by Reana Malori
Tony’s eyes went wide as he saw the pistol in her hand. Vigorously shaking his head from side to side, he mouthed in her direction, “No, Tatiana. Put that away. Let’s get out of here.”
Glancing behind her at the muted conversation between Conall and the man he’d called Paulie, she turned back to her brother and whispered, “No. You’re hurt. Get in the room. When we get out of this, I’ll deal with you.” Turning her body to the side, she placed the weapon in the waistband of her pants, thankful that she’d had on a baggy T-shirt when Tony had stopped by. Just as she finished, Conall’s voice called out to her.
“Tatiana? You okay, baby?” How could he talk to her as if they were all sitting around a picnic table? Didn’t this man realize this was a life-and-death situation?
Looking around the men blocking her from his view, once she got a look at his eyes, she knew exactly how Conall felt about this situation. Oh fuck. Somebody was going to die today. She just had to make sure it wasn’t her.
“Y-Yes, I’m fine, Conall. How you doin’ baby?”
Smiling slightly at her ill-timed humor, he shook his head as if pleading for patience. “I’m okay, sweetness. You just stay right where you are. Do you hear me?”
“Sure, I hear you.”
“Now, Paulie. What am I supposed to do with you? You break into my woman’s house. Scare her and her brother. You broke the rules, Paulie.” His cold voice reached her and she knew it was about to go down. Motioning to her brother, she tilted her head toward the back of the apartment as he began to scoot his body in that direction.
“I have no beef with you, Conall, or with your brothers. I’m only here for what belongs to the Family. Tony Barbosa has something of ours and we want it back.” He reminded her of a snake with his slick hair and beady eyes. Don’t trust him, Conall, she pleaded with her eyes.
“No, actually, he doesn’t have it. I do. And the fact that you came in here and threatened my woman…well, that to me is unforgivable.” With those words, Conall glanced at Tatiana, a cold look in his eyes and she knew, this was the part of him he’d been trying to hide. The part of him he’d pleaded with her just hours ago to truly see. To accept. To love.
His finger pulled the trigger and three bullets exploded from the gun and entered Paulie’s body. Yelling at her brother to run into the bedroom, she watched as Conall and his guy fired into the other guys standing in her living room. The force of their bullets spun the bodies around as they tried to escape the firestorm that had rained down upon them. Pulling her own gun out of her waistband, she watched in horror as one of the goons raised his gun to her, intent on firing at her.
Without a second thought, she removed the safety and fired one bullet, hitting him between the eyes. Once her bullet entered him, his lifeless body fell to its knees and then onto his face. Dropping her gun, she stood up and ran over to Conall, grabbing him around the shoulders, jumping up as she wrapped her legs around his waist.
“Thank God you came,” she cried as she kissed his face.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt? Tatiana, please!” he begged as he pulled her back to get a look at her.
“I’m fine. My brother got clocked on the side of the head, but he’ll be okay,” she responded with a smile.
Conall stared at her in disbelief. She knew this wasn’t the response he expected. Probably thought she was in shock. Part of her was, but the other part was just glad that she was alive. She’d survived a shootout in her own home. How badass was that?
“Tatiana. I’m sorry baby. I never…I had to come protect you,” he whispered in a strained voice. “Your brother. Where is he?”
Surprising him again, she kissed him firmly on the lips, still not unwrapping her legs from around his waist. “No, Conall, you can’t hurt my brother.”
“I won’t. I just need to talk to him.” Looking around the place, he turned to Dillon. “Actually, we need to get the hell out of here. Grab her brother, call the cleanup crew. We need to find out if her neighbors called the police and ensure it’s our guys who respond. I need to get Tatiana and her brother away from here.”
“You got it, boss. I’m on it.”
Finally releasing him, she stood on her own two legs, her arms still holding him. Anything she needed to do to stay connected to him, that’s what she needed right now.
Dillon walked out from the back, her brother leaning on his arm. Blood was pooling on the left side of his face as he stumbled. The fearful look on his face told her that he’d recognized Conall. Sighing deeply, she turned to Tony. “Tony, this is Conall. We all have a lot to talk about, but not here. It’s going to be okay, little brother. I promise. Come on, let’s go.”
Turning to Conall as Tony walked out the door, she said, “Promise me we’ll settle this.”
“Tatiana, I’m not worried about your brother. You realize I already decided not to harm my future brother-in-law, right?”
“Future brother—? Huh? Wait, is that a proposal?”
“No, baby, that’s a promise that I aim to fulfill very soon,” he said with a serious look on his face. “Sweetheart, do you realize you just shot a man? A made man if I’m not mistaken. Settling this is far from over,” he said, his voice gruff with emotion.
“Conall, I know exactly what I did.” She looked down at the body sprawled on her floor. “I had to protect myself, my family, and you. I would do it again if I needed to.” Turning back to him, she looked into his eyes, so beautiful and green. “Remember when I said I was drawn to you? To the man you were inside?”
“Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?” he asked as he nodded to Dillon and began steering them out of her front door.
“I have to tell you something.” She looked up at him. How would he respond to knowing what she had done all those years ago? If she finally admitted to someone else what she had done, would that change how she felt? Would the guilt and regret descend on her?
The darkness in him matched hers and for that she would not apologize. It made her who she was. Who knew that one mistake—or maybe it was the best decision she’d ever made—pick the one that fit the best, would take her life into a new direction.
No, she would never be his light at the end of the tunnel, but as long as she was by his side, she would help him find his way home to her. Whatever the future held for them was still a mystery, but this man was all she needed. Yes, he was a criminal. A wolf in sheep’s clothing so to speak. The chameleon who could change his skin when the situation called for it. This was the man she wanted by her side.
“What is it that you need to tell me, Tatiana?” he asked her as they reached the car.
Climbing into the waiting vehicle, she sat across from the brother she’d protected all these years and held tightly in the arms of the man she was willing to bet would protect her with his dying breath. Finally, it was time to let the demons out and share her secrets. And this time, she knew there was someone on the other side, ready to catch her when she fell. The one person who would understand her dual nature. As they pulled away from her home, a place she never wanted to return to, she looked up at her future sitting next to her.
“Once, a long time ago, I let my demons out to play…”
* * * * *
Conall stared at Tatiana with new appreciation in his eyes. His woman was more than he ever would have expected. No wonder she’d been drawn to him and unafraid. Looking at her as she poured out the entire story, he was in awe of her bravery, very fucking proud that she had made the son of a bitch pay. Her soft voice brought him out of his inner musings.
“Conall, say something.”
“There’s nothing to say. You did what you had to do,” he responded. Grabbing her hand with his, he pulled until she was sitting on his lap in the backseat.
“I just want you to know that it’s okay,” she whispered.
Lifting her chin with his finger, one dark eyebrow lifted in question, “What’s okay?”
“Who you are. What you are. As long as you
keep me safe, I’m okay. All I want is you. The good, the bad, and the ugly,” she said with a slight smile, kissing him softly on the lips. “I knew you would come for me. I don’t know how, but I did.”
“Baby, hearing you say those words…well, I’m glad you did. Because honestly, I wouldn’t have been able to let you go,” he said. His hands cupped her face. “Nothing will ever stop me from getting to you. This life can be tough. In such a short time, you’ve come to mean more to me than I ever expected. I will always come for you, Tatiana. Slay any dragon. Soothe away any nightmares. Just stay. Don’t ever leave me.” Their gazes held, communicating more than words could ever say.
“Um, Tatiana. I think we still have a problem,” Tony spoke up.
Tatiana gave a little squeak and turned in his direction. They’d both forgotten her brother was still sitting in the vehicle with them, his head still bleeding from the hit he’d received.
“Oh shit,” she yelled. Turning back to Conall with wide eyes, she burst out laughing. “This has been a day for the record books. Tony, I forgot…well, never mind. How’s your head?”
“It’s fine, but I probably need to get it checked out.”
Conall interrupted their conversation. “What I want to know, Tony, is how those guys followed you to your sister’s house? How could you lead them right to her? I should drop you off right here on the street and let them come get you. Better yet, maybe I should just take care of you myself,” Conall snarled in anger.
“I didn’t know they were following me! I was more concerned about you than them,” he yelled without thinking. He groaned in pain and dropped his head in his hands. “I shouldn’t have done that. My head hurts too much.”
“Good. If you weren’t Tatiana’s brother, I would—”
“Conall,” he heard Tatiana exclaim in a shocked voice. He turned to her, the scowl on his face surely giving away just how pissed he was.
“You could have been hurt due to his selfish-ass behavior. I won’t have it, Tatiana. Never again.” There was no mistaking his tone. He was pissed and he wasn’t afraid to show it.
Grabbing her brother’s hand, Tatiana never took her eyes from Conall’s face. “Please, Conall? Just…please, how can we fix this? He’s my brother.” If begging was what was needed, she would get down on her knees right now. Conall had to understand how important this was to her.
Tilting his head to the side, he gave her a hard look. “I’m not discussing this here. Tony and I will speak when we get to where we’re going. I have a spot we need to get to so that we can clean up and make sure things are handled. When we’re there, I’ll talk to Tony. Not a moment sooner.”
“But, Conall…” she began.
“No. On this, you’ll just have to understand. My conversation with Tony will be private. I’ll handle this the way I see fit. It’s the only way. And you cannot be involved. Understand?”
Her lips thinned out and he knew she was trying not to challenge him. But he had to make her understand. “Tatiana. I need you to say you understand. Because if you get involved in anymore shit. If your life's in danger one more time, I will tear this fucking city apart and anyone who gets in my way will be dealt with.” He paused, looking over at Tony with a quirk of his brow. “Am I making myself understood?”
With a sidelong glance at her brother, she sighed. Tatiana lay her head on his shoulder as they both continued speaking to her brother. Conall felt her nod her head up and down. “Yes, but don’t think you’ll always get your way. Because you won’t.”
“No, baby, I would never think that,” he said with a smile on his face.
“I can take care of myself, and I’m going to take care of you too. Even though you’re bossy and arrogant and have a nicer gun than I do,” she said on a yawn.
“I know you can.”
“Conall, thank you for coming into my life,” she said in a low voice as the adrenaline began to fade and her eyes began to close.
No words were necessary. His arms simply wrapped tighter around her, cocooning her body within his embrace. There was still Old Man O’Shea to deal with and the fallout from the Italians. Conall wasn’t worried though. Life was changing and now that he had Tatiana by his side, things could only get better.
* * * * *
Tatiana curled up next to Conall’s side as they lay in his bed later that night. Thinking back on everything that had happened that day, she was proud of how she’d handled it. Maybe there was something wrong with her. Her rational brain said she should be freaking out right now, but she wasn’t. All in all, she was rather calm about the whole situation, which scared her even more.
Earlier that day, once they’d arrived at the safe house, Conall had gone to a wall safe and pulled out what looked to be a new burner phone. He then kissed her softly and walked off into another room and called his brothers, explaining what happened at her home earlier that day. That was the only part of the conversation she’d heard, even though she strained to hear more. When he ended the call, he’d refused to tell her what else had been discussed on the hour-long telephone call. And once she thought about it, she figured she was better off not knowing the details. Based on what she’d seen so far, there was no need for her to know any more than she already did.
Conall and her brother had gone outside to another structure for more than two hours. Biting her nails, which she knew was a nasty habit, she’d stood at the window, looking for any sign of trouble. Conall had promised to not harm her brother and she had to trust that. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t standing guard at the window, looking outside at the place where they’d gone, waiting for them to return. Once she saw them come out, the calmness on Tony’s face was almost her undoing. He was fine. Conall had kept his word.
A few hours later, after one of Conall’s employees had come to take Tony home, she’d finally been able to relax. Watching her man sit on the couch, his glass filled with his favorite amber-colored liquor, she couldn’t help but thank her lucky stars that she’d gone to his office that day.
“At one time, I thought going to your office that day had been the worst mistake of my life,” she said, coming around to stand in front of him. She’d been freshly scrubbed and had changed into one of his shirts, the bottom of the material only reaching to just below the curve of her butt.
Setting his glass aside, he sprawled his arms along the back of the couch and looked at her. “I know you did. Me, on the other hand, well, I knew it was something special from the first moment I saw you.”
Amazed at how sexy he looked, she moved in between his legs. Spreading her legs, she climbed onto his lap, the apex of her thighs resting on the bulge of his pants. “I’m glad you came after me. I think if you hadn’t, I would have kept running and never looked back.”
Moving his arms from the couch, he grabbed her bare ass in his large hands and squeezed. His hips lifted slightly, pressing his thick cock up against her bare pussy lips. His moan of desire sent a wave of lust through her body. “Mo grá, I would have never have let you get away from me. You called out to me.”
Leaning down close to him, she lifted her arms, wrapping them around his neck as she tilted her head down to capture his lips with hers. “So, what happens now?”
“Life with me won’t be easy,” he said. “There are still things going on around me that need to be handled. Can you handle what it truly means to be the woman by my side?”
“I don’t want easy. All I want is you,” she said on a moan as he continued to thrust and move underneath her. She could feel the wetness seeping out of her and coating his pants.
“Then nothing else matters. Now, are you going to give me what I want or not. I need you,” he growled.
“I thought you’d never ask,” she moaned as she pressed into him, finally giving them what they both needed.
She knew being with a man like Conall would test her strength. The things he was involved in could not be ignored. But being in his arms right now, the emotions she felt when making love t
o him, and looking into his eyes as he looked at her with desire, was not something she was willing to give up.
She was no angel herself. Conall was the darkness that most people were afraid to confront, but not her. She was ready to walk this path with him no matter what came their way.
Epilogue
The devil always got his pound of flesh. Of that, Conall was certain. Tonight, he and his brothers would end this. Paddy O’Shea’s dirty dealings had finally caught up with him, and so had his sons. After the things he’d done to try and control them, control their lives, and run this city into the ground, it had all come to a boil and the old man was left with nothing.
The chickens had come home to roost and Conall was inexplicably calm at the prospect of finally ending the life of the man he’d hated more than anything in this world. The man who’d taken everything from four little boys. The man who dared to try and turn him and his brothers against one another. As if that could ever happen.
It had taken everything he had these past few months to not lose sight of the ultimate goal and end his old man on his own. To simply erase him from existence and save his brothers the trouble. But that would have been too easy. No, Paddy had to suffer. He needed to feel the hot breath of the wolf at his neck. The fear had to be real. Knowing that his life was forfeit made Paddy scared and he ran like a bitch. That’s what it came down to. Old Man O’Shea had finally come to the conclusion that he would never make it out of this alive. And at that thought, a predatory smile came over Conall’s face.
