Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 90919 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90919 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
“What the fuck was that?”
“I’ll explain later,” I said, going back to my saddlebags. I put my knife carefully inside a sock before pushing it to the bottom of the bag. “Come on, Aisling needs to see a doctor.”
“No, I don’t,” she rasped.
“Yeah, you do,” Ronan argued.
“Aisling, I love you, honey. And I wanna coddle you.” I leaned down to look her in the eye. “But after the shit I just did, you not lettin’ me call the cops, Richie touch and go, and our sisters worried out of their goddamn minds about you—I just haven’t got it in me. You’ll go inside and get checked out if I have to carry your ass.”
“Fine,” she said quietly.
My arms felt like giant weights dragging me down as we went inside the hospital, and I found a bathroom to clean up while Ronan got Aisling checked in. My cut was speckled with blood, and my hoodie was a fucking mess, so I tossed the hoodie and wiped down the leather as best as I could.
I’d just finished scrubbing my hands and cleaning under my fingernails when my phone rang.
“Hey,” I answered, gingerly putting the phone to my shoulder.
“The fuck is goin’ on, man?” Bas asked. “Yesterday we thought you were at Myla’s until Dragon mentioned you’d headed home, and now Brody’s sayin’ you had him run a name of some asshole?”
“It’s a clusterfuck,” I replied, leaning my ass against the counter as I finished drying my hands. “Got a call that Richie’d been shot—”
“What the hell?” Bas murmured. “Is he okay?”
“Not lookin’ good,” I ground out.
“Fuck,” Bas said so quietly, I barely heard him.
“Aisling was missin’.”
“Was?”
“Found her about an hour ago.”
“She okay?”
“Not good,” I murmured, thinking of the careful way Aisling moved her body and the condition of her face. “At the hospital now.”
“Where was she?”
“Holed up in some McMansion with a fuckin’ psycho.”
“You need cleanup?” Bas asked calmly.
“Motherfucker was alive when I left him, but I might.”
“I’ll head out in a bit. Be there late, so I’ll just grab a hotel.”
“I’ve got it handled,” I argued. “But thanks for the offer.”
“Cian,” Ronan called through the bathroom door. “They’re bringin’ Aisling back. Aoife came down to go in with her, and she wants you to go up with Richie.”
“I gotta go,” I said, straightening.
“Keep me updated,” Bas ordered.
I hung up and opened the bathroom door.
“Cops want to talk to Aisling,” Ronan said immediately. “She wants to talk to you first.”
I followed him back to a little room where Aisling was sitting at the edge of an exam table, already wrapped in a hospital gown and blanket. Aoife sat in the chair next to her. They were holding hands.
“Thank you,” Aoife said the second she saw me.
“You found me walking down First Street,” Aisling told me, her eyes steady on mine. “You have no idea where I was before that.”
“You’re kiddin’, right?” I asked incredulously.
“First Street,” she repeated. “I’ll explain everything later.”
“Explain now,” I ordered. I loved her so much, and I could see that she was hanging on by a thread, but whatever she’d gotten caught up in was fucked, and we’d all been pulled in.
“I don’t have time now,” she replied, looking past me to the nurses who were bustling around. “You found me on First Street, okay?”
“Fine.”
“I’m sorry, we’re going to need the room,” a kind woman said, stopping next to Roman.
“Go upstairs with Saoirse,” Aoife ordered. “I’ll stay with Ash.”
I nodded. There was nothing we could do for Aisling, and she deserved her privacy while the doctors checked her out. She didn’t need her brothers standing outside the room and possibly overhearing things she didn’t want us to. Moving forward, I leaned down and pressed my lips to her forehead.
“Thanks, Cian,” she whispered, leaning into it.
“I’ll always come for you,” I replied, leaning back. “You know that.”
Ronan and I were silent as we made our way to Richie’s floor. I’d never understood the idea of being pulled in two different directions until then. It was nearly impossible to leave Aisling and Aoife downstairs.
“Tell me what happened,” Ronan demanded as we walked down a hallway.
“Chick at Aisling’s shop knew who she’d went out with last night,” I replied. “Gave me a name. Found out where he lived, went there, found Aisling.”
“That’s not all of it,” he said, stopping to glare at me.
“That’s all you’re gettin’.”
“Bullshit.”
“Cops ask, I found her on First,” I said, too worn out to argue with him. I kept walking. “You heard her.”
“What the fuck is going on?” he hissed.
“I’ve got no clue,” I snapped as he caught up to me.
That shut him up.
“Me and Aunt Ashley switched places. She’s at home with Sean,” Saoirse said, getting to her feet. “You found Aisling?”
I nodded.
“Is it bad?” she asked softly.
“Pretty fuckin’ bad,” I confirmed. “But she walked out on her own two feet.”