Duncan: The Lucky Irish Series - Book 1

by Anna Castor

  Sweat dripped down from Tom’s face and fell on her neck. She closed her eyes and prayed that she could persuade him to leave the elevator so it was clear and help could reach Ronan and Caitlin.

  Her phone rang again, and a moment later the phone in Ronan’s back pocket started to ring. She knew the sound of the phones was agitating him even more as he talked to himself. “Never again. I’m not going back there. If you’d just listened to me.... I can’t help it. I’m not going back....”

  He threw her off him, and Kayla swirled before she landed with a thud against the elevator wall. She saw Tom aiming for Ronan as he lay on the floor. “Noooo.” Kayla jumped in front of Tom’s line of sight, and before she landed on the ground, she heard a loud bang and felt a harsh blow into her stomach.

  “You stupid bitch. You should’ve listened to me. I didn’t want to hurt you, but you’ve left me no choice. They want to lock me up again, but I’m never going back.”

  Her stomach felt warm and wet. She placed both hands on it. She tried to fight the feeling of wanting to let go, but her limbs were getting heavy with exhaustion. Suddenly she heard Caitlin shouting something at Tom, but she sounded as if she was underwater. Darkness crept into Kayla’s vision, and the image of Caitlin swayed. Kayla blinked, trying to focus. The loud bang of a gun firing pierced her haze and shook her to her core. Tom shouted as he tripped over her and stumbled to the ground. A distinct gurgling sound stopped his screams.

  “It’s okay, Kayla. You’re safe. It’s okay,” Caitlin’s muffled voice tried to reassure her. Kayla felt a weird tugging at her torso, and she realized Caitlin had ripped her shirt open before pressing firmly on Kayla’s stomach with the torn fabric. “Try to hold on, Kayla. Help is on its way.”

  “Dunc, have you spoken to Kayla?” Donovan said before Duncan could greet him. He walked up to Duncan in the dojo, and something about the way he behaved was alarming. He was talking to Duncan and held up his phone against his ear at the same time.

  “What’s going on?”

  “I can’t reach her. I’ve tried to call her as I parked my car just now, but she isn’t answering the phone.”

  “Have you—”

  “Yes, of course I’ve tried calling Ro. He’s not picking up either.”

  “Fuck!”

  “You call Cait. She lives next door. Let her have a look. I’m calling 911. They should’ve been there already or certainly be picking up the phone. Ro knows how important it is to stay in touch on the job.”

  “This is no fucking job, brother. This is Kayla. She’s my fucking life.” Duncan lost his shit and roared, which caused several disconcerting glances to be thrown his way.

  Duncan tried calling Kayla, but she didn’t pick up the phone. “Pick up, pick up, pick up, Kayla,” he chanted, trying again. “She won’t answer the fucking phone!” Duncan panicked. “I’m going to her apartment.”

  Before he reached the door to go outside, his phone rang.

  “Kayla?” Duncan hadn’t looked at the screen when he answered.

  “No, Duncan. It’s Cait. I... I... don’t know how—”

  Duncan lost it and shouted, “Is she all right? Tell me now, Cait.”

  “She’s been hurt real bad. I’m going with her to the hospital. Ro’s been hurt too. We’re going into the ambulance as we speak. I’ll text you which hospital when the paramedics tell me.”

  Duncan got into his car with Donovan, who called Declan to ask if he had more information about what happened. Declan told them that there had been an incident in Kayla’s elevator, but that his colleagues couldn’t tell him more at the time. When the text came from Caitlin about the hospital, he went as fast as he could. Donovan called Brennan on the way and asked him to inform the rest of the family.

  Duncan sat in the waiting room with Donovan, Brennan, Declan, his dad, Pops, and Maureen, when suddenly Bree and Caitlin rushed in. He immediately stood to hug Cait. “I can’t thank you enough for what you did. If you hadn’t been there to save their lives...”

  Caitlin broke free from his hug and said, “No need to thank me, Duncan. I’m glad that Ronan will be okay and I’m sure the doctors will see to it that Kayla makes a full recovery.”

  “We’ve been waiting to hear something from the doctors for some time now. Every time those fuckin’ doors open, I’m hoping to finally hear some good news. How are you holding up?”

  “I’m going to be okay. The doc said that I only have a mild concussion.”

  “Thank God. I heard from Dec that you were questioned about shooting Tom?”

  “Yeah, some dip shit thought it was the perfect timing to go over the shooting right after I got stitched up. I know they need to investigate because my shot killed the SOB, but come on...

  “Did you know that Tom had been committed to a psych ward when he was a teen? Apparently, he’d stalked and attacked a girl. He’d been released five years ago, but he obviously was still a nut job.”

  “No kidding, Cait?”

  Duncan let this information sink in. He was grateful for Caitlin saving his wildflower and his brother. Caitlin was knocked down, but luckily she woke up just in time to shoot Tom before he could do even more damage. Ronan was slowly coming to, but he was pretty much still out of it. Tom used some heavy tranquilizer, and if Ronan wasn’t such a big fucker, he wouldn’t have gotten away from this by simply sleeping it off.

  Declan had called Calum as soon as he heard, and Kayla’s family took the first available flight out to Austin. Duncan felt for them, being so far away and unable to get there immediately.

  Duncan felt awful meeting the rest of Kayla’s family for the first time while she was fighting for her life. After Calum was done with the introductions between families, they all waited in silence for the doctors to tell them about Kayla’s condition. They knew they were operating on Kayla, but that was hours ago.

  It was after four in the morning, almost ten hours after the attack, when the swinging doors opened and a sturdy nurse came into the waiting room to give them an update. “Family of Kayla Walsh?”

  Duncan and Kayla’s parents stood and rushed over to her. “Please tell me she’s going to make it.” Duncan noticed the trembling in his voice.

  “It was a close call. Miss Walsh suffered a gunshot wound to her stomach, but we were able to pull out the bullet without doing harm to any organs. She’s suffered some internal bleeding, but it looks like the operation went well. She still needs to be monitored, but she’s been transferred to a recovery room. You may see her, but only two visitors at once.”

  Of course, that meant her parents were going first. Duncan couldn’t stop pacing the waiting room, and after half an hour, Calum stepped into his path. “I know you need to see Kayla, and she would want you there. Wait here.” Calum made his way to Kayla’s room and returned to the waiting room a few minutes later with his parents, who walked out with their heads bowed.

  Duncan said nothing as he rushed to Kayla’s room. Those damn beeps. Duncan had hated the beeping sounds when his mother was hospitalized, and now the love of his life was lying in a hospital bed with tubes coming out of her mouth. Her skin was ash gray, and she lay there with things sticking into her arms.

  “Dunc? Can I come in?” Brennan asked.

  Duncan nodded before resting his forehead on the back of Kayla’s hand. “I can’t lose her, Bren. I can’t,” Duncan sobbed. He was a big guy, six foot four, weighed almost two hundred and fifty pounds, and was full of muscle, but he couldn’t protect his wildflower. Feeling helpless, he couldn’t stop the tears from falling.

  Brennan’s big hand squeezed his shoulder. “Come on, Dunc. The doctor said the operation went well. She will be back being your wildflower before we know it. Trust me, she’ll be all right.”

  Duncan nodded and dabbed his tears away with his free hand. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. “Sorry, man, I—”

  “Stop, Dunc. You can cry, scream, punch, and kick all you want. But may I suggest you do it with me at
the dojo? Come on, stop with the tears. We need to be strong for Kayla. When she opens her eyes, and you know she will, then she’ll want to see a strong Duncan. She needs to know she’s safe, that we’re all here for her.”

  While he nodded some more at Brennan’s words, Kayla’s fingers gave the slightest of movement. “I feel her, Bren. She’s moving her fingers!” Duncan held on to her hand as he stood from his chair and hovered over Kayla’s face. “Wildflower, sweet, sweet Kayla. Wake up, buster. No need to scare me anymore, you hear? Come back to me. Stay with me... love me, like I love you. God, I love you, Kayla. Come back to me,” he begged her.

  Overcome with emotion, Duncan rested his forehead on her shoulder, but because of that, he didn’t see that Kayla tried to open her eyes. She startled him when she yanked on the tubes from her mouth. He jerked his head back so he could see her. She had the most frightened look in her eyes.

  “Shh, wildflower, you’re safe. It’s okay. You’re in the hospital. Don’t take out the tubes yet, you hear?” He looked at Brennan and snapped, “Go find a doctor to take out the tubes. Fuck.” He then said, “Kayla, please lay still. Let us help you.”

  She let her hand fall from the tube, and she looked a little less scared.

  “It’s going to be okay, sweetheart. I promise you. You’re safe, and I’ll never let you out of my sight. I might tickle you every day, but you don’t mind, do you?”

  Her eyes narrowed at him, making him chuckle. Even gunned down by a crazy stalker and fighting for her life, she was still filled with that admirable fire.

  Brennan returned with a nurse and a doctor, and they removed the tubes after checking Kayla’s vitals. The doctor thoroughly checked her over while explaining her condition to her. When he was finished, he stepped back and encouraged her to speak.

  “Dunc?” Kayla said, her soft voice cracking. She immediately coughed, and the nurse held out a cup of water to her, placing the straw to Kayla’s lips.

  “Only a couple of sips for now, Kayla. Easy there,” the nurse said softly. Kayla sipped a couple more times from the straw, and the nurse put the glass down.

  Kayla turned back to Duncan, squeezing his hand tightly. He looked up into Kayla’s eyes, but he couldn’t see her clearly through his tears.

  “My God, I love you, Kayla. I was so scared that I’d lost you.”

  “I... love... you... too.”

  He could barely make out her whispers, but she had said it. He was in awe of her. She was so strong. She’d fought back and even saved his brother’s life. And he was going to give Cait a lifetime membership at his dojo. He couldn’t be thankful enough for what she did. She’d rescued them from that fucker. If Tom hadn’t died in that elevator, Duncan would’ve gladly paid him a visit to help him on his way to hell.

  “My sweet, sweet girl. We were so scared. Oh, dear sweet Kayla,” Kayla’s mother, Catherine, said as she rushed into the room, sobbing and hiccupping. Duncan noticed the doctor, nurse and Brennan leaving, and Duncan stood from the chair next to the bed so Catherine could sit there. He felt a slap on the back, and when he looked over his shoulder, he saw Kayla’s father, Jack. He was in tears, but he held a strong grip on Duncan’s shoulder.

  Jack stood beside his wife, squeezing her shoulder in support. “Kayla, love, you scared your mom and me. Don’t ever leave us. We love you, sweet girl.”

  Kayla nodded softly as the tears fell over her cheeks. Duncan stepped around the bed so he could hold her other hand. She looked up at Duncan and gave him a teary smile. He pushed some stray hairs from her face, and she closed her eyes and leaned in to his touch.

  Not long after, Evan and Calum came into the room. “Okay, we want some Kay-Kay time too,” Evan announced with a big smile on his face. Both brothers stepped up to the bed, and Duncan gave Kayla a kiss on her cheek before he stepped aside.

  “Can I have a talk with you, Duncan?” Jack asked.

  Duncan looked over at Kayla, and she nodded that it was okay. “I’ll be right back, wildflower.” She lifted her hand as if to shoo him away, and he chuckled.

  Jack and Duncan walked down the hall to the coffee machine, although Duncan already knew he would hate the taste. They walked in a sort of comfortable silence to a bench near the coffee machine after they both got their cup. Duncan sat down and waited for what was to come.

  “So...,” Jack started but hesitated.

  Duncan looked to his side, where Jack sat with his back and head against the wall, his eyes closed. Jack was a big guy; Duncan figured that Calum’s physique resembled his father’s. For a moment, Duncan wondered if he had fallen asleep, but then Jack opened his eyes and gave a big sigh.

  “Duncan, I have to tell you that my heart is broken, and I think a little bit can’t ever be repaired. Catherine and I, the boys and I, we’ve done everything to protect our girls—from little fuckers at the schoolyard pulling their ponytails, high school boyfriends, and later on the frat boys. Kayla can tell you that she comes from a strict but fair upbringing.”

  Duncan nodded, as Kayla had told him how the family had looked out for the girls. ”Yeah, she told me. I respect that you cherished the girls.”

  Jack looked at Duncan, and he nodded in understanding, like they talked the same talk. “Hmm, exactly. Cherished. And in comes a coworker who hurts our Kayla, has her running across the country scared and alone, and now she’s lying in a hospital again.

  “Sitting on that plane to hopefully be in time to see our Kayla is something that has scarred all of us. But I’m going about this all wrong, because I have to be honest here and admit that she’s been hurt on our watch too. Two wrongs don’t make it right, but I know what you’re feeling. And that guilt for not being there for a loved one is going to eat you up inside if you’ll let it.

  “What I’m trying to say is that when our family came into the hospital in the early morning and walked into a waiting room full of people, we were shocked at first. We could feel the love from your family for our Kayla, and it made me realize that she’s not only our Kayla anymore. She’s definitely her own person with a life here in Austin. In the last couple of hours, I saw that you’ve been stuck in your own personal hell. I noticed how scared you were of losing my girl. But you must know, she might be your wildflower as you put it, but she’ll always stay our little girl.”

  Duncan nodded at Jack’s words. He could respect that.

  Jack took a gulp from the paper cup and winced from the bad taste of coffee before he spoke. “Catherine and I had a talk with Calum back home. Even before all of this happened yesterday, Calum had told us that our Kayla was in love. He said that the guy she loved also loved her back, and that he was okay with her choice.”

  That Calum knew that they were in love, before they’d even confessed it to each other, proved him to be very sharp. Getting the sign of approval from him meant a lot to Duncan, as Calum was one of the most important people in Kayla’s life. Duncan knew she looked up to her brother and that she needed his approval.

  “Sir, I love your daughter. Someday I’m gonna ask you for her hand in marriage, and I’m going to cherish my wildflower for the rest of our lives.”

  Jack nodded as he extended his hand to Duncan, giving him a firm shake while saying, “Let’s go back to our girl.”

  Kayla gasped and pushed against Duncan’s chest. “Oh my God.”

  “What’s wrong?” Duncan asked as Kayla pushed even harder at him, and she jumped down from the kitchen counter. When he stepped back, he glimpsed his cum trailing down the insides of Kayla’s upper thighs. “Fuck. That’s hot.”

  “No, it’s not hot. It’s stupid, Duncan.”

  He was so enthralled by her and had been so lost in their passion that he’d forgotten to put a condom on. Well okay, the thought had crossed his mind, but he needed to be inside of her.

  “Now wait a minute, Kayla. You know I’ve been tested and that I’m clean. I know you are clean too since you were tested in the hospital.”

  Kayla paced the kitchen, w
aving her hands in the air as she grumbled, “I could get pregnant, Duncan. Ever think about that?”

  Duncan hadn’t. “I... no, I haven’t thought about it, but now that you mention it, I can totally see you carrying our children in that tiny belly of yours.”

  Kayla huffed and puffed and blew loose strands of hair from her face. “Insufferable! You cannot mean that. I’ve only been recently released from the hospital, and we’ve just decided to move in together. Today!”

  Duncan smirked. “Wildflower, I know. I don’t get it either, but you’re not scaring me. I don’t even feel the tiniest bit scared. How’s that?”

  She stormed toward him with her index finger raised. “How’s that? That’s crazy!” There she was again, the Kayla who didn’t back down for anybody. He loved that side of her, and he was seeing it more and more. It made him want her even more.

  Ever since she was released from the hospital six weeks ago, they never slept apart. She stayed in Duncan’s house so he could take care of her, and after a week, he’d asked her to move in together. She’d laughed in his face, but he knew she would come around. He kept asking her, and she still said no every time.

  This morning, he made her his special pancakes again. With maple syrup he’d written “Move in?” on her pancake. She looked up from her plate and opened her mouth, probably to turn him down once again, but he slid his house key across the table. The key ring had a yellow wildflower, and she blushed at first. Then she stood and walked around the table to climb on his lap.

  “I love you, Dunc. Okay, let’s do it.”

  They kissed, and one thing had led to another. They made love right then and there, and even took it to the kitchen counter for a second round.

  “You’re not even listening to me. You just stand there with that damn smirk on your face.”

  He locked eyes with her, hoping to let her see that he was serious by not backing down from her tirade. “Let me drop another bomb on you. I want that with you. I want it all.”