by May Gordon
I hear branches snap and I stop in my tracks, turning toward the sound and holding the gun at the ready. “Easy, Quinn,” I hear Foster's voice.
I let out a huge sigh of relief. “Help,” my voice is raspy as I look down at Molly. She’s still bleeding, and I’m covered in it. “She’s been shot.”
Foster rushes towards me. “Let me see.” He unzips her jacket, pulling it away. “Shit, there’s no exit wound.” He examines her some more. “Put her down and give me that bag,” he orders.
I do what he says, gently putting her on the ground and pulling off the bag. Foster rips it open and pulls out some gauze. “We weren't sure what condition you’d be in, so we came prepared. This is just a quick fix until we get her some help, and she needs it ASAP.” He stuffs her wound and Molly lets out a blood-curdling cry.
“Watch it, man,” I warn him.
“I know, I know, I'm sorry, but it needs to be done,” he grunts, sounding as if he doesn’t like it any more than I do and works quickly. “All right let's move. Can you carry her or should I?”
I growl at him for an answer, and he just nods and takes the bag. We quickly run to the vehicles and when we get there I see all the dead bodies, including Murry. Fucking good riddance. Novak and Lawson and some other men are waiting by a running SUV. They see me, and their initial reactions are happiness and relief, then they notice Molly in my arms, and blood covering both of us.
“What the fuck?!” Novak yells.
“You guys deal with this mess, we need to get Molly some help,” Lawson orders the others.
We load up and Foster drives, taking off at full speed. Molly is looking paler by the second and has broken out in a sweat. “Where are we besides in the middle of fucking nowhere? How far until we’re at the hospital?” I bark out in a panic. It’s then I realize Foster is on the phone.
“Connor knows a place we can get help. I’m heading there now. It’ll be ten minutes,” he says.
“Fuck!” I grunt. Ten minutes while she's bleeding to death. I hope to god she makes it, she has to. I can’t live without her.
The winding roads of Ireland make me sick to my stomach, but I hold on, needing to focus on Molly. We pull up to a farm, and unload quickly. There’s an older couple waiting on us.
“Connor called ahead, this way,” the woman urges. We walk to the barn, that on the inside is obviously not one. It looks like a fucking hospital. I put Molly on a gurney and the woman and man push her into another room where I see a few more people. I’m following them when the woman turns and stops me. “You need to wait here,” she says.
“The fuck I do! That’s my wife,” I snarl at her.
I feel Foster's hand on my shoulder, and I glare at him. “Let her do her job so she can save Molly.” I let out a breath and nod. I watch them wash up and get busy helping her, trying to keep her alive. And I do something I’ve never done in my whole life. I pray. Pray that God doesn’t take away the redheaded angel he sent me.
Chapter 14
Quinn
It’s been hours, fucking hours and she’s still not out of surgery. For the first few I couldn’t even talk, I just walked past the room. Connor arrived shortly after we did, and the guys finally got me to speak. I told them about Shane, Murry, and everything else I could remember. I also got filled in on their end about what’s happened over the last month.
“Who’s looking after matters at home?” I ask, still in a haze worried sick about Molly.
“Molly set Jack and Ryan in charge. She’s been checking in and everything is fine. No one knows you’ve been kidnapped. They think you two are on your honeymoon,” Foster explains.
I nod and tell them, “I can't thank you all enough for looking after Molly. I know it must’ve been hard on her.” I glance at Novak and Lawson.
“Hey, we’d do anything for you and Molly, you know that, but it shouldn’t be us you thank,” Novak nods toward Foster.
He shrugs and grunts, “It’s no big deal.”
“It is, Foster. You always prove yourself to us more and more. First with Cleo and now Molly”, Lawson tells him.
I stand and walk to Foster who is leaning against the wall again. I extend my hand and he takes it. I shake it, letting know how much I respect him and everything he’s done. “Thank you,” I tell him looking straight into his eyes.
“You’re welcome,” he replies.
I look through the barn doors to see Connor standing outside, just looking at the rolling green hills. The news of Shane hit him hard, especially learning he killed Brian and Darcy. I walk and stand next to him.
“Are you all right?” I know it’s a stupid question, but I ask anyway.
“No,” he states, releasing a deep breath. “But once Molly is out of surgery I’ll feel a lot better.” I nod, understanding what he means. He gives me a long look, something I can't make out.
“What is it?” I ask.
“I’m guessing you don’t know.”
“Know what?”
“You love her. You’re really head over heels madly in love with my granddaughter,” he states it as a fact not a question.
“You know I fucking do,” I snap at him. “Now what don’t I know?”
He chuckles and it’s the first time I’ve seen a smile on his face. “You need to watch your language now. You drop more f-bombs than anyone I know.” I have no fucking idea what he’s talking about, but yeah, I know I swear a lot but why do I need to change? “Molly’s pregnant.” The words shock, scare, and thrill me all at once.
I’m so fucking happy that once again I want to cry like a baby. “Does the doctor know? When did she find out? is she okay?” I ask, my voice laced with emotion as I fire off questions.
“Relax, son.” Connor pats my back. “I told Dr. Mel about and she’ll do everything she can for Molly. And Molly found out while you were gone, and from what Foster said she’s been tired and sick, but otherwise fine.”
“Fuck.” I drop yet another one, just now noticing now how much I say it. “I should’ve been there,” I growl at myself.
“You’re here now, and that’s all that matters.”
“She took a bullet for me,” my voice is a hoarse whisper.
“Love does that to you,” he says with a smile.
“What? Makes you dumb enough to step in front of a bullet?” I grunt.
“No,” he chuckles. “Strong enough to save the one you love.”
“Quinn,” Foster yells from the barn door. Instantly I'm in a panic and running toward it. “Easy, man,” he holds up his hands. “Everything is fine. The doctor is ready to talk to you.” He leads me inside where Dr. Mel is waiting for us.
“She pulled through, and the baby is fine. She’ll need some recovery time and to rest, but she’s stable.” She gives us a wide smile then says, “She should wake up in a few hours.”
“Thank you, Mel, I can't tell you how much I appreciate your help,” Connor tells her.
“Yes, thank you, Doc,” I shake her hand.
“Anything for the Dunne family. Stay here as long as you like until Molly is ready to leave,” she smiles at us. “We moved her to a clean room to recover, so you can go see her.”
She doesn’t have to tell me twice. I race to the room and it looks just like a hospital as well. She’s laying in the bed, wires and IVs connected to her. Fuck it breaks my heart. I pull a chair to the side of her bed and grip her hand to bring it up to my mouth to kiss it. She feels so pale and fragile. I look at her belly and see more connected to some monitors. I start to panic until I hear Dr. Mel’s voice.
“Relax, Mr. O’Sullivan. That’s the fetal monitor to tracking the baby’s heartbeat.”
I place my hand on her belly, not feeling any difference but still amazed there’s a life inside her that we created. “And he or she is okay? Do we even know the gender yet?” I ask her.
She shakes her head. “The baby is fine, and it’s still too early to tell as she’s only about eight weeks. Just take care of her, and al
l will be fine. I suggest that she meets with her obstetrician when she gets home,” she says with a smile then leaves us alone.
Connor and the others file into the room. “Fuck she looks fragile.” Foster goes to the opposite side and moves some hair from her face. Usually my instinct would be to claw his eyes out but his expression isn’t sexual or romantic, but pure brotherly. I look around and see the same on Novak and Lawson. I’m glad she has them in her life, a group of very deadly older brothers to protect her. It puts me at ease, knowing she had them while I was gone, but I don’t plan on relying on them like that a second time. I’m never leave her again. Ever.
Molly
I struggle to gain consciousness. It’s a fight, and I feel like I’m in purgatory until I finally find the strength to open my eyes. The room is dim and I look around. My granddad is in a chair to my left, Novak and Lawson are on the couch. To my right is Foster in another chair near the foot of my bed, and Quinn is beside me, clutching his hand in mine. They're all fast asleep. I guess worrying about me must have tired them all out.
I place my free hand on my belly and glance at the monitor, seeing that my baby’s heartbeat is strong, and I instantly relax. When I was shot that’s all I was thinking about. I knew it was stupid to jump in front of a bullet, but it was instinct. I couldn’t let anything happen to Quinn. He’s my husband, and I love him more than anything.
I close my eyes once more, trying to regain my thoughts about today, or however many days ago that was. I have no idea how long I was out. Shane. I can’t fucking believe the pain I feel as his betrayal burns through me. I start to cry, trying to keep it quiet, but I don’t have the strength to.
“Shhhh. Molly come here.” I feel Quinn join me and gently gather me in his arms as the emotions just pouring out of me.
“How could I not have known?” I sob out. I feel my granddad’s hand on my shoulder.
“Irish, he fooled all of us. You can’t blame yourself. I spent more time with him than anyone.” I hear the pain in his voice as he leans in and kisses my forehead.
“Where is he? What happened after he shot me?” I ask, searching the room as I notice Novak, Lawson, and Foster have all woken up and are standing around my bed.
Something in Quinn’s eyes puts me on edge. “Can we get a minute alone guys?” He asks them.
“Sure man. I’m glad you’re awake Molly.” Novak smiles as do Foster and Lawson, before leaving the room, and now it’s just me, Quinn, and my granddad.
I look at Quinn and see a storm in his eyes. “I killed him, Molly.”
I suck in a breath, shocked but at the same time not by the news. I know he deserved it, after all he’s done, but my feelings for Shane don’t automatically disappear. It’s a battle because I loved him, but now hate him at the same time. I can see Quinn is just as torn up about this.
“Quinn, it’s okay,” I sob, probably confusing him with my emotions.
“I’m not sorry I killed him, Molly. He did too much to hurt your family, and he shot you! I’d do it over again if I had to. But I’m sorry you’re hurting. Please forgive me,” he sounds frantic. I lean in, hugging him.
“No need to ask for it Quinn,” I reassure him.
I look at my granddad and see the sadness on his face. “I’m sorry.” I don’t know what else to say to him.
“It’s all right Irish. We’ll get through this together.” He kisses me on the forehead then smiles and says, “I’ll leave you two alone for a minute.”
I look at Quinn, and before I know what's happening his lips are on mine. The kiss is gentle, sweet, and full of love. I want to cry over how beautiful it is. I’ve missed him so much.
When he pulls back, I see the most amazing smile on his face. “You're pregnant,” he whispers.
I find my first smile in what seems like forever. “Yes, I am.”
“With my baby,” his grin grows bigger.
I roll my eyes and huff out, “yes.”
He kisses me again hard this time and I feel myself coming back to life from it. “Are you happy?” I ask even though I know the answer.
“I’m so fucking happy Molly.”
“You need to watch your mouth now. You curse a bloody lot,” I smirk at him.
“I know, I know. Connor and everyone else said the same fucking thing.” He winces when he realizes he just said it again and I can’t help but laugh at him.
His faces grows serious now. “Molly I don’t want you ever to do that again and while being pregnant for fuck’s sake. You can’t put yourself in danger like that,” he growls at me in anger and worry.
I take a deep breath because I should’ve known this was coming. “Quinn, it was a lot safer than my original plan. I had every intention of being right in the middle of that firefight with the others. Then Foster all but yelled and guilted me into going the safe route, which turned out not to be all that safe after all.” I explain to him. “And I would save your life regardless, and there is nothing you can say to talk me out of it,” I tell him.
He lets out a breath and relaxes into me more. “We’ll fight about it later, right now we need some much-needed sleep.”
I lean into him, resting my head on his chest and I wrap my arm around him, and finally for the first time in the last month I sleep peacefully in the arms of the man who loves me.
Chapter 15
Molly~One month later
I walk through the threshold of our home, and I've never been so happy to be here. Home. In Vegas. With Quinn. We spent the last month in Ireland, recovering and dealing with the aftermath of Shane and Murry. His little gang of thugs that survived bolted from the country. There is no official king of the underworld in Ireland anymore, but a lot of smaller “businesses.”
It was amazing there, like a honeymoon, and we even had a small ceremony at my granddad’s cabin with Lawson, Novak, and Foster. Cleo even flew over for the weekend before they all had to go back home. We spent the rest of the trip visiting Ireland and I showed him all my favourite views and places. The other half we made love, catching up for lost time. As much as I love Ireland and everyone in it, I wanted to go home, and get back to our lives.
“Welcome home!” I look up to see Ryan and Jack standing in the kitchen.
“Hey!’ I practically run up to them and embrace both in a hug, that is until I’m ripped away by Quinn.
“Enough touching,” he growls.
“Sorry, boss,” Ryan smiles, not looking like he is at all.
“We just missed her. It’s been hell without her,” Jack supplies.
“And I’m sure you two didn’t miss me at all?” Quinn asks deadpan.
“You were gone?” Jack smirks, making us all laugh.
“Get out of my house. We’ll get an update from you later,” he barks out.
“Come over tomorrow and I’ll make a special dinner to celebrate our return,” I smile at them.
“Sounds like a plan, boss.” They smile at me making Quinn roll his eyes as they leave us alone.
I turn to Quinn. He lost some weight while he was kidnapped but gained it back over the last month. He even trimmed his overgrown beard a wee bit. I take his hands and give him a wicked smile. “Follow me,” I say with a sultry smile. That gets his attention right away. I lead him upstairs to our room. He shuts and locks the door behind us and we attack each other. His soft lips and rough beard feel like home to me. Once our shirts are off, he unzips my jeans and pushes me onto the bed. He gets on his knees and pulls down my jeans and underwear then runs his hands up my smooth legs and to my belly. He leans up and places kisses on my slightly firm stomach.
“I love you,” he whispers against my skin making me tingle, then moves lower, trailing kisses all the way to my opening. He uses his large hands to spread my thighs further apart. When he takes his first taste of me, I throw my head back and let out a long moan.
“I love that sound,” Quinn growls out.
He works fast as he builds me up. You’d think it’s been months s
ince I've had sex not hours, but I’m just super sensitive from my pregnancy. He sends me over the edge and its pure bloody bliss. He climbs on top of me, kissing me passionately and I taste myself on, which only makes me hotter.
Suddenly he flips us over, so I’m on top. “Ride me, Molly,” he growls out while he pulls me to him. The sensation of slowly sliding down on him makes us both moan in ecstasy. I ride him hard, putting all my strength behind my thrusts. I love the pleasure I can give him, the growls and other sounds that come out of his mouth. I love it, just like I love him.
“Quinn, I’m so close,” I whimper, pregnancy making me go faster.
He lets out a growl and flips us over again. His thrusts are powerful and relentless, and before I know it, we both find release. He fills me up completely, and if I weren’t already pregnant, this would definitely knock me up. He lays on me, his weight like a comforting blanket. I wrap my hands around him, pulling him closer. We stay that way, enjoying our bodies tangled together.
“Welcome home,” I whisper into his ear.
“I’m home whenever I’m with you,” he says, kissing me again.
We spend the rest of the day lying in bed, making love, talking about the baby, and our future. And it sounds bloody fabulous to me.
Quinn~The next day
It takes all my control not to beat all these little snot nose kids into the ground. Molly wanted to go to the gym to see them and get an update from Jack, Ryan, and my other men who have helped run it over the last couple months. I wanted to stay in bed all day with her all day. So, natural we did what Molly wanted to.
All the boys were so happy to see her after she was gone for so long, and all the hugging and smiles are driving me crazy, I want to get their attention off her.
“Mr. O’Sullivan. It’s so nice to have you and Molly back.” I turn to see Betty behind me and I can't help but smile at her. She’s worked for me a long time, cooking my meals and organizing the housework, but it seems like Molly has made her the resident mother hen of this place.