Page 80 of Intense (Beneath The Blaze #3)

FINN

S tephanie is busy getting ready for the gala, leaving me and Declan to finalize our plans for this evening.

“Are you sure you don’t want to leave Reggie with her here?” Declan asks, sliding his Rolex over his wrist, his eyes flicking up at me.

“Her?” I echo, my irritation bleeding into my voice.

“Steph,” he clarifies.

“Stephanie. My wife, you mean?” My glare sharpens as I correct him.

Declan scoffs under his breath.

“Come on. After what we saw the other day, it isn’t a real marriage. This is just another game to you, isn’t it?”

My jaw tightens, but I force myself to shake my head. “That was a misunderstanding, brother.” I take a step closer, closing the space until the tension between us crackles like a live wire.

I don’t often want to smash his skull into a wall, but right now I do.

“Your wife not only had a hit out on you twice, but she was also prepared to shoot Conan. I don’t think you are in any place to talk shit about my fuckin’ wife, Declan. Choose your next words very carefully.” My voice is low.

Declan draws in a breath; he’s battling with what to say to me next. I know him too well. “I’m worried about you, Finn. You’ve changed recently.”

“And that’s a bad thing? You want me to be a fucking robot that just kills people on your command? Is that it?”

He blinks, shaking his head quickly. “What? Fuck. No. I didn’t mean that. It’s just… different. I’ve never seen you in love. Never seen you trust someone, let alone forgive.”

“Sit down.” My order cracks like a whip as I point at the grand dining table.

Conan appears in the doorway, skidding to a halt.

“Shall I leave?” he asks.

“Do you have any concerns about me?” I fire back.

His mouth opens, but his eyes dart straight to Declan. Guilty.

“Sit.” My tone leaves no room for refusal.

I love my brothers, and I would die for them, but Stephanie is my wife, my equal, and now a part of this family. They need to understand that I will protect her the same way I’d protect them. And that I need them to protect her the way they would protect me.

We will give Stephanie the family she deserves. She will never be abandoned again.

They both take their seats opposite me. The room is tense; the only comfort is the glitter of Tower Bridge in the night sky through the floor-to-ceiling windows of Theo’s penthouse.

“Stephanie is my wife and will remain my wife until I fucking die. Do I make myself clear?” My stare shifts between them.

“Yes.”

“Nothing you can say or do will change that. She makes me…” I pause, searching, grinding through my chest for the right word. “…happy. Happier than I’ve ever been in my entire fucking life. She is part of our family now, and she will be treated as such.”

Conan scratches at his stubble, glancing at Declan. “Finn, we have no problem with her. We’re happy for you both.”

“Then what is it? Why are you concerned about me?”

Declan leans forward, voice quieter. “We know something happened, Finn. When we were kids. I remember. I remember you before and then the version of you after. I remember Dad screaming, Mom crying. But the married Finn? He’s neither version.

It’s like something happens in life, and you just respawn as a new person. ”

My throat closes up. They saw more than I ever wanted them to. All this time I thought I’d hidden it, locked it down so tightly my brothers never had to know. But they did. They’ve respected my silence, but they’ve always known.

“Stephanie has taught me how to love. How to heal from my past or, at least, begin to.”

Sweat beads on my forehead. My hand twitches toward the whiskey, but I hold back. Could I tell them? Saying it aloud to Stephanie took the weight off my chest. Maybe telling them will kill what’s left of the shame.

“Finn. You don’t have to tell us anything. Just know we are here if you need us.” Declan’s voice is steady, but his eyes flicker with something soft.

I glance toward the stairs, silently begging for Stephanie to come down and anchor me with her hand in mine.

Maybe this part of my past needs to die tonight too.

“Let me grab more whiskey. We’re going to need it,” I tell them as I stand. My hand trembles as I reach for the bottle, my fist clenching before I carry it back.

I pour slowly, deliberately taking my time. “Remember the little girl I used to play out on the bikes with? When we were younger?” My voice is cracking as I direct the question at Declan.

“Yeah… the blonde one. You used to sneak her snacks from our house. Penelope?”

The name stabs through me like glass. I nod.

“I did that because her parents were abusing her. Starving her. Beating her. And…” My voice fractures. I can’t say it. Fuck. “Doing everything to her.”

I’ll never find the words to express in detail what they did to us both. That never needs speaking out loud. I need them to understand, not live my trauma with me.

Declan pales. Conan’s fists clench white.

“Fuck. That’s awful. What happened to her? She just disappeared, didn’t she?”

I swallow hard, nails digging into my palm. Pain. I fucking need pain.

“Her parents murdered her.”

Conan hisses through his teeth. Declan presses his lips together, holding back the curse I know is on his tongue.

“It gets worse,” I whisper.

They lean in, but I can barely get the words out. “I found out about her abuse long before she died. And I… I decided to take the brunt of it. For her.”

Declan’s jaw drops. “You mean?”

I nod. Shame floods me, burning down my spine. I close my eyes, fighting tears, fighting the memories of their hands on me in that house.

“I thought I could handle it better than her. That I could find a way to save her. I was ten. Ten. I didn’t know what to do, just that I had to try.”

Conan wipes at his cheek, and the sight of his tears twists my stomach. I don’t want pity. I don’t want their grief. I just want to be heard.

“But one night she didn’t come out. I snuck to her window, and I saw her. Throat slit. Bleeding out on her pink rug. The one with the ballerinas on it.”

That was the moment my soul turned to ash.

“The lights went out in me that night. And they didn’t come back until Stephanie.”

I grip the glass so tight I’m sure it’ll shatter.

“I made the decision then to end it. So while her parents slept, I snuck into their room, and I repaid the favor. Brutally. And then I cut them up. I made them pay.”

Silence. My brothers stare, stunned and horrified, hands over their mouths.

“That’s when I knew I wanted to be a surgeon. The only good thing to come from it. I found a purpose. I got revenge. But I failed her.”

They’re both out of their chairs in seconds, arms wrapping around me in a bear hug. My tears fall freely. I fucking hate it. This weakness.

That’s why I am the way I am. That’s why I cut my heart out and locked it in a box. Why I fucked, fought, and killed instead of feeling.

“Finn, why didn’t you tell us? You’ve carried this for twenty-five years,” Declan’s voice breaks.

“Because I didn’t want my cuts to bleed into you. I didn’t want you to become like me.”

Conan’s grip tightens. Declan’s jaw works as he tries not to break.

Conan doesn’t even bother to hide his. I’ve always been jealous of him in a way, being able to just feel.

Even if people think it’s too loudly. I’ve kept my emotions locked in a prison inside my brain, and now that I’ve unlocked it, I’m not sure which way to turn anymore.

I’ve gone from feeling nothing to everything all at once.

“Did Dad know?”

“Yeah. He caught me mid-surgery. He covered it up. Hid it from the authorities. That was the last time I spoke of it… until recently.”

Conan looks at me sharply. “You told Stephanie?”

“I did. And she made me see that keeping it inside is killing me. She makes me want to be better.”

Declan gives a small nod. “Crazy what a woman can do.”

“She’s the best thing that ever happened to me. From the moment we met at the hospital, even when we were sworn rivals. She was keeping me alive, and I didn’t even realize.”

“I’m happy for you, Finn,” Declan says softly. “This is the start of a new life for you.”

I pray to God he’s right.

“There’s one more thing.”

Conan leans forward, mouth falling open. “She’s pregnant, isn’t she?”

I chuckle, shaking my head. “I fuckin’ wish. But no. Penelope’s parents were cousins of the Bowens. That’s why the war started when we were kids. Dad blamed all of them.”

“Those motherfuckers,” Conan growls.

“So killing Arthur is the end. Revenge for her. Revenge for Dad.”

“And revenge for you, Finn,” Declan adds.

Conan’s fist clenches. “I’m glad I smashed James’ skull.”

“You’re not to blame for Dad’s death, Conan. That was his sacrifice. Don’t carry that weight,” I tell him.

Tears fill his eyes, but he nods.

I lift my glass. “To Mom and Dad.”

“They’d be proud of us,” Declan whispers.

“And Dad will be watching as we skin Arthur alive, whiskey in hand, smiling.” I smirk.

The energy shifts in the room. My heart slams against my ribs.

I turn, and my lungs seize.

“Holy shit, love. You look breathtaking.”

I stride toward her, her smile growing with every step. That smile is what my heart beats for now.

I tilt her chin up, drinking her in. “Absolutely beautiful, temptress. Gorgeous. Stunning. A masterpiece. Perfection.” My lips hover over hers. “All fuckin’ mine.”

Her blush rises, heat radiating between us. Her hands smooth over my chest as she straightens my bow tie.

“I’ll look good as an accessory on your arm, Dr. Quinn.”

“No. You’re the main event.”

The dress hugs her like it was sewn on her body, red fabric sculpting every curve. The snake tattoo between her breasts captivating me. My fingers run through her curls, my gaze locked on hers.

“I want to kiss you, but I don’t want to get red lipstick on you,” she whispers.

I ignore her, crashing my mouth onto hers.

“Nothing gets between us. Remember that.”

A knock sounds at the door. Conan rushes to answer, leaving Declan chuckling.

I focus back on her, softer now, and she reaches up, wiping the lipstick away from my lips.

“I told them,” I say quietly.

Her eyes widen, then she gives me a soft smile as she cups my face. “I’m proud of you. Was it okay?”

I nod. “It’s done. Now we have one more task to complete. Then I’ll be free.”

She wraps her arms around my neck. “And then what’s the plan?”

“World’s ours, love. Whatever we want to do. Just as long as we’re together.”