Decision made, Fionn hurried back to his bedroom and the woman who held his sanity in the palm of her hand.
***
Hiding in the bathroom was so not LeeAnn’s idea of what she should be doing. If her father had sent someone to retrieve her—and it was very likely he had—then she needed to be out there defending Fionn. Not that her father would have anyone he hired to bring her home hurt Fionn. Her father wasn’t like that. He was…
What exactly was he? Benita had hinted that she was delusional to think he was the kind gentle man she’d always thought him to be. He’d raised her after her mother had died. Had sent her to the best schools growing up. He supported her work at MIT, asked about it daily. But in all that time, he’d never shown her affection. But why would he do all that if he didn’t care for her?
It seemed everyone thought the worst of her stepfather except her. So did that make them right, or her? Maybe he was a bastard. Fionn hadn’t said what he’d done to earn the displeasure of the O’Shea family, but maybe they could both be right. After all, just because he was involved in some shady businesses didn’t mean he didn’t truly care for her.
Sitting in the corner, she was pondering all this when the door to the bathroom burst open. LeeAnn recognized one of her father’s bodyguards, but not the vicious mien he presented now. The man looked like he was going to kill her the second he got a hold of her.
Lunging for her, the man—Vick—snarled at her. “Get over here, bitch. Your father wants you back to work.”
“No! Wait!” She pulled against his rough grip. “Vick, you’re hurting me!”
“Not half as bad as I will if you don’t do what the fuck I tell you!” His voice was a harsh growl, as if he were biting out each word through clenched teeth. When he put the gun to her head, LeeAnn knew the cold kiss of fear.
“What are you doing? My father wouldn’t want you to do this!”
“Your daddy said to bring you out. Dead or alive. Apparently, if he can’t have your little planes and rockets, he doesn’t want anyone else to have them either.”
LeeAnn gasped as he dragged her along with him, his gun still firmly at her head. Vick looked around wild eyed as if thinking someone would jump him from the shadows any second.
“Let me go!”
“I said shut the fuck up!” Vick snaked his other arm around her neck, holding her so tight it was hard to breathe.
In a panic now, LeeAnn fought. Kicking out with her bare feet against his fully clad legs did nothing. He held her head so tightly, she couldn’t use the back of her head to connect with his face in any way. She was able to dig her nails into his forearm, clawing for all she was worth. Still, he didn’t let her go, or even acknowledge her efforts in any way.
Three shots rang out from another part of the house. LeeAnn tried to scream, but couldn’t get enough air. Had Fionn just died? Had he killed? Either prospect left her heart racing in fear for him. The man had seen too much death. He didn’t need any more.
“Sounds like my boys got your boyfriend,” Vick said, his voice a sneer. “Let’s just go make sure they did the job right.”
Never letting LeeAnn go, Vick dragged her out of the bedroom down the hall and into the kitchen. Before they got there, they met one of Vick’s men. LeeAnn recognized him but didn’t know his name.
“Back the other way!” the man hissed in a whisper, but his urgency was clear. “Bastard knew we were here. Got Charlie and Anderson.”
Vick dragged LeeAnn back to the bedroom, his hold on her never loosening. She could barely breathe his arm was so tight around her neck, but she didn’t stop fighting. Instead of telling her to hold still or any other number of things she’d seen on TV, Vick simply knocked her in the temple with the butt of his gun. Stars swam over her vision as her head seemed to explode in pain. Still, the barrel of his weapon was firmly back at her head. Did he truly mean to kill her, then?
“Do you honestly think that will work?” The new guy didn’t sound convinced. “The old man wants her back at work. Boss said so. If she gets killed in the crossfire, who do you think they’ll take it out on?”
“He doesn’t care as long as she’s not on O’Shea hands,” Vick growled back. “Just keep her in between us and him and we can take this bastard.”
The men weren’t exactly quiet but LeeAnn could barely hear them over the roaring in her ears as the blood refused to flow from her head the way it should. She was starting to get really dizzy and her eyes were swelling shut, bright dots of light sparkling in her vision.
A noise at the door had both men firing their weapons like mad. LeeAnn jerked, thinking one was likely to take her head off, but there was nothing but the loud explosion of gunfire.
Which was when something inside LeeAnn snapped.
She wiggled and squirmed, knowing Vick was likely too busy looking or Fionn to really pay her much attention. He’d probably think she was just trying to maneuver so she could suck in a breath of air. The second he let up, LeeAnn dropped her chin under his arm and found his flesh with her teeth. The warm, coppery taste hit her like a vindication. So did his sharp cry of surprise and pain.
Dropping to her knees, LeeAnn crawled away from the pair as fast as she could in the dark, rolling under the bed. Thankfully, the moonlight provided her enough light to make out the shadow of the massive piece of furniture. If she were lucky, the men wouldn’t see her.
Two pops of gunfire later and two heavy thuds sounded as bodies hit the floor. LeeAnn wanted to cry out to Fionn, to make sure he was OK. Then she remembered she was supposed to be glad they were trying to rescue her. Only they really weren’t. At least, if they were, it was worse than being held prisoner by Fionn O’Shea.
A hand grasped her ankle, dragging her from under the bed. LeeAnn kicked out with all her might, giving a battle yell as she did. She connected with something solid, but the man kept pulling her until she was out from under the bed. Not stopping her attack, LeeAnn kicked and kicked until she dimly heard Fionn’s voice over the roaring in her ears.
“Relax, baby.” Then, “Ouch! Cut it the fuck out!”
Finally, she stopped, still wary until Fionn pulled her into his arms, holding her so tight she thought she might break. His familiar scent enveloped her, letting her know she was safe.
Which was when she realized she was supposed to want to be free of him. Only she really didn’t. So, with a mental shrug, she clung to him just as tightly as he did her.
“I thought I’d lost you,” he choked out, his voice tight.
They sat there for several minutes. Fionn with his back to the wall next to the bed, LeeAnn in his arms. Both of them were breathing hard and LeeAnn thought Fionn trembled just as much as she did. Then she sat up straight, one thought whirling through her mind.
“Are you hurt? They shot at you! Did you get hit? I’ll call an ambulance!”
When she tried to get up, he held her firm. “I’m fine, baby. They didn’t touch me.”
“You’re sure?”
“I think I’d know.” His amused tone made her want to throat punch him but she settled for smacking him. None too gently.
“That’s for scaring me half to death!” She did it again. “That’s for killing people right next to me!” Once more for good measure. “And that’s for kidnapping me in the first place, you prick!” Then she took his face in her hands and kissed him soundly, filling all the anger, confusion, and relief into her kiss she couldn’t adequately express otherwise.
After several moments she pulled back, resting her forehead against his. “What was that for?” Fionn asked.
“For making me fall for you, dumbass.”
His chuckle warmed her, filled LeeAnn with a sense of anticipation. Her life was about to begin and it would be with this man. Did they have issues to work on? Sure. Did she want forever with him? Maybe. Time would tell, as would his attitude and actions.
“I think my dad may be outside in a car waiting somewhere,” she finally said, knowing it would mea
n confronting him in some form or another. “I’m not leaving with him, but I do need to talk to him.”
Fionn pressed his gun into her palm. “Fine. But you’ll do it armed and with me at your side.”
“Fionn, this is my dad. I don’t need a gun to talk to him.”
“Then you don’t know the man like you think you do. Do this for me. Just this once and I’ll never ask you to touch a gun again.”
She grinned up at him, the moonlight illuminating their faces. “I think you just dig chicks with guns.” Instantly, his cock pulsed under her bottom where she sat across his lap. “That’s what I thought,” she said, her grin widening even more.
“Let’s just get this over with. I want you in my bed. Not under it.” He pulled out his phone, hitting a couple of buttons to call someone. “Micky, I need cleanup if Shannon can spare you. Two in the kitchen. Two in the master bedroom. Check with me before you leave.” Without further comment, he hung up.
LeeAnn studied his face a moment before standing and offering a hand to help him up. “You’re anticipating having to kill my dad, aren’t you? That’s why you want your man to check with you.”
Fionn took her hand, stood, then cupped her cheek with one hand. “I won’t if I can help it. But your father is in deep with my old man. He probably doesn’t have your best interest at heart.”
“Very well then,” she said. “Let’s go.” LeeAnn wasn’t sure what she was hoping for, but she had the feeling her life was about to change forever.
Chapter Eleven
There was no way Fionn was allowing LeeAnn anywhere near Bart Holden. There was a trap there. He could smell it. Keeping her away from her stepfather was going to be a problem since Fionn knew she’d never just blindly follow him where her father was concerned. But he had to try.
For a long while, Fionn scoped out the front drive where Holden’s car sat. As if the man owned the place. Apparently, he’d anticipated his men would have killed Fionn. So why wait? Smarter than Fionn gave him credit for?
No. Sure enough, the man got tired of waiting and exited the car, dropping a cigarette and stomping it into the pavement. Making his way to the front door, Holten had the temerity to simply walk into Fionn O’Shea’s home as if he owned the place.
“Vick!” he thundered as if he fully expected his muscle had killed Fionn and was simply taking his time coming out. “Where the fuck are you? And where’s my daughter?”
“I’m here, sir,” LeeAnn answered, moving away from Fionn quickly. She left him in the shadows, never acknowledging he was there. Was she that glad to see her father? Would she betray him? The latter thought made his gut clench. Fionn had grown up with betrayal. Expected it. But from LeeAnn, it would be nearly as bad as if one of his brothers had done it.
Holten didn’t smile, didn’t welcome her with open arms like any other father would. Instead he said simply, “Come on. You need to get back to work.”
LeeAnn tilted her head as if she hadn’t heard him right. “Actually, I’m going to continue my work here. Fionn is building me a lab. I’m going to arrange to finish my thesis here and do my research in a virtual environment.” OK, that was interesting, Where was she going with this? Sure, Fionn had offered, but though she’d same as said she’d be agreeable if he could pull it off, she hadn’t actually taken him up on it yet. And she’d never said what she would need. Of all the things that were going through his mind, the least important should have been “I might actually be able to pull that off.”
“Nonsense. You’re coming back with me. I’ll set you up a lab so you can work at home. You signed nondisclosure agreements. Fionn O’Shea only wants to make sure he has control over your work.”
There were several moments of silence before LeeAnn said, “And you don’t?” She said it quietly, an accusation.
“Surely you didn’t think I sent you to the best schools for nothing.”
“So, I’m supposed to pay you with…what? Classified aerospace projects? What will you do with them? You certainly can’t sell them off as your own. You don’t have the background for anyone to believe your credibility.”
“I expect you to sell them. You owe all your education to me. The way I see it, any money you earn from it is forfeit to me anyway, so I’ll be taking it as soon as you complete your current project and find a buyer.”
She gave a humorless laugh. “You have no idea what you’re doing, do you?”
“I know exactly what I’m doing! You will give me the money from your projects, then you’ll start new ones. This time, I’ll be the sponsor. You work for me. Just like I’d planned all along.”
“Dad, I don’t own my research. The school does. I’m a student there. On scholarship for my masters and Ph.D. I might head the project, but any money will go to the school. It’s the reason they gave me the scholarship in the first place.”
Her dad cocked his head to the side. Hesitated. Then, “You’re a lying bitch just like your mother.” Bart lunged for LeeAnn, grabbing her by the throat. “You will give me my due! I didn’t keep you here so you could freeload off me.” He grinned evilly at her then. “Maybe we can work something else out. If O’Shea here has offered to build you a fucking lab, you must have proven to be more…adventurous…than your mother.”
LeeAnn was gripping his big wrist in both of her hands. Fionn had his gun out, ready to shoot but couldn’t get a clear angle. The last thing he wanted to do was hit LeeAnn by mistake. Funny. He’d never cared before. He always hit his target. But the thought of pulling the trigger now with LeeAnn so close to where he aimed made him break out in a cold sweat.
“Bastard!” LeeAnn bit out, though it seemed to be difficult.
“You think your new boyfriend will help you? He hasn’t shot me yet, even though he has his gun trained on me. Perhaps he’s not as infatuated with you as you thought. Perhaps he’s afraid to shoot me because he knows I’m under the protection of his old man.”
As he spoke, a shot rang out. Pain exploded in Fionn’s right shoulder. Had he not shifted a few inches to the left, the bullet might have hit him in the neck. As it was, his gun hand went numb, his nine mil thudding to the ground.
“Fortunately, I don’t have any problem with shooting him. In fact, it’s exactly what I’ve been paid to do.”
LeeAnn seemed to be trying to turn around, but Bart held her in a death grip. Was she looking for him? Fionn wanted to say something to ease her mind, but he was in the shadows. Bart’s man had made a kill shot. If they all thought he was dead he had a better chance of recovering so he could fucking kill them all. Besides, he had no idea how many men Bart still had left.
“Let me go! You disgust me!”
“I haven’t even begun to disgust you, sweetheart. Before I’m done with you, you won’t even remember Fionn O’Shea.”
In a move that surprised even Fionn, LeeAnn dropped down, using her full body weight to loosen the hold Holden had on her neck as she dropped to her back. With a battle yell, she kicked up with both feet, landing a solid hit to Holden’s groin. Two yells came from the shadows just beyond the lighting in the drive. Heavy footfalls followed, headed toward Holden and LeeAnn.
“Kill the bitch!” Holden screamed. “Should have done it years ago!”
Fear, something Fionn hadn’t experienced in more years than he could remember, gripped him like a vise. Moving quickly, he snagged his gun, pulling the trigger on the two henchmen before taking aim at Holden. Before he could do anything, however, another shot rang out. It took him a couple of seconds to process what he was seeing.
LeeAnn lay on her back, pistol in hand, her aim still on her stepfather as he crumpled to the ground. Just before he fell, Fionn saw the small blossom of blood in his forehead where she’d shot him.
“LeeAnn!” There was no way to keep the fear from his voice. It was over, but he still had this overwhelming fear for her. If he lost her, there was no way he’d recover. In just a couple of days, this woman had become as essential to him as breathing. “Tal
k to me, LeeAnn!” Fionn scrambled up, his shoulder screaming as he lurched to her on his hands and knees before stumbling to his feet.
“I’m fine,” she said, her voice shaky. Her father lay in a heap in front of her, LeeAnn still on the ground. “I think I killed him.”
“Turn away, baby,” he said as he reached her. Pulling her to her feet, he wrapped his good arm around her. The other one was basically useless at the moment. “Are you hurt?”
“No. Just a little…” She took a deep breath. “What would he have done to me if I hadn’t shot him?”
“Don’t think about that, LeeAnn. You’re safe. Let’s get inside. I’ll make sure Micky knows I need him out here and we’ll get you cleaned up.”
“I’m fine,” she insisted. “What about you? You were shot, for crying out loud!”
“I’ll be OK. While you’re resting, I’ll get this taken care of. No fuss, no muss.”
Then she burst into tears.
Chapter Twelve
LeeAnn stretched, careful not to disturb Fionn in the big bed they now shared. She’d stayed with him while his personal physician made a house call to tend the bullet wound. He’d called it a “through and through,” indicating it should heal nicely if Fionn followed his instructions. LeeAnn assured the man Fionn would, indeed, follow his instructions to the letter, no matter how much he protested. So, for the next month, she’d proceeded to make good on her promise. While Fionn growled and grumbled, he did what she told him to, and so was healing nicely. Every now and then, after he’d protested particularly hard, doing his therapy only if she promised to perform some scandalous sex act for him later, she caught him grinning after she agreed in a huff. It wasn’t as if she wouldn’t have done anything he’d demanded of her anyway. She suspected it was as fun for him to pretend he was getting her to do something she might not otherwise have done as it was for her to pretend she wasn’t dying to try every single thing he suggested. As long as they were both happy—and he was healing—she really didn’t care. Life was good.
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