Raiden: A Stand Alone, Irish Mob Crime Romance (The Kent Brothers Book 2)

by A. M. Hargrove

  “Thank you.”

  He patted my hand. “Ms. Sullivan, try to stay away from bullets from now on. They’re not your friend.”

  “Wait. It’s not like I wanted to get shot. They broke into my apartment and did the shooting first.”

  “I see your memory is returning.”

  “Yes. It was awful. Did Raiden get injured?”

  “No, not even a scratch.”

  “Good.”

  “The police will be here tomorrow with questions. I told them no questions tonight. So get some sleep because they’ll be pounding on your door come morning.”

  “Thanks, doc.”

  With a nod, he left, and the rest of the group trailed behind him. The nurse came over and gave me the full instruction on the morphine button. Then I dozed off until they transported me to my room. Hospitals sucked. Every time I fell asleep, someone came and woke me up. This would be a long three days.

  The next time I awoke, it was to the aroma of a forest, instead of the acrid smell of the hospital. Raiden was here. Taking my time to inhale his luscious scent, I slowly opened my eyes to see him watching me and holding my hand.

  “Good morning, lazybones.”

  Gah, the man was sin wrapped over sex. How could my brain even go there while my body reeled in pain? Swallowing the bucket of dust that had accumulated in my throat while I’d slept, I reached for the giant cup of water sitting on the nearby tray. But the slight movement brought another slicing pain directly to my side. The groan escaped before I could squelch it, which sent Raiden flying to his feet.

  “Are you okay? Let me help you.” He handed me the water and held the cup as I guzzled its contents. “Take it easy on that.”

  “I was thirsty.”

  “Yeah, but you don’t want to make yourself sick.”

  My head flopped back to the pillow and before I could respond, he was fluffing said pillows and raising the bed a bit. “Better?”

  “Much. Thanks. I wish I could brush my teeth.”

  “I can help with that.” He gazed around the room until his eyes fell on the items he searched for—a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a pan. I watched him squirt the paste onto the brush and then he handed it to me. It was heaven when I finished.

  He laughed. “I almost feel like I’m the dentist, except I need one of those suction things that gets the junk out of your mouth.” He took the tray and rinsed it out.

  “Thanks for doing that. I feel like a new person. Are there any facecloths in here? My face feels grimy.”

  He found a stack, and it was the next best thing to a shower.

  “What else can I get you?”

  “Nothing. I can’t eat today, and besides, I don’t have an appetite.”

  “Same here. You scared the crap out of me, Scottie. You are the most hardheaded woman.”

  “I saved our lives.”

  “But nearly got killed in the process.”

  “Uh, the operative word is nearly, which means I didn’t.” Raising my arms, I went on. “See, I’m fine. Except for the wound, I’ll be home in a few days.”

  “Scottie, this isn’t a joke.”

  A sigh whistled out of me. “Raiden, I’m not turning it into one. I’m only putting it into perspective. Had I not done what I did, those guys would’ve busted in and shot us both. We wouldn’t be having this conversation right now. Sometimes you have to make a sacrifice play, like in baseball.”

  His eyes pierced me before he answered. “Fine, but next time let me do the sacrificing.”

  My sassy mouth wanted to fire back with his lack of skill in firearms, but I kept it shut. That would only lead to another argument, which neither of us needed, and insulting his manhood wasn’t appropriate.

  However, I had to mention this. “I think it’s time you get trained in how to handle a weapon.”

  “I know how to handle a weapon.”

  “You need to get a permit so you’re legal. Drex can take care of that. He has connections with the local sheriff.”

  “Isn’t that what bodyguards are for?”

  “Oh, and they did a damn good job of covering us, didn’t they?” I knew my reply was snarky, but the point was if O’Brien wanted to get to us, he’d find a way.

  “Drex has ramped up the numbers of them again. We lost some last night.”

  I rubbed my head. The number of casualties kept growing. “Good to know, however, we still need to protect ourselves.”

  No response, and how could he disagree? It was the only thing that made sense.

  “Raiden, I don’t like admitting this, but I’m scared. You’ve seen WI and how their security is better than anything. If O’Brien’s men got past that, they can get past anything.”

  His head dipped up and down. “I’m scared too. I’m frightened something will happen to you.” He took a hold of my hand again and brought it up to his lips. “The stakes have shot sky-high. Drex assured me this was the safest place when I told him I wanted to run. He said O’Brien would send men after me no matter where I went.”

  I wanted to run my hands through his hair and hold him to comfort him, but I was useless. “I agree. In my estimation, he’s going after anyone who helped put his brother away. Revenge is a nasty thing, and we’re right in the middle of it.”

  “Then promise me something. Let’s fight this thing together.”

  I agreed but knew if it happened again, my training would kick in and I would repeat my actions, even if it meant sacrificing my life for him.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Raiden

  Scottie had been right. Her points were spot on. I needed to get a gun permit and learn how to become a decent marksman in case anything happened again like it did in the apartment.

  “I’d like for you to move into the house with my family.” Before she could speak, I held up a hand. “This isn’t ideal, I know, but it’s your best option right now. We’ve divided up between Cruze’s and my place. I don’t care if you choose Cruze’s. Okay, scratch that. I’d rather you chose mine. But I’ll leave it up to you. I only want you to be safe. I’ll beg if I have to.”

  “This time, I agree. It’s much different when everyone’s life is at stake, and I believe it now.”

  Putting my hands in the prayer pose, I looked at the ceiling and said, “Thank you, God.” I totally meant it too. “Scottie, I don’t think I could’ve stood it if you wouldn’t have agreed. I’ve been so worried about you as it is.”

  “I’m sorry. I hadn’t intended for you to feel that way.”

  “I know. But you need your rest, because knowing you, you’ll try going straight back to work when you get out of here.”

  “Yeah, Huff and I were onto something mighty important.”

  The doctor told her everything was healing well. He was keeping the drainage tubes in and would stop by again that evening.

  “Any chance I can leave tomorrow?” Scottie begged.

  “That’s pushing it. The day after.”

  Her glum expression let me know his response wasn’t satisfactory.

  Then he said, “Rest is your best friend right now and the more you get, the faster you’ll recover.”

  “Can I get up?”

  “Sure, but not alone. You might fall.”

  “What about a shower, doc?”

  “Not yet. The nurse can give you a sponge bath, but that’s it. I want that incision to stay dry.”

  After he left, she was in a rotten mood. She grimaced every time she moved. “Are you hitting that morphine button?”

  She shrugged.

  “Contrary to what you may think, pain control helps you get better faster.”

  “And are you an expert on it now?” Sarcasm coated her words.

  “No, but I have done some reading up on it.”

  “As I have. I’m also a former DEA agent and I know how easy it is to get addicted to morphine, therefore I choose not to use it.”

  “For fuck’s sake, Scottie, then ask for something else.”

&n
bsp; She crossed her arms. “I did, and they refused.”

  “What did you ask for?”

  “Tylenol.”

  I threw back my head and howled. “You think that’s a suitable substitute for morphine?”

  “Why don’t you ask Acer? He probably knows more about it than you do.”

  My brother was a former heroin addict, but that’s not my story to tell. “You know damn well that’s not a fair comparison.”

  Her chin tipped up in defiance. “Maybe, maybe not.”

  “And it’s not like you to go after Acer like that.”

  “You’re right. I apologize for that comment. I was wrong to bring him into this.”

  “I can see you’re being obstinate about this, so we’ll agree to disagree.”

  She tipped her head up. “As we did when you left the hospital against your doctor’s orders.”

  “I do admit to that, but at least I took the prescribed medication.”

  Her eyes fired a round of bullets at me before she lowered her lids. I wasn’t giving up, but damn, the woman was stubborn. Deciding reverse psychology was my best option rather than arguing, I raised my hands up and said, “I give up. Have it your way. Be in pain and miserable, extending your recovery time. It’s your body, not mine.”

  She didn’t respond. After a few moments, I added, “I have to get back to the office, but I’ll return later. If there’s anything you need or want, please call.”

  “Thank you, Raiden.”

  Her soft words were a knife to my heart. I wanted to retract every harsh word I’d ever spoken to her as I stared at her slender form lying in the bed. “You know you can count on me for anything, right?”

  “I do. Be careful out there.”

  “Always.” I pressed my lips to her forehead and walked away. A team of bodyguards waited in the hall and we left. Instead of going to work, I went to WI. Finding out where the investigation stood was imperative.

  Gemini spotted me before anyone else. “How is she?”

  “Stubborn and won’t take the morphine they prescribed, so she’s in pain.”

  “Why?”

  “She doesn’t want to become addicted. Acer should pay her a visit.”

  “That’s a great idea.”

  “Where are we in the investigation? This has to stop.”

  “Come in. We were just getting ready to meet.”

  Following her into the conference room, I took a seat next to Isla. As soon as everyone arrived, Huff began.

  “Unfortunately, Scottie isn’t here, but she was spearheading part of the op. We’ve located O’Brien’s daughter in Ireland, right outside of Belfast. We want to take her.”

  I frowned at hearing this. “You mean kidnap her?”

  “To put it bluntly, yes. But the ransom would be for O’Brien to turn himself in to the feds, along with the weapons he’s stolen, with a guarantee that the kid would be safe.”

  What the fuck! “We can’t do that,” I protested. This was highly illegal and to take a kid out of her country was a major crime.

  “I understand how you must feel, but listen to our plan first.” Drex had interrupted me. “No harm would come to her. She would be safe with us.”

  “That doesn’t matter. It’s still a crime.”

  “The other option is not to remove her from Ireland but to take her to a safe house there until O’Brien caves.”

  That sounded better but was still kidnapping. Isla reached out and took my hand. “Raiden, we have to do something or the attempted killings will continue. This seems to be the most plausible course of action, with no one getting hurt.”

  “And how can you ensure that?”

  She chewed on her lip for a second before answering. “Please trust us.”

  If I clenched my jaws any tighter, my teeth would crack. “I realize you guys are the experts, but I have a bad feeling about this.”

  “Thanks for that.” Drex tipped his head. “So we get Sinead and take her to a house in Ireland. Hide her until O’Brien consents to give himself up. Then we free her.”

  My brain swam with every kind of potential complication. “What if she has bodyguards?”

  “We’ll have every bit of information on her before we begin. We’re gathering information.” Huff was the one who answered. “Don’t worry, Raiden, we’ll have every base covered before we leave.”

  I looked pointedly at Isla.

  “I won’t be going on this one, so don’t worry. I can’t leave Olivia that long.”

  Then she squirmed. “What?” I got a bad vibe.

  “Since this is Scottie’s op, she’ll be going, along with several other WI team members and some outside freelancers.”

  Drex came to his feet. “Before you say anything, we’ll wait until she’s recovered from her injuries. Risking an employee’s health isn’t an option.”

  That did nothing to calm me. “No, but when she’s recovered, it’s still risky.”

  “Not necessarily. She can stay in the safe house and the others can pick up the girl,” he explained.

  “Don’t sugarcoat it, Drex. It’s kidnapping, plain and simple.”

  He shrugged. “I see it as doing it for the people of this nation.”

  “Semantics.”

  Gemini pounded her fist on the table. “Boys, can we move on? We are proceeding with this op, like it or not, Raiden. Now we need to ensure our plans are precise and perfect.”

  I rose to my feet and said, “It’s time for me to head to work. Thanks for the updates.” I left without a backward glance. Kidnapping was a crime I wanted no part of. Our safety was one thing, but breaking the law was a different matter altogether.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Scottie

  Sleep eluded me so I called for the nurse and asked if I could get something. Thankfully, the doctor approved a sleep medicine. I wasn’t as afraid of becoming addicted to that as I was the morphine. It wasn’t long before I conked out, but the nurse woke me up to take my temperature. That was beyond annoying. Couldn’t she see I was asleep and why couldn’t she come back later?

  Right after she left, Acer walked in, and chirped, “How’s the patient today?”

  “Grrr.”

  “Someone isn’t very happy.”

  “Someone needs sleep. They keep coming in for silly things, as in taking my temperature every few hours, disturbing my rest.”

  “There’s nothing like your own bed, is there?”

  “As if I’d know what that felt like. I don’t have one of those, remember?” My salty response flew out of my mouth before I had the chance to temper it. “I’m sorry. Admittedly, I’m a grump.”

  “I know what it’s like. I’ve been shot before and it doesn’t feel very good.”

  I wriggled up to a decent sitting position and winced in the process. “I didn’t know that.”

  “Yeah, it happened in Atlanta when Isla and I were first working on the O’Brien case. Before my abduction.”

  “Damn, Acer, you’ve really had your fill, haven’t you?”

  “Guess you might say that. It’s made me a better man, though. Funny thing, that.”

  “You have a good attitude about it.”

  He shrugged. “It’s something I learned in rehab. After I quit feeling sorry for myself, I learned a lot. But my hard head got in the way at first.”

  I squinted at him. “Are you trying to tell me something?”

  His attitude went from casual to serious. “I won’t beat around the bush. Take the morphine, Scottie. You won’t become an addict in one or two days. It will help you sleep through the pain. Trust me.”

  “It totally scares me after some of the things I saw working for the DEA.”

  “It scares the shit out of me too. But in your case, take it. One day and you’ll be so much better. They don’t randomly prescribe the stuff. They do it for a good reason.”

  Out of all the people I knew, Acer was the one to trust on this. I watched him as I tapped the button that led to the pump.
In seconds relief washed over me and I felt better. My muscles loosened as the pain diminished.

  “Better?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” I sighed, “and I keep getting better.”

  His nostrils flared. “I can practically smell the stuff. Do me a favor, will you?”

  “What’s that?”

  “Actually, two favors. Keep using that while you’re here and tell my brother I’m a miracle worker.” He winked.

  “I will. Are you leaving?”

  “Yeah, I, uh, need to get out of here. Besides, you’re going to be able to sleep now. Take advantage of it. And by the way, my recommendation is to move in with Raiden. We moved to Cruze’s place. There’s more room and it’s quieter there without Olivia.” Then he was gone. Why did I get the feeling he and Isla were playing matchmaker?

  The morphine took over and I fell asleep and stayed asleep until the nurse came back in to check on me. That’s when I noticed the pain again, so I pushed the button. Raiden made an appearance after that.

  “Thanks for sending Acer over. He talked some sense into me.”

  “I’m glad he did. You’re less gray than you were this morning. Some color has come back into your cheeks.”

  “I was gray?”

  “Yeah. And your mouth was sort of pinched. I felt awful for you, feeling that way.”

  “Why didn’t you say something?”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What woman wants to be told those things?”

  He was right. I would’ve thrown a pillow at him had he said that. It made me chuckle and I grabbed my side. “Damn.”

  “Why’d you laugh?”

  When I told him, he did too.

  “You know something, Ms. Sullivan?”

  “What?”

  “You’re a hot mess.”

  “Can’t agree with the hot part but the mess, you hit the nail with that one.”

  He set a bag on the tray table by my bed. “What’s that?”

  “Why don’t you have a look?”

  I peeked inside and there was a container of Thai chicken broth. “Yum.”