Ronan
Teresa Gabelman
Contents
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Also by Teresa Gabelman
Acknowledgments
Thank you all for being so patient for Ronan’s story. Thank you to everyone involved, no matter how big or small. Every single one of you had a hand in helping me achieve this story.
A special thank you to Becky Johnson, my editor, at Hot Tree Editing. Your support and understanding as well as hard work to make my stories better does not go unnoticed or unappreciated. This one was a challenge, but you were there behind me 100 percent. Thank you so much for that! You are the absolute best everything!
Donna Bossert, without you I’d be lost. Thank you for pushing me when I need to be pushed and calling me out when I need to be called out. We have our moments, but they are all good and make me smile. Your friendship is priceless.
Readers, thank you for coming back. Your excitement as well as support keeps me going, even when I don’t think I can type another word. Without you, I’d just be some chick writing words on paper. You make it a story. Hugs and tons of love to all of you.
The Protectors Series
Ronan
Copyright 2018 Teresa Gabelman
All rights reserved. The right of Teresa Gabelman to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This is a work of fiction and any resemblance between the characters and persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
Gabelman, Teresa (2018-7-30). Ronan (The Protectors Series) Book #12
Kindle Edition.
Editor: Hot Tree Editing
Photo: https://www.roblangimages.com/index
Created with Vellum
Chapter 1
Ronan was late, but dammit, these last-minute meetings were a bunch of bullshit. After parking his truck, he slammed the door and jogged up to the compound, glancing at his watch. The loud sounds of construction on the new wall surrounded him. His eyes caught sight of one of the bullet holes. Since the shooting, Sloan was going to make damn sure everyone inside the compound remained safe. The whole attack had been a wake-up call for all of them.
Using his key card, he opened the door and went inside. Hearing voices, he headed toward Sloan’s office and was relieved not to see Sloan behind his desk glaring at him.
“Did you see Sloan out there?” Sid frowned, glancing at his phone. “I’ve got shit to do, shit he told me to do and being here isn’t helping me get it done.”
“No.” Ronan frowned. “I thought I was late.”
“You are.” Jared slammed his feet on Sloan’s desk as he leaned back in his chair. “So is Sloan, which is a first. I think the world is going to end.”
Glancing back, he noticed that Becky wasn’t at her desk either. That was odd. It was the middle of the day, and if Sloan said there was a meeting, there was a fucking meeting. Opening up his messages, Ronan double-checked.
“What the hell is going on?” Sloan walked in, his arm around Becky.
The Warriors looked at them then at each other. “It’s finally happened, boys.” Jared sighed his fake sniff of tears loudly. “We’ve finally driven the boss-man over the edge.”
“Or we need to find a nursing home for vampires,” Sid added with a shake of his head. “He is getting up there in age. Next he’ll be drooling and we’ll have to wipe his ass.”
A few snorts filled the room.
“It’s a sad day.” Jared nodded, then leaned his head back to look at Sloan. “Becky, honey, you’re still young and beautiful. I’m sure you’ll have men knocking down your door once Sloan here is set up in his new—”
Ronan stepped out of the way as Sloan flew toward Jared, knocked his feet off his desk then picked him up by the throat. “You just don’t know when to shut up, do you?”
“Obviously not.” Sid laughed with a shake of his head. “We’re just having some fun, boss. Don’t kill Jared. We kinda need him.”
“Actually, I could find a replacement with one phone call,” Sloan growled as he let go of Jared, slamming him back down in the seat, hard. “Keep your mouth shut and feet off my fucking desk.”
Ronan seriously wondered how the Warriors kept from killing each other. They never stopped giving each other shit, and someone always got pissed, but damn, it made him smile when it wasn’t directed toward him.
“Sloan.” Becky walked up, putting her hand on his arm. “Jared’s sorry, aren’t you, Jared?”
Jared rubbed his throat, then cleared it, tried to speak and then cleared it again before nodding. When Sloan’s glare left him to look down at Becky, Ronan watched a small grin slip across Jared’s face. Sid wasn’t trying to hide his—he was all teeth as he quietly laughed his ass off.
“I swear I’m going to kill him one of these days,” Sloan warned. Then his eyes zoomed back in on Jared who quickly wiped his face of any emotion.
“I apologize, sir,” Jared finally said, his voice a little rough, but legible.
“Fuck you,” Sloan sneered with a growl before walking around to his desk where Becky had gone. “What in the hell are you all doing in my office? Especially you. I thought I told you to head downtown.”
Ronan looked from Sloan to Jared with a frown. Before Jared could open his mouth again and get them all killed, he responded. “You called a meeting. I have the message right here.”
Sloan’s sneer turned into a frown. “I didn’t call a meeting.”
“I got the same message,” Damon replied in his usual pissed off expression and crossed his arms.
“So did I.” Jax held up his phone, then glanced around. “Since we’re all here with our thumb up our asses, it looks like we all did.”
“Let me see.” Sloan caught Jax’s phone in midair, then looked at it. “I didn’t send this.”
“Then who the fuck did?” Duncan, who had been quiet up to this point, straightened from the wall.
Ronan’s guard came up fast, as did the rest of the Warriors, the mood in the room turning from easygoing to serious very quickly.
“Great!” The door to Sloan’s office burst open as Steve and Adam walked in. “Everyone’s here.”
Ronan sighed and shook his head, knowing that this was the moment they would all see Sloan go over the edge. He was ready to intervene if need be, even though there were times he wanted to take Steve out himself. Actually, it wasn’t long ago on their way to Walmart that he almost ran his truck into a telephone pole just to shut him the hell up.
“Holy shit, man.” Sid’s eyes went wide as he stared at Steve. “Have you lost your mind?”
Steve’s happy expression slowly slipped off his face as he finally seemed to notice the tension in the room. “Maybe.” Steve glanced around. “Depends.”
“Well, at least we know Sloan isn’t ready for a drool cloth and…,” Jared mumbled, then clamped his mouth closed when Sloan slammed his hand on the desk.
“You sent the message?” Sloan d
emanded as he pointed Jax’s phone at Steve.
Ronan almost felt sorry for Steve. Damn, he was either the biggest dumbass he’d ever met, or he had balls bigger than anyone in this room.
“And once again, that depends,” Steve finally answered, the look on his face clearly indicating he realized his life was on the line… again. “Let’s say if someone came to your office to talk to you, then saw your phone on the desk and wanted to make sure everyone showed up for something important, so they used your phone…”
Everyone waited with baited breath to hear the rest of what Steve had to say and how the hell he was going to get himself out of this one. Becky had even slowly positioned herself in the line of fire so Sloan would have to go through her to get to Steve.
“…is that a killing offense, an ass-kicking offense or a stern talking to offense?” Steve finally finished.
“Yes, inquiring minds want to know.” Sid looked from Steve to Sloan.
“By the look on his face, I’m going to go with killing offense,” Jared replied thoughtfully.
“How in the hell did you even get his password?” Blaze broke in, shaking his head.
“I’m good at figuring out passwords.” Steve shrugged still eyeing Sloan but glanced toward Blaze quickly. “I was a tech nerd growing up.”
“It’s true. He figured out mine and Jill’s passwords on two tries,” Adam added, then threw his hands up. “And for the record, I had no clue he was doing that with your phone, Sloan. I would have definitely stopped him.”
Steve rolled his eyes, then glanced at Sloan. “And to be honest, you really need a better password. A monkey could figure that one out.”
Ronan cringed. Damn, this kid was really an idiot. Looking around, he noticed all the Warriors grinning and shaking their heads at Steve. It was almost impossible not to. He really had no filter, said what he thought, and Ronan knew Steve had to realize how close he was to death.
“I’m going to say this once.” Sloan tossed the phone back to Jax then aggressively stabbed his finger directly at Steve. “If you ever touch my shit again, I will first break your fingers, then your wrists before moving up to your arms to breaking your fucking neck. Do you hear me? Do you understand me?”
“Yeah, that’s pretty clear.” Steve nodded as if his neck was already broken and unstable on his shoulders.
“Now what in the fuck did you need to use my phone to call a meeting for?” Sloan growled, still pointing at him. “And it better be a good reason.”
Steve started to talk, but his voice sounded like a scared little girl. Coughing to clear his throat and with a shake of his head, Steve tried again. “Is wanting all of you to be in my wedding a good enough reason?”
“Jesus.” Ronan chuckled as he rubbed his forehead. Even though he was annoyed his day had been disrupted, this had been entertaining as hell.
“You want me to decapitate him or do you want the honors?” Damon asked as he cracked his fingers, more serious than Ronan had ever heard him, and that’s saying something.
“Are you fucking serious?” Sloan rubbed the bridge of his nose, his eyes closed tightly. “You broke into my phone to send a message to everyone because of a fucking wedding?”
“My wedding.” Steve frowned. “And yeah, I did. I can’t get you guys together in one room unless we’re ready to kill someone—”
“True.” Damon nodded. “Here we are, and you’re as close to death as anyone I know at the moment.”
Surprise flittered through Ronan. Who knew Damon had a sense of humor behind all that badass? He was one of the Warriors he hadn’t spent a lot of time with.
“I’m serious. This is serious.” Steve frowned at them all. “I knew the risk I was taking when breaking into Sloan’s phone. Well, the breaking of fingers didn’t really come to mind nor did the broken wrists, arms, or neck. I thought a serious frown from him would be it.”
“Where in the fuck have you been?” Jared snorted. “Do you even know Sloan Murphy?”
Steve ignored him. “This is going to be quick, but I want it right. I’m marrying Mira, and I want this special for both of us. Having you all stand up with me is important. Adam is my man of honor or whatever in the fuck it’s called. So can I count on the rest of you?”
Ronan watched as every single Warrior other than Sloan and himself committed themselves. Steve turned toward him, but Ronan wasn’t sure he was included in his speech.
“Well?” Steve asked Ronan.
“Wasn’t sure I was included since we hardly know each other,” Ronan responded without expression.
“Dude, we went to Wally World together, kicked ass in the women’s aisle full of pads with wings and shit.” Steve looked at him as if he was the one who had lost his mind. “How much better do we need to know each other?”
Guess he has a point, Ronan thought. He nodded at Steve with a half grin. “Then I guess I can’t pass it up.” Ronan chuckled. “Sure, Steve. I’d be honored.”
“You really didn’t try to run your truck into the pole to take me out that night, did you?” Steve narrowed his eyes at him, then laughed. “Just kidding. I know you wouldn’t have done that, man.”
Ronan’s grin grew when Steve looked away from him. He glanced around to see the Warriors looking at him with cocked eyebrows. His answer to those silent questions was a shrug.
“Damon, I don’t think Mira has anyone to walk her down the aisle,” Steve began.
“Shit.” Even though Damon’s curse was said under his breath, everyone heard it.
“I’d really like for you to do it and I know she would too.” Steve had that look on his face indicating he was ready to beg if need be. “You and Nicole took me in when I had no one, and the world was against me. It would mean a lot if you would.”
“Fuck,” Damon growled, then nodded his agreement.
“Awesome!” Steve smiled then glanced around. “Okay, next week be ready for tux fittings.” The whole room moaned, but that didn’t stop Steve. “I’ll message everyone…” He glanced quickly at Sloan holding his hand up. “…with my phone to let you know when and where.”
The door opened, and Jill walked in with Mira holding Drew, and Kira following.
“Hey, what the hell?” Jill stopped and looked at them all frowning. “I didn’t get a message about a meeting. Or is this a ‘cocks only’ meeting?”
Once again, the whole room full of Warriors moaned.
Chapter 2
Kira followed Mira and Jill into Sloan’s office. She had been dreading this moment. She felt his eyes, and her body reacted. Her body was a traitor. Kira hadn’t seen Ronan for a few weeks. It was hard to stay away from the baby and her sister, but what had shocked her to the core was how much she thought about Ronan during her time away. Her eyes shifted toward where she knew he stood and sure enough, his gaze still made her legs weak and her body tingle. This had to stop.
Moving out of the way as some of the Warriors exited Sloan’s office, she smiled and nodded as they passed.
“Where’ve you been hiding, witchy?” Sid smiled down at her with a teasing glint to his golden eyes.
“Oh, you know… in the woods in my gingerbread house,” she replied as seriously as she could. “Would you like to visit? I could cook you something in my oven.”
“As I recall, that didn’t end well for the witch.” Sid chuckled and cocked his eyebrow. “So if I did visit, what would we be having?”
“My lizard lip stew and toad brain hash are to die for.” Kira liked Sid. He was approachable and cooked like a five star chef, but what she liked most of all was his sense of humor.
“What? No eye of newt?” Sid frowned as he headed toward the door.
“That’s so cliché.” She rolled her eyes, then laughed when he gave her a wink before walking away.
“Wait, lizards don’t have lips.” She heard Sid say as the door to Sloan’s office shut. “Do they?”
“How the fuck should I know?” Damon’s voice sounded through the door.
“Have you heard anything?” Sloan’s booming voice caught her attention, pulling her gaze to him.
“About?” Okay, her brain was still focused on the delicious cowboy Warrior, whose eyes did things to her that should be illegal. She knew what his arms felt like around her, but only in comfort. She couldn’t even imagine what they would feel like in the heat of passion. Her body sprang to life at the thought. Okay, enough of that.
Sloan sighed, shook his head and then sighed again. “Where the hell have you been?” Before she could answer, he held up his hand. “And if you say gingerbread house, I’m going to lose my shit.”
“Don’t say gingerbread house.” Steve leaned over, whispering from the side of his mouth.
“Here… and there,” Kira replied, not as intimidated by Sloan as most were. Though he was a little scary at times, she wasn’t on his payroll. She came and went as she pleased. Always had, always would. “And if you’re talking about the letter to my dead cousin, Emilia, then no, I haven’t received any communication.”
“Have you heard anything from Orjyll?” Sloan narrowed his eyes at her thoughtfully. “Would that letter thing seriously work?”
“No, nothing, and you just don’t hear from Orjyll. He strikes. And a friend of my friend, Wicked, said it works and she’s pretty powerful. I’ve never tried it, but this is not like your average US mail delivery,” Kira replied, not knowing how else to explain it. Witchcraft was complex. Sometimes you could reach loved ones who had passed with a letter you sent out into the universe with your craft. She didn’t know if her letter would reach her dead cousin or not. Only time would tell.
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