Dangerous Love (Mackenzies Book 3)

by Elizabeth Knox

  For minutes I sit in the darkness. I can’t do a damn thing about losing power, so all I can do is wait. I lean back and relax, knowing there’s no use in getting upset over this stupid shit. After a while, the lights come back on and a loud beeping sound comes from the door. Surely enough, the door is cracked, and I walk forward to push it open. The last thing I want is for it to shut. I’ll fucking die in here if that’s the case.

  As I walk through the doorway, I almost expect there to be someone here, but there isn’t. The entire place is no man’s land. Not a soul is here. I continue through the facility, my bare feet hitting the concrete floors. At the guard station, there’s an old soda cup. I grab it and down the liquid, not caring who had it before me. When you’re thirsty, none of that shit matters.

  While I make my way through the place, I look for food. Yes, I want to get out of here, but I need to eat. If I don’t, I won’t have any energy. Sure enough, I find a break room of sorts with a refrigerator. I waste no time opening the door and peeling through the contents. The only decent thing I find is a yogurt, so I rip the plastic top off and use my fingers to scoop out the strawberry substance. It’s the best damn yogurt I’ve had in all my life.

  By the time I’m finished, I wipe my hands on my old, ratty clothes and proceed to find the way out of this shithole. It doesn’t take me long before I find an exit sign, but each entrance where there are bars is open. I bet the power going out reset everything, which gave me a hell of an advantage.

  I don’t know how long it is before I find light coming through a window. Fuck, I’ve made it this far. I can get out of here. I don’t bother searching for a door any longer. If a window is my way out, I’ll damn well take it.

  I walk into the room, push on the device that opens the window, and there’s just enough of a gap I think I might fit through. The drop is about fifteen feet, but I can handle it. I put my feet through first and use my hands to help push me through. Sure enough, I hit the ground with a thud. My ankle aches upon impact, but I’m out of there. I couldn’t hope for anything more. This is all I’ve ever dreamed about.

  I start off in a run, winded before I’d like to be, but push myself to go further. I don’t know for certain someone isn’t here or that someone might not be watching. I’d rather be safe than sorry. I keep moving, my feet ache against the gruff ground, but I don’t care. I’ll keep walking until I can’t walk any longer if I have to.

  Eventually, I find myself at a road, and there’s a sign that says “Bellamount Forest”. I see the number beside it and decide to follow the road. If I can find civilization, I have better chances to get out of this. For many minutes I walk until I’m on the outskirts of a town. There’s a road sign which says “R190”, and it looks familiar. I don’t know how, but it jogs some sort of memory in the back of my mind.

  “Sir, are you alright?” an elderly woman’s voice asks me.

  I look to the side and see a woman dressed in head-to-toe black garments. Her head is covered and she’s wearing a gold cross around her neck, clasping her hand around it. Behind her is none other than a church.

  “Yes. I need to get to Dublin. Can you tell me how to get there from here?” I question her, cutting straight to the chase. The sooner I get my answer, the sooner I’m out of here.

  She proceeds to walk down the church steps and comes within a few feet of me. Once she’s close enough, she covers her mouth with her hand. “Goodness, you have scars all over your face. What happened to you, child?” Her expression is filled with concern, but I don’t need it. I need answers. I need to get to my family.

  “I need to know how to get to Dublin, please. If you could assist me, I’d greatly appreciate it.” While I’m not normally overly kind, I figure it’s best to be right now. She’s trying to help in her own way, and I’m not blind to it.

  “I’ll make a deal with you, okay? You come inside and get a warm meal, a pair of shoes even, and maybe a shower. Then I will help you get to Dublin.”

  I cock a brow, and the woman stares me down like mafiosos I knew years ago. “Fine,” I grit, accepting the old woman’s help.

  She waves her hand. “Follow me.”

  I follow close behind her as she leads me up the steps, and we walk inside the church. Once we’re inside, she looks directly at me. “Downstairs, we have rooms for people in a situation like yours. Go ahead and walk down that stairwell. Here’s a key to room number four. You go ahead and get settled. I’ll bring some food down for you in a bit, alright?”

  I nod and head down the stairwell, finding the room relatively easily. I put the key in the door and turn the knob, walking into a nice bedroom. On the bed lies folded up clothes. There are even towels on a dresser, and a door is open with tile floors. I shut the door and walk forward to the tile, catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror.

  My beard is raggedy and unkempt. I look like one of those crazy people who go on TV and try to survive in the wild. I turn back and grab the towel and clothes, head inside the bathroom, and lock the door.

  I don’t know how much time I have, so I make quick work of turning the shower on, stepping underneath the warm water and spot a small, wrapped bar of soap. Using my hands, I rip open the package and rub the bar against my skin, wiping away the grime and dirt. There are small bottles of shampoo, so I pick one up and soap up my beard. I’ve never been able to grow hair on my head, so I don’t have to worry there.

  Once I’m done in the shower, I step out, dry off my body with the towel, and then put on the clothes that were on the bed. It’s hit or miss that they’ll fit, but they do. They fit so well. I unlock the bathroom door and open it. As I’m walking into the bedroom, there’s a light rap on the door, and I head over to it.

  Opening the door, the nun who offered me help outside is smiling from ear to ear. “I’m so pleased you took a shower and changed. I bet you’re feeling much better.”

  “I am, thank you,” I comment, not wanting to say too much to her. For all I know, she could work for Valentin. I hope she isn’t, but I’ve seen shit like this before.

  “Perfect. I’ve arranged for someone to be here in the morning to take you to Dublin. In the meantime, here’s some fresh food.” She hands me a plate with roasted chicken, carrots, green beans, and potato puree.

  “Thank you for the offer, but I need to leave after I eat.”

  She licks her lips and frowns. “There isn’t any cost to you. My friend will take you to Dublin in the morning. Please, sit and eat, and get some rest. In the morning, I will come and get you when it’s time for you to get back on your journey.”

  “Sister, I need to leave. I have a family, a family I’ve been away from for far too long.”

  “And I’m certain those who love you would prefer you fill your stomach and get rest, wouldn’t they?” As much as I don’t want to admit it, she’s got me there.

  I nod. “I’ll stay until morning.”

  “Thank you. I’ll fetch you some water and bring it down. Until then, rest and conserve your strength. You look like you’ve endured so much, child.” She walks away, and I doubt she knows the horrors of the hell I went through. If she did, she wouldn’t ever be able to sleep again.

  Chapter Three

  Sloane

  “You seem out of it today,” my cousin, Luca, and also my security detail speaks up. He’s sitting in the corner of the sitting room, quiet as usual.

  I glance up from my laptop and nod. “You could say that.”

  “Wanna talk about it?” Luca asks, and before he’s even finished, I’m glaring across the room at him.

  “When have I ever been the talking type? I’m not Greer,” I grumble, finishing responding to the email that came through a moment prior. I type away on the keyboard, and as soon as I’ve moved my cursor and click ‘send’, Luca’s staring me down.

  “Like it or not, I know you, Sloane. If you weren’t frustrated, you wouldn’t be huffing and puffing, so tell me what’s bothering you so much.” There aren’t many men w
ho understand me, but out of all the men in my life, my father, my brother, Liam, and Luca are the only ones who truly get my personality. My brother-in-law, Aleksandr, tries to understand, but he’s never been able to understand me.

  Standing up from the couch, I walk over to the bar and pour myself some whisky. My hands shake and I take a sip before I even say anything. If I were a normal woman, I’d be happy, but I’m not. In fact, I’m terrified at what I found.

  “I was dropping off some clothes for Keeran since we’re going to Greer’s fashion show downtown tonight, and I found something.” Something I never thought I would find.

  “Alright. You’ve got to give me more than that,” Luca comments, narrowing his eyes at me.

  “I was putting some suit options in his closet.” I pause for a moment and swallow hard. “I found a ring box, so I opened it, and I found a ring.”

  Luca blinks wildly at me for a moment. “What kind of ring?”

  “A diamond ring,” I answer quickly, not wanting his mind to run wild.

  “And you’re not happy about it, obviously.” His tone drops, and the disappointment is evident in his voice.

  I look over at Luca, and he seems overly concerned, but I’m grateful for his worries. “I don’t know what to do, Luca. Keeran and I were great in the beginning, but over time he’s really only . . . I mean, I’m only with him because of the way he is with the girls. Don’t get me wrong, I love him. I’m just not in love with him.”

  “Fuck,” Luca runs a hand across his face. “He adores you, but you’re my blood, so my oath is to you. You must do what makes you happy in this life, Sloane. If Keeran isn’t the one you’re meant to be with, then break things off. For fuck’s sake, don’t keep dragging the man along unless you have to do it.”

  I understand what he’s saying but breaking up with Keeran isn’t as simple as he thinks. Not only does he work with my family, but he’s here every day. He’d constantly have to see the girls and me, and I think it would be torturous for him. But isn’t leading him on torture too? Fuck, I feel awful.

  “He loves the girls so much,” I tell Luca, looking into his eyes for some sort of guidance.

  “Yeah, and you’re not in love with him. Sloane, he can still care about the girls and do things with them. Even if you’re not dating, you know how much he cares for them. You can still let them have time together. Hell, they don’t have a father figure, and Keeran is the closest thing they’ve ever had to it.” Luca’s words hit me right in the heart and before I know it, my eyes are watering, and I’m struggling to keep them from falling.

  “I know, which is why I don’t want to ruin things between us.”

  “Sloane,” Luca groans, “do you not realize things are already ruined? Fuck, it’s obvious. Stop leading the man on. Rip the bloody Band-Aid off, will you? The longer you wait, the worse this will become. I know I don’t have to tell you this shite. It’s obvious.”

  I understand if I was a decent woman, I would’ve been excited seeing the ring box. I wish I could’ve been that woman, but I can’t. As much as I try, I won’t ever be the woman Keeran deserves. I’m struggling so hard right now. After Aleksei died, I never thought I’d open up to another man, but I did. Keeran happened to be the man, the one who gave me hope and the one who saved me from myself. I owe him so much, so much I’ll never be able to repay.

  Now it all makes sense, especially what he said the other night. He told me I’d just need to be patient for a little bit longer. How it would all pay off eventually, but it won’t. And I know when push comes to shove, he’ll never be able to look at me, not when I ruin his life. Not when I break his fucking heart.

  Thinking about it makes tears threaten to spill, and I do my best to shove them back. The idea of hurting someone who sacrificed so much for me . . . it’s something I’ll never be able to forgive myself for.

  “I know. I’m going to talk to him but after tonight. Greer’s show is . . . I don’t want to ruin it.”

  Luca scoffs, “Like you would. She’s never liked him. It would be a present to her psycho arse.”

  A cell phone ringing interrupts us, and Luca forks his cell out from his jeans pocket. He puts it to his ear. “Bishop, what’s going on?”

  For a few moments, there’s nothing but silence. “You’re pulling my bloody leg, are ya?”

  Again, more silence. “Bollocks, I’ll be right there.”

  Luca hangs up the phone and immediately stands. “I need to go. I . . . you stay put. Shite, I’m not supposed to leave you, but I need to go and handle this.”

  “It’s fine. I’ll go check on the girls. Don’t worry, I’m in the house, just . . . be careful, alright Luca?” Luca’s become so close to me he’s practically a brother now.

  He simply nods before he goes on his way, and I head to the twins’ bedroom.

  Chapter Four

  Aleksei

  I don’t know who this fucker thinks he is, but he’s lucky I haven’t thrown his ass on the ground yet.

  “Look, mate, I think you should head back from where you came from,” the blond bastard says as he takes a step toward me. He pauses for a moment and looks me up and down. “I’ll let you in on something. The people who live here, they wouldn’t take kindly to someone impersonating a man they loved very deeply. So, scram, and don’t ever let me see you here again. Next time I won’t be so nice.” He nods with his head for me to walk back down the lane, but I won’t.

  I’ve dreamed of this day for what feels like eons, and I’m not going to let some fresh blood ruin it. He’s obviously working with Luca on the security team. Since I don’t recognize him, he must’ve been hired after the accident.

  I don’t hold back the way I sneer at him. He has no idea who he’s speaking to, and he’ll find out soon enough. “Let me in before you make a fool of yourself. I’m trying to do you a favor here, and when they know I’m alive and what I’ve endured in my time away, well, they won’t be happy you gave me a hard time.”

  The man before me scoffs and proceeds to cackle before my eyes. He laughs like what I’ve said is hysterical, yet I know it isn’t. Whatever, he’ll be the fool when this is all said and done.

  “You can’t honestly expect me to believe you. Have you even seen yourself? You’re frail like an old woman. You don’t have any hair on your head, and I—Fuck this. The only thing you do have is a crazed mind, friend. I’ll tell you what. I’ll take you down to get medical care, and we’ll forget this ever happened. All I have to do is make a call and get someone to cover my station. Give me a—” His words are drowned out by the sounds of tires on gravel. It gets louder over time, and within a few moments of him babbling on about how he’ll help me, the blacked-out SUV comes to a halt.

  Little does this guy know I looked a lot worse beforehand. If it weren’t for the help I received from the nun, I’m sure I’d look much worse. Hell, I don’t know if I would’ve even gotten here in the first place.

  “Am I losing my fucking mind over here?” A familiar deep voice fills my ears, and we both stare at one another at the same time.

  Luca McCarthy.

  He’s not only head of the security provided to the Mackenzie family but is a cousin to Sloane, Greer, and Liam. He’s Desmond’s nephew. His mother wasn’t keen on the family business, from what my brother told me years ago.

  “I would say not,” I tell him from where I stand. I’m behind the iron bars that are guarding the property, and he walks over to the stone building, walks in the door, and then comes right back out. As he’s approaching me, the gate begins to open, and his colleague looks at him like he’s gone absolutely mad.

  “Luca, who the hell is this guy?” the man asks, glancing between myself and Luca.

  Luca turns back to look at him and as he speaks, a chill runs down my spine. “Noah, this is Aleksei Goncharov, and he’s come home.” Luca wraps an arm around me, obviously seeing me in my weakened state, and we walk alongside one another to his SUV. I get in the passenger side, and he pro
ceeds to get in the driver’s side. We sit here for a minute before he puts the vehicle in gear and begins driving up the lane.

  “You look like shite,” Luca cackles as he glances at me.

  “Wasn’t exactly getting the five-star treatment where I was,” I mutter in an aggravated tone, though I appreciate Luca’s sense of humor. I always have, even when he irritated me back in the day. Luca cackles lowly, and I clear my throat. “And you shouldn’t be talking shit. You look like an old washed-up hag.”

  Luca breaks out into laughter, and for the first time in a very long time, I’m smiling. This feels good to allow my defenses to come crashing down. It feels like I can breathe again, and fuck, I need this.

  Luca pulls the SUV up to a walkway that’s beside a wall. It looks vaguely familiar, but I don’t recall there being a wall here before. It must be something new that’s been added, but like in all aspects of life, things change over time.

  “How do you want me to handle this?”

  What a question. There isn’t a right way to handle this situation. Whatever I decide, it’ll be shocking at best. “I’m not sure,” I tell him with complete honesty.

  “I can call Liam or even your brother. Who do you prefer I—” Luca’s words vanish from my mind as a flash of raven hair fills my vision. She’s walking through the gate into the parking area, and I’m in awe of her.

  Her hair is longer than I remember, almost hitting her ass these days. Hell, speaking of her ass . . . she’s filled out in all the right places. Her hips are wider, her waist is thicker. Sloane’s aged so gracefully, and I doubt she even realizes it.

  She’s wearing a fitted purple blouse and a pair of dark jeans. Bracelets adorn her wrists like always, and she’s wearing reddish lipstick. Fuck, she hasn’t changed at all. She’s still the showstopping woman I love ever so dearly.