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I open my mouth to tell him to try, but I’m interrupted by Ronan clearing his throat. “Now is not the time to fight about this. All of us are to blame, even Cian. We pursued her knowing we shouldn’t, but Darragh, you had no right to put hands on a woman solely because you don’t like her. Imagine if someone did that to Maddie, or the twins.”
I don’t like the thought at all, and the pit of my stomach sinks. If anyone even breathed wrong in their direction, I would end them without blinking. Fuck, I have screwed up, so fucking bad. I don’t even know if Cian will look at me the same way again. Sweat lines my brow and my chest gets tight.
“Tell Cian I will be back,” I gasp out. “I need some air.”
Neither man follows me, and I don’t expect them to. I need to clear my head, and the least I can do is keep tabs on Harper while I do. As much as I would love for her to run and never return, Cian made me promise I would bring her back. A gut feeling is telling me this woman is like a feral animal—the first chance she gets, she is gone. Cian is in enough pain; I’m not letting her hurt him even more.
Sullivan drove me back to his house, showing me to his room.
I can’t stay here; I have done enough to come between them. Darragh doesn’t like me, and even if he has no real reason to feel that way, it’s not the point. I won’t be that woman. Right now, Darragh needs them. Finding out he has twin daughters, and he has missed out on their entire lives so far, would be so hard. I can’t stay here, no matter how badly the others want me to.
Tears stream down my face, but I can’t change my mind no matter how much my heart hurts walking away from Sullivan or knowing Cian is in the hospital because of my actions.
I sigh as I realize the only solution left is to call the one person I promised myself I would never call—my stepbrother, Ransom. He hates me and it is one-hundred-percent mutual.
My biological father is a waste of space, and he shacked up with Ransom’s rich-as-fuck mother. There was one summer I lived with them, hoping maybe my father finally wanted me around. News flash—he didn’t. It was all some ploy, as he wanted me to marry Ransom, ensuring my father’s place in the family.
I was barely sixteen and fell in love with Ransom that summer. I gave him my virginity. Then my heart broke when I overheard my father tell Ransom he was proud of him for getting me into bed.
I left that day.
I hesitate for a moment, then click on his name and the phone rings. Right when I think it’s going to ring out, he answers the call.
“What!” he barks.
“It’s me,” I whisper.
“Harper?” he asks. His voice cracks like he can hardly believe I would call him.
“I need your help,” is all I say, and he chuckles.
He said I would come crawling back to him, but it was a long time ago.
Despite our familial ties, I have no loyalty to him. The second Ronan mentioned some artwork went missing, I knew Ransom was involved. Last I heard, he had disowned his mother and started running with a crew who steal lots of valuable shit. While I would have loved nothing more than for him to be involved in the heist Ronan mentioned, I know stealing guns from the Irish isn’t his style. His crew are modern-day Robin Hoods from what the media report.
“You know where to find me.”
I chuckle. I have kept in contact with one person from that time in my life—his friend Payne, his best friend growing up. He tried to warn me Ransom’s pretty words were laced with poison and to watch myself, but at the time I didn’t believe him. I thought he was just jealous, as Ransom convinced me his friend was crushing on me. It’s laughable looking back, but the naïve teenager . . . she believed every word out of his pretty mouth.
He ends the call.
I know where they are, right where no one would even think to look for them. Home base is in Huntersville, the polar opposite of where he was raised.
Grabbing one of Sullivan’s black hoodies, I pull it over my frame. He would easily be six foot six and stacked, so the hoodie falls well below my ass, and I’m not short at five foot nine. His smell envelops me, and a pang of guilt hits at the thought of leaving without saying a word.
I sneak out through the back of the house, then around the building toward the driveway and the street. There is security scattered throughout the grounds, but tonight they are not guarding the doors. I hurry, knowing the Uber will not be able to get through the main gates to the street, let alone the house. Maybe they will alert the guys I’m leaving if I walk right up to the security fence, but the guard buzzes me out without a word.
The security let me out right as headlights come into view and the Uber pulls up beside me. I jump into the car, remaining silent as tears fall down my face. Once I have begged Ransom for help, I will send Dolly a message. It will let her know I’m okay and I’ll call her soon. It would also be wise to message Sarge to make sure he keeps her safe. I don’t want Ronan or Cian to cause issues for her while trying to find me. Dolly should never be in danger because of me. I need to make it clear even she does not know where I am.
It takes almost forty minutes to reach the old run-down warehouse. When the Uber drives away, I take a deep breath. I know he’s in there. He found me once and had his dickhead friend drag me here so we could talk. Ransom spouted some shit about being a changed man and wanted me to join their crew, so I no longer needed to “whore myself out.” I couldn’t help but laugh in his face and tell him I would never need a thing from him. He said he would be here when I changed my mind.
Bringing my fist down sharply against the door, I bang a little harder than necessary. I hope to scare the life out of him—maybe he’ll think the cops are here. Then I see the security camera move above me, so I flip him the bird.
The door flies open, and Payne throws himself at me. “Harpy, you’ve come to your senses and are moving in with us!”
The sound of smashing glass has the hair on the back of my neck standing on end, but Payne just laughs and drags me inside.
“Don’t worry, it’s our new houseguest. They aren’t thrilled with Ace right now.”
