Page 16

16

SEAN

I’ve never dreaded going home since I moved out of my father’s house, but right now, I feel like I’m standing at the edge of a giant chasm and my only choices are to either jump in and die or somehow scale the wall and hope I can make it to the bottom safely.

My fist closes over my keys, the little teeth digging into the palm of my hand.

I should’ve gone to the bar instead of coming home. A few drinks would have put me in a better mood to deal with whatever Ellie is going to throw at me.

But the past week without her has left me feeling uneasy in a way I’m not quite used to.

Things are rocky between us, and even more so now.

A week without saying a word to her isn’t going to put her in a good mood, but each time I picked up the phone and thought about calling her, something felt wrong. It felt like she wasn’t mine to call, even though she’s my wife.

I sigh and head inside. “Ellie?”

Nothing.

No answer comes. Everything is so silent that for a moment, I don’t think she’s here. She wouldn’t have gone out though. The security team was under strict orders to keep her on house arrest while I was away.

Which likely only pissed her off and had her escaping through the window.

“Ellie?” I flick on the lights and climb the stairs, floorboards creaking beneath my feet.

The sound of soft sobs comes from her door as I pass it.

I pinch the bridge of my nose, wishing that she would stop crying about our relationship. It’s not the first time she’s spent the night crying, and I doubt it will be the last.

This is our lives now, though.

Whether she likes it or not—and I thought she was starting to accept it—this is what our future is going to look like.

My shoulders slump, exhaustion setting in as I shove open the door to my own room, heading straight for the shower. The thing I hate the most about traveling is the feeling that sticks to my skin every time I do. It feels like I can never get clean enough for the first day or two.

Steam from the scalding water creates a foggy film over the mirror.

I shed my clothes, tossing them into the hamper in the corner before stepping into the shower. The hot stream cascades down my back, easing some of the knots away.

As I slick my hair back, some of the soft sobs rise above the noise of the shower.

Groaning, I slump against the wall.

I didn’t think that this marriage was going to be as impossible as it is.

Maybe I should’ve asked her to go with me.

Although, when I was planning the trip, I didn’t think that she would want to go with me. I had to take care of some business with one of the hotels I own in Ireland. She would have been trapped around a hotel and bored, but maybe that would have been better than being here alone.

“I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.”

As I push off the wall and work some shampoo through my hair, I keep going back and forth on what I should do about Ellie.

The water runs cold, and I step out, wrapping a towel low around my hips as a crash echoes through the house.

I fling the door open and rush down the hall, fist banging on Ellie’s door. “What the hell is going on in there, Ellie?”

“Go away!” Her voice is loud, but there’s a gasp that follows the shout that sends a shiver straight down my spine.

There’s something wrong in there.

I twist the knob, but it’s locked. “Open the door. Let me in.”

“I just dropped something.”

“It sounded like you shoved over an entire goddamn cabinet.” I try to twist the knob again, but it still barely budges. “Ellie. If there’s something going on, I want to know. Just open up.”

“No. Just leave me alone, please. I’m fine.”

Except, when there’s a soft gasping breath, a pit opens in the bottom of my stomach, dropping straight to the floor.

I’m done playing nice.

As I storm into my room, I take a second to pull on a pair of basketball shorts before grabbing the master key for the doors from the nightstand.

In a few minutes, I have her door open, but what I see stops me in my tracks.

The door to the terrace is open, cold air filling the room.

Sheets are scattered across the bed and floor, but all of them are stained with blood. Crimson handprints drag along the fabric.

There’s shattered glass and ceramics at the bottom of the bookcases, and through the middle of the room is a bloody trail leading from a chair and some rope to the bathroom.

“Ellie!”

I follow the bloody trail into the bathroom, only to find that door locked too.

Instead of barging right in, I take a breath and lean against the door, but I’m already fearing the worst.

At least she’s not dead.

Yet.

“Ellie, I need you to tell me that everything is okay in there.”

“I told you to leave me alone.” Her voice breaks, a sniffle coming from the other side of the door, followed by a sharp hiss.

Without a second thought, I shove the key in the lock and twist it, pushing the door open.

Ellie is sitting on the edge of the sink, her back to the mirror, her camisole hanging loose around her chest with the straps dangling down.

She’s bloody and bruised, marks on either cheek that make her look like she’s been slapped. “I told you not to come in.”

“What the hell happened in here?” I stand in front of her, reaching for her face to get a better look at her bruises. “Who did this to you?”

“It doesn’t matter, alright? You don’t have to worry about me. I’m fine.”

Scoffing, I take her chin gingerly between my fingers. “It does matter. Who the hell hurt you, Ellie?”

I’m trying to stay calm, but right now I want to explode. It’s taking everything I have not to yell, but she doesn’t need that right now.

The last thing I want is for her to toss her walls up any higher—especially if that means that she keeps things like this from me.

Ellie hisses as she shifts away from me, and that’s when I get a look at her back.

Red tinges my vision as I drop her chin, hands balling into fists. “Ellie.”

Her bottom lip quivers, her watery gaze turning to me. “Look. Please, just leave me alone. I can deal with this. I don’t need you to help me.”

“No.” I take a deep breath, moving away from her to grab one of the cloths from the shelf near the shower. I wet it with warm water before pressing it against the cuts on her back. The more blood I wipe away, the easier it is to see that there are initials on her back. “ NR . Please tell me that doesn’t mean what I think it does.”

Ellie nods, looking down at the floor. Her jaw clenches, a sharp intake as I clean up more of the blood oozing from the wound.

“I’m going to kill him.” I meet her gaze as she sighs.

“You’re not going to get to him on your own and you know it.” The words sound like they hurt her to say, and I hate everything about that.

If I could take away the pain and wear Noah’s initials instead of her, I would.

He’s going to die when I finally get my hands on him. Nobody is going to come into my home and hurt my wife. I don’t want to ever have to see the broken look on Ellie’s face again. It’s not her and it doesn’t belong.

I finish swiping away the blood before opening the cabinet and pulling out a first aid kit. “I’m going to put a bandage on it, and then we’re going to the hospital to get it stitched up.”

“No.” She recoils from my touch like I’m the one who hurt her. “We’re not going to the hospital.”

“Fine. The clinic, then.”

“Not going there either.” She reaches up to swipe away a tear that dares to track down her cheek. “Nobody can know about this, Sean. If people know about this, then it only gives Noah more power.”

“I don’t know how to stitch someone up.”

She shoves my hands out of the way and reaches into the first aid kit, pulling out some antiseptic. “Pour this over the area first.”

As I take the bottle from her, I know this is a bad idea. “Ellie, you’re going to have an ugly scar if I’m the one to stitch this up.”

“I’m going to have an ugly scar either way.” She turns so more of her back is to me. “Just pour the damn antiseptic. I want to get this over with.”

My stomach twists into a tight knot as I take off the cap and grab one of the gauze pads she hands me. “I really think we should get someone else to do this.”

She shakes her head. “Nobody else is ever going to see this.”

“I don’t think you have a say in that.” I pour the antiseptic onto the gauze, cleaning the wound. “I’m sure whoever did this sent proof to Noah that it was done. I would require it of my men if I was the one who gave the command.”

The last of the flush in her cheeks drains, leaving her pale as she hands me a needle and thread. “Great.”

“He might not have.” I take the needle from her with shaking fingers.

The last thing I want to do is hurt her more, but she’s right about going to the hospital. If we do that, then word is going to spread like wildfire. Everyone in New York connected to her family is going to know that she’s been branded.

I thread the needle, taking a deep breath before slipping the needle through her skin.

Ellie bites down against the pain, hissing every now and then, but she doesn’t flinch. She takes each stab of the needle like a pro, and for a moment, I can’t help but wonder how many times she’s sat through something like this.

Once the wound is stitched, she tells me how to bandage it properly.

The water runs red when I wash her blood from my hands, feeling more disgusted with myself with each swirl of the pink water around the drain.

“I don’t know who the man was,” Ellie says as she slides down from the counter, an empty look in her eyes. “I do know that he worked for Noah, and he was big. Like, linebacker big. No accent. Sounded like he wanted to please Noah and do the job right, but he also wouldn’t be bothered if he didn’t.”

I nod and turn, leaving the room without another word. There is nothing left to say. Not right now. I need a moment to myself to process everything.

Dominic is standing in the hall when I leave her bedroom. “We’ve got a problem.”

“You’re damn right we do.” I grab him by the neck and shove him into the wall. “Why the hell didn’t anyone see who attacked Ellie tonight?”

His face turns red with the lack of oxygen. “I didn’t know she was attacked.”

“And that right there is the problem.” I squeeze his throat harder before letting him go. “Someone was able to get in my house and fucking brand her without a single person noticing. That doesn’t happen without someone helping the bastard get inside.”

“I don’t know who got inside.” He sucks in a deep breath. “I’ll watch the footage.”

“You’re fucking right you will. And then you’re going to bring in everyone who worked tonight and they’re going to be questioned. Extensively. I want whoever the fuck let one of Noah’s men into my house found.”

“Is Ellie okay?” Dominic glances toward the open door. “Who do you want stationed with her for the rest of the night?”

“I’ll be with her for the foreseeable future. If I’m not, you will be. I don’t trust anyone else.”

Dominic nods. “I’ll work on rounding up everyone who worked in the last twenty-four hours, and then I’ll sit down with the footage. If someone is guilty, we don’t want them to run before you can get to them.”

“Good.” I turn and look back at the room. “Go and deal with it. Keep them locked up. I’ll talk to them after they’ve had time to think about their stories.”

Smirking, he heads for the stairs, jogging down them with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

Dominic might be the only person I’m not worried about. He has stood by my side for years, even when Dad has tried to turn him against me. I would trust him with my life, and I know he would do whatever it took to protect Ellie.

Which means that Noah got to someone else.

I don’t know who, but when I find them, they’re going to regret ever turning against me.

My chest tightens as I step back into Ellie’s room while she gathers the stained sheets. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Cleaning up.” Ellie looks up at me, and when she does, I can see the fear in her eyes. “Can I stay in your room tonight? I don’t think I can sleep in here. Not after the way I woke up with that man standing over me.”

I take the sheets from her and set them back on the bed. “Come on.”

She follows me out of her room and down the hall to my own room.

As she stands in the doorway, she seems to shrink in around herself. She looks like she isn’t sure of anything as she toys with the broken strap of her camisole.

After tonight, I don’t think I’m ever going to be able to let her leave my room. I’m going to keep her trapped here where I can make sure she’s safe from anyone who wants to hurt her.

“Sean?” She hesitates and shakes her head. “Never mind. Forget I said anything.”

I stand in front of her, not sure whether to hold her or not. “What? How are you feeling?”

She rolls her bottom lip into her mouth, teeth sinking into it. “I’m fine.”

“You’re lying to me. I don’t think you’re fine at all.” I wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her against me. “You don’t have to pretend that everything is okay. You went through hell tonight.”

Ellie stiffens, looking up at me. “I don’t want you to start treating me like glass. I get enough of that from Aiden, even though I know how to handle myself.”

“I don’t doubt that you do. It looks like you put up one hell of a fight in there.”

The corner of her mouth twitches. “I did.”

“Good.” My hands drift up and down her lower back. “What were you going to ask me?”

She sighs, placing her hands on my chest, looking like she’s torn between pulling me closer or shoving me away. “Will you make me forget that man’s hands were ever on my body?”

When she looks at me like her entire world is shredding into pieces, I know that I’ll do whatever it takes to make her feel better again.

My mouth slants over hers, lips moving together in a dance that feels like we’ve been practicing our entire lives. Her tongue traces along my bottom lip and I open my mouth, tongue tangling with hers as if I can’t get enough of her.

And I can’t.

A low moan escapes me as my hands run over her body, tracing her curves, down to the waistband of her shorts. I take my time pulling them down her long legs, getting to my knees in front of her and kissing every place on her thigh I can reach.

Her fingers weave through my hair. “You’re being a tease.”

“No.” I flick my tongue along the inside of her knee. “I’m taking my time to worship you the way you deserve.”

Her breathless little gasp as I slide my tongue along her slick folds is all the encouragement I need to keep going.

My fingers find her core, sliding into her. She squeezes around me, legs already starting to shake as I rock two fingers deeper into her.

“I need more.” She tugs on my hair, pulling my head closer to her pussy. I swirl my tongue around it, flicking in time with my fingers until she’s riding them hard.

Her pants fill the room as I suck on her clit, sending her over the edge of an orgasm. Her arousal coats my fingers, her pussy becoming slicker as her legs shake.

I massage her inner walls, drawing out the orgasm for as long as I can. She rolls her body, taking me deeper.

When I finally get to my feet, she’s looking at me through hooded eyes.

As I take my time peeling her camisole away from her body, careful not to bump her wound, my heart threatens to beat out of my chest.

“You’re so damn beautiful, Ellie.” I kiss her again as I walk us backward to the bed, shedding my clothes as I go.

It’s only once she knocks into the bed that I turn us around and lie on my back, bringing her down on top of me.

She plants her hands in the center of my chest as she straddles my hips, sinking down onto my cock. Her full lips part, eyelashes fluttering.

My cock aches as I hold her hips and thrust deeper into her. I need her like I need oxygen. I need to know that she is alright and that this is real. She’s here with me and nobody is ever going to hurt her again.

I’m throbbing as she rides me, balls tightening when she swirls her hips and parts her legs wider. It feels like she can’t possibly take any more of me until she does.

With a groan, I thrust faster and harder. Her pussy pulses around me as her nails rake into my skin, leaving red little marks down my chest.

When she comes, she comes hard, milking my cock like she was made to be wrapped around me.

My own release chases hers. She keeps rocking, her slow movements making the orgasm last longer than it should. I keep thrusting into her until she’s spent, sprawling across my chest.

As she buries her face against my chest, my arms band around her waist. I press a kiss to the top of her head, holding her until her breathing evens out and she falls asleep on top of me.

I keep holding on to her. Nobody is going to hurt her as long as she’s safe with me.

Whoever attacked her is going to pay. I’ll do whatever it takes to kill them.

No matter what it takes.