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CHAPTER ONE

NIALL

I t had been a long time since we’d been in this position. A surprise raid, carefully planned and executed on our part. Finn tried to avoid violence, but this was the exception. We all wanted it.

Human trafficking was unacceptable. Add in the fact that the love of his life had been taken? It was no-holds-barred. The people involved with this horrific act would all be dead by the time we finished here tonight.

Bodies hit the wooden floor, the thumps almost musical as I aimed and shot, taking out as many of the human waste as I could.

Roman issued the order, and the lights came on as we tore off our night goggles so as not to be blinded.

I followed Finn as he raced toward Una. I was his right hand. Best friend. Cousin.

Wingman.

I faced the chaos, making sure all our enemies were down. Finn got to Una, picking her up, talking the whole time.

Then he called me. “Niall. Help.”

I slung my gun over my shoulder and went to his side. He indicated the woman on the floor beside Una. “They have to stay close right now.”

At a loss, I bent beside the woman. She was a huddled mass of shaking limbs—obviously terrified out of her mind.

I spoke so she could hear me. “I’m Niall. A friend of Una’s and Finn’s. I need to pick you up so we can get you out of here. I won’t hurt you. Will you let me?”

Slowly, she raised her head, and my breath caught in my throat. She was barely dressed, beaten, her eyes too big for her thin face—and the most beautiful, fragile thing I had ever seen.

Those eyes were like a fawn’s separated from its mother. Round, deep brown, terrified, and desperate. Her skin was stretched over her cheekbones, and her lips were chewed and scabbed. Still, her beauty overrode it all.

“I won’t hurt you,” I repeated. “I promise. You’ll be safe.”

She nodded, and I could see the effort it cost her.

I picked her up, her weight barely registering.

She was small—she felt fragile and weak in my embrace, stirring something inside me.

Something deep and primitive. The need to protect, to kill anyone who harmed her, to hold her until she was no longer afraid, roared in me.

A strange noise came from my throat, and I was sure I had startled her.

But she didn’t fight me, instead nestling into my torso as if she belonged there.

I frowned, looking at Finn. “She’s freezing. ”

I turned, yelling for blankets, knowing both women needed them.

I had never cared for another person. Looked after someone aside from my mother. I took the blanket and ineptly tucked it around the woman I held, hoping to warm her. Her skin was like ice, and she shivered constantly.

Una saw her brother across the area, bloodied and dying. Finn carried her over, and the woman I was holding shifted, looking their way.

She cried as she watched Una try to care for her brother, peeking up at me. “He was part of this.”

“I think he is regretful,” I replied. “And knowing Una and her heart, she will forgive him.”

“She is so wonderful,” she murmured. “I don’t think I would have lasted much longer without her.”

I looked around at the bodies piled up, the people we’d killed.

I felt no remorse. Una had been kidnapped, and we had to save her.

And she wasn’t the only one. Tonight, we’d rescued other women, as well as the people being forced to create drugs that were being sold on our streets.

It was necessary, and we had no hesitation executing the plan—or the human scum who perpetrated the crimes.

The woman in my arms shivered again, and I tucked her closer. Roman came over, looking between us. “We need to move. We caused more noise than I had hoped, and I want us out of here before someone notices. We need to set off the explosives as soon as possible.”

“Right.”

“There’s still room in the van. One of the other men can take her,” he added with a nod toward the woman I was holding.

Her grip on my jacket tensed, and she made a noise of distress, burying her face back into my shoulder. Unconsciously, my hold on her tightened, and a primal growl built in my chest.

“ No . She stays with me.”

Roman blinked and held up his hands in supplication. “All right.”

He moved toward Una and Finn. Brian had died, and Una was holding him, weeping and refusing to let go.

She became a lioness, screaming at Finn that she wasn’t leaving her brother.

Roman bent down, saying something to her that calmed her down, and she allowed Finn to pick her up.

He jerked his chin toward the door. I joined him.

“We’re heading out.”

“Okay. Good.” I wanted out of here. The smell of death was everywhere, the scent of blood ripe in the air. Although I wasn’t sorry any of them were dead, I was sorry for the women we held. Finn and I were used to death. Bloodshed and violence were part of the world we lived in.

But these two women and the others we’d freed were far more innocent. At least, they had been until now.

In the van, I held the tiny woman close, meeting Finn’s eyes over her head. I was certain that his grip on Una was equally as tight. I looked down, wondering why bringing her with me was so important. Why it felt as if I should be the only one who held her and made sure she was okay.

I shook my head, not understanding what was happening. Why did I care so much for a stranger? I didn’t even know her name.

I felt the drift of fingers on my cheek, and I looked down, meeting the dark, scared eyes of the woman I was holding.

“Anna,” she whispered. “My name is Anna.”

I must have spoken my thoughts out loud. “I’m Niall,” I said, unsure if she’d heard me earlier in her terror.

She nodded. “I know.”

Then she buried her head back into my shoulder, as if that was her spot.

And I was surprisingly okay with that.

At the hotel, we headed up to our private floor.

I knew the two floors below us were clear and ready to help everyone we’d freed.

Medical personnel, food, blankets, medicine—all was prepared.

I also knew Finn had rooms for our friends and their wives so they could rest after the mission was complete.

I paused at my door. Finn looked at me. “Let her get cleaned up, and you can arrange to take her downstairs,” he murmured.

I grunted, not liking that idea, for some reason. I carried Anna to the en suite, setting her on the floor.

“I’ll run a shower for you. Find you some warm clothes.” Reaching inside, I turned on the water and made sure the temperature was acceptable. “It’ll warm you up.”

I headed to my room, searching in the drawers. I had nothing to fit someone her size. When I had stood her on her feet, she barely reached my chest. And she was so… minute. She would drown in my clothing.

Shaking my head, I grabbed a pair of warm sweats, a heavy sweater, and some socks. At least she would be covered and warm. I placed the clothes on the bed, glancing down the hall, surprised to find her still standing where I had left her. I hurried toward her.

“Anna?” I asked gently. “What’s wrong? Is the water too hot?”

Her voice was quavery as she spoke. “I don’t know.”

I became concerned as I saw how hard she was trembling. “What is it?”

“I don’t know,” she repeated. “I’m too scared to move. As soon as you left, I became frightened.”

“I’m right here,” I soothed, unsure what to do. “Please get in the shower. The heat will help.”

She nodded, not moving.

“I’ll stay,” I promised. “I’ll stay with you.” I shut the door, trapping the heat in and turning my back to give her privacy. “I won’t look.”

There was silence for a moment, and then I heard fabric rustling and the sound of the shower door opening. Her fast inhale of air made me turn. “Too hot?”

“No,” she replied. “It feels like heaven.”

I faced the door again, but not before I saw her. Wet, naked, vulnerable. Covered in bruises and scrapes. Cuts. I tightened my hands into fists, wishing I could go back and kill them all over again. Take my time and make them suffer the way she obviously had at their hands.

“Are you all right?” she asked hesitantly.

“Fine,” I muttered through tight lips.

“You made an odd sound. Like a growl.”

“I’m hungry,” I lied.

“Please go eat. I’ll be all right.”

Except as my hand curled around the doorknob, I swore I felt her anxiety ramp up. My own chest tightened in fear as if it was absorbing hers. I let go and sighed, dropping my head to my chest.

And I stayed where I was.

I led her to my room, indicating the clothing I put out, and then I pointed to the door. “I’m having a shower. Right there. I’ll leave the door open so you can hear me. You get dressed, and then we’ll have something to eat, okay?”

She nodded, clutching the towel to her chest. Her skin glistened, and the bruising I’d seen in the misty glass was vivid and dark.

“I have a doctor coming to see you as well.”

Her trembling started again, and I stepped close. “A friend, Anna. All you will encounter here are friends. No one will hurt you. I swear it.” I took her hand, lifting it to my face. “No one will get near you. I won’t let them. Do you understand?”

She swallowed and nodded.

I quickly headed to the shower, anxious to wash off the blood and the smell. I raced through it, returning to her in less than ten minutes. She was dressed, looking like a child in my too-large clothes. She was attempting to brush her hair with her fingers, and I handed her my brush.

“Probably not the kind you like. I know women prefer certain brushes,” I said with a smile. “But better than your fingers.”

She offered me a timid smile. It changed her face, making her even prettier. She had a dimple to the right of one eye that deepened and made her look adorable. I imagined before this happened her smile had lit up a room.

I hoped it would again one day.

And strangely enough, I hoped I was around to see it.

All I could get her to eat was toast. Sip a little tea I added too much sugar to.

I wanted her to eat more, but her terror lingered.

She jumped at every noise, casting her eyes around the room as if waiting to be attacked.

The lights bothered her, and I turned them down when she explained she needed to get used to the light again.

“It was so dark there,” she murmured, pulling the blanket around her tighter. “My eyes hurt a little.”

There was a knock at the door, and her eyes went wide. I stood, laying a hand on her shoulder.

“The doctor,” I soothed, then headed over and let him in.

Dr. Barnes sat across from her, smiling kindly. “Hello. You must be Anna.”

She nodded.

He drew in a patient breath. “You’ve been through a terrible ordeal, and I’ve been instructed to check on your physical health. Would you allow me to look you over?”

I saw her chest start to pump rapidly, the way her fingers gripped the blanket.

“I’ll be right here, mo mhuirnín .”

I blinked at the endearment that slipped out, then mentally shrugged. I was tired and used an expression I had heard often growing up. She had no idea what it meant.

But she relaxed a little, and Dr. Barnes did a quick exam, tsking over the bruises, asking her questions. He sat back, looking distressed.

“Well?” I demanded, worried.

“Physically, I am not surprised with my findings.” He addressed Anna. “You, my dear, are dehydrated, malnourished, and it is indicative of the traumas you have experienced. You are rather tender on the right side. Were you struck there often?”

“He-he liked to kick me.”

Rage began to boil again. I knew who the he was, and I could only hope he had bled out slowly, watching as his sick obsession was carried away from him.

Dr. Barnes leaned close, asking Anna something. She shook her head wildly. “No,” she said, her voice insistent.

Dr. Barnes nodded and sat back.

“I don’t think your ribs are broken, but you’ll be sore for a while. I want you to take some vitamins, eat well, and drink as much as you can. I also suggest some electrolytes. No alcohol or too much caffeine for a few days. Lots of rest. No stress.”

“I’ll make sure of it,” I assured him, then wanted to kick myself. I wasn’t her caregiver.

Yet the thought of someone else caring for her didn’t sit well with me.

He left some painkillers, a list of vitamins and supplements, plus the name of the same therapist he’d given Finn for Una. “Watch her, Niall. If she complains of pain in her ribs past the next couple of days, we’ll do an X-ray.”

“Maybe we should do one anyway.”

He shook his head. “If I thought they were broken, I would, but I think just very bruised and sore. She will be very, ah, vulnerable for the next while.”

“Vulnerable?” I asked.

“Emotional. Maybe clingy.”

“I understand.”

He left, and I rested my head on the door as I closed it.

I didn’t really understand at all. I had no idea how to care for someone who was vulnerable. Emotional. Clingy.

Then it hit me that no one was asking me to. Now that she was clean, dressed, and had seen a doctor, I could take her downstairs and hand her over to the team. They would help her, get her back on her feet.

My phone buzzed with a message from Finn.

Have you taken Anna downstairs?

I looked at the screen, then over to the woman on the sofa. Defenseless, scared, and unsure. But looking at me with total and complete trust.

No. She’s staying here.