held it to her chest. “He’s in and out. We’re flushing the drugs out of his system as we speak. They gave him a large dose. He’s lucky to be alive.”
I held back my tears. “Thanks, Dr. Reese. And Nick?”
“Doing surprisingly well. There was a clean exit wound. He’ll be back on the ice before next season. He should be fine to leave tomorrow.”
“Thank goodness,” I replied, sighing with relief. He was probably tired of getting shot because of me.
“We contacted his sister so she should be here soon. She’s your agent, right?”
And she had no clue I was alive. The media hadn’t gotten hold of that story yet. “Yep, and it should be quite interesting when she sees me.”
“I bet,” she laughed, glancing down at her watch. “All right, let me check up on those test results and I’ll be back.”
Once she left, I climbed up on the bed with Blake. “I never thought about how weird it’s going to be to see everyone when we get back. It wouldn’t surprise me if the paparazzi comes up with some stupid story about how I faked my own death to get media attention.”
Blake snorted. “They can fuck themselves. We know the truth and that’s all that matters.” Wrapping his arm around my waist, he pulled me down next to him and held me.
“What am I going to say to my dad? I’m so confused right now.”
He squeezed me. “You have to tell him how you feel. If he wasn’t in a hospital bed right now, I’d have beaten the shit out of him for what he did. However, it’s up to you to forgive him.”
“What if I can’t?” Tears fell down my cheeks onto the pillow. What my father did would forever impact my life. Nothing in the world could take away those scars.
“You will one day. He just needs to know he doesn’t have to protect you anymore. You have me for that.”
“Does that mean you’re going to be my bodyguard?” I quipped.
He pressed his groin into my back. “I’ll do more than protect your body, princess.”
I slapped his arm playfully and shook my head. “What about your undercover work? You won’t be able to do as much.” I turned in his arms and faced him. His fingers grazed along my cheek and then he leaned over and kissed me.
“I don’t care about any of it. I want to be with you and I’ll do that any way I can. I can’t trust anyone else to protect you.”
“It’s because nobody can. You’re the only one I trust with my life. I don’t want anyone else.”
He smirked. “You sure you won’t be embarrassed to be seen with me?”