At the mention of their names, I stiffen. “No, Peirce, I can’t go. I don’t wanna face them.”
Peirce’s one arm around my waist tightens slightly as he holds my neck more firmly. “Promise you, ma raison d’être, no harm will come to you, never again. No one will ever fuckin’ take you away from me again. My brothers will be there along with Dean and Tomas.”
Holding Peirce’s gaze, I know without a doubt he means every word.
Nodding my head, I relax into his embrace and place my forehead to his chest. “When do we have to leave? I was making cookies.”
“We’re heading out in thirty minutes. Can someone else cook them?” he chuckles.
At this obscene question I tilt my head back and give him a horrified expression. “I’m not about to let anyone else touch these cookies. These are homemade and have to be cooked just right.”
“Babe.” He grins.
“Don’t babe me. I’ll wrap the dough up and put it in the fridge for the time being,” I huff.
“Sounds good, ma raison d’être,” he murmurs leaning down and pressing a kiss tenderly to my lips. “Now get it done so we can get out of here. Afterward, Tomas has asked to speak with you. I told him I’d ask.”
“Let’s see how this whole meet you guys are going to goes, then we’ll see. I’m not trusting anyone else on their word until I hear what my father has to say,” I mutter.
“You got it, babe, we’ll find out for you.” He nods, smiling in approval.
Sucking in a breath, I release it. Here goes facing your fears.
I only hope that it doesn’t bite me in the ass.
“Car’s pulling in,” Throttle calls out from his spot near the door.
“Thanks Throttle,” Chains mutters. “Alright brothers let’s get this shit done so we can get the fuck out of here.”
“If they try to make a move for Angelina shoot ’em in the fuckin’ head,” Peirce states with Chains backing him.
After we’d gotten to the warehouse that Peirce told me is where he goes for his fights, Tomas and Dean disappeared. I guess this was a part of their plan or whatnot.
Silence descends upon the group as Peirce positions himself and me. From what I gather, I’m not to be seen at first.
“We’re here, now where’s Angelina?” Deveaux demands, adjusting his suit jacket.
“You’ll see her soon enough but first I want to know why you had your man try to kill her?” Chains sneers, crossing his arms over his chest.
“That was not the plan as I told you on the phone, he was to bring Angelina to me. Where she’s supposed to have been all this time, but I’ve allowed her the time she needed to finish school. He was also supposed to put a bullet in that brat’s head.” I flinch at Bryce’s words.
“You gave her all this time to finish school as well as made her pay all this time for Carson’s life, why?” Tyres growls.
“Our reasons are our own,” Deveaux states nonchalantly.
“I believe we deserve to know your reasons, considering it was my son you all intended to kill,” Peirce snarls, his body tensing in front of mine.
“I thought that was you. I should shoot you now for causing the delays in our plans. Angelina was to marry Bryce and fix what her bitch of a mother fucked up.” This time I stiffen at what I’m hearing.
Before another word is spoken from Peirce or his brothers Tomas speaks up. “And what exactly did my sister fuck up? By not marrying you as you demanded? She was to marry another man, yet you knocked her up dropping her worth to the man she was meant to be with.”
“MacDermott.” I all but cringe at the sound of my father’s voice.
If what Tomas says is true then this is my father and he killed my mother allowing another woman, who hated me growing up, to raise me.
Again, what the hell did I do to deserve all of this?
“She should have been mine,” my father sneers.
“Doesn’t matter, you are not part of the family. Never were and using the Callagahans to do your dirty work isn’t going to work. As of now you’re all dead for what you’ve done to my niece.” A moment later, I scream into Peirce’s back as shots are fired.
“Easy, babe, it’s okay. It’s done and over with,” Peirce says turning to face me.
Lifting my gaze to him, I see the truth in his eyes, right before my knees give out and everything goes dark. The last thing to penetrate my brain is Peirce calling my name.
Epilogue
Pitch Black
“Are you sure about this?” Carson asks looking at me, uncomfortable in the dress shirt his mom put him in.
“Yeah, kid, this should have happened twelve years ago,” I say, a grin in place.
After that night when Tomas shot the men who had been hurting Angelina and she fainted in my arms, I made a decision right then and there. My woman was marrying me, and I was officially making Corbin her last name. I wasn’t about to take any chances and with her uncle’s blessing, I refused to waste any time.
It’s why right now, my son was standing next to me as Angelina walks toward me in a beautiful cream sundress.
Fuck she’s beautiful.
Soon as she makes it to me, I wrap my arms around her waist. “You’re mine forever and always now, ma raison d’êtr. I’m never giving you up.”
Smiling, Angelina wraps her arms around my neck. “Good, I never want you to let me go,” she murmurs.
“Are you two going to be like this all the time?” Carson mutters.
“Just you wait until you find the one and you’ll understand when fate puts something in your hands you cherish it
