Page 52 of Royal Bargain

“We’re business owners. Job creators. We care about this city—and we’re not part of the problem. We’re part of the solution.”

I know how it sounds. Carefully worded, perfectly rehearsed even though I’m improvising. But that’s the game. Politics is all smoke and spin, and today, I’m playing it better than I ever thought I could.

Let them take this and run with it. Let them print headlines about Blackthorn. Let them start rewriting the Brannagan story.

And let whoever pulled that trigger know—we’re watching now.

The moment I step back inside, Ana’s there.

Her eyes are wide, panicked, scanning me like she’s expecting to find blood. “Are you okay?” she breathes, rushing toward me. “Liam, what happened? I heard a shot?—”

I catch her by the waist before she can start checking me over like I’ve been hit. “It wasn’t me,” I say quickly. “I’m fine. It was Burns.”

She stiffens. “Is he… ?”

“Shoulder hit. He’s already on his way to the hospital. They said he’ll be alright.” I brush her hair back, just to do something with my hands. “Scared the shit out of me, but he was conscious. Talking. Making jokes.”

Ana exhales a breath that sounds like it was caught in her lungs for a full minute. “Jesus…”

“Yeah.” I glance toward the main room, already feeling eyes and questions crawling in behind us. “Look, I don’t want to stick around for the second wave of reporters. And whoever fired that shot might not be done yet.”

She nods. “Okay. Yeah. Let’s go.”

I don’t even bother saying goodbye to anyone else. I just take her hand and lead her out the side exit, where Shane already has the car pulled around. The ride back is silent, tense. Ana watches the city blur past the window, her fingers twisting in her lap. I keep glancing in the mirrors, half-expecting another shot to come from nowhere.

When we finally get home, our nanny Kate meets us at the door with Lily in her arms. “She’s fed, changed, and asleep,” she whispers. “Did something happen?”

“I’ll explain later,” I say, softer than usual. “Thanks, Kate. You can head home.”

She gives Ana a gentle smile and presses Lily into her arms before gathering her things. Once she’s gone, the apartment feels too quiet. Like all the noise from earlier got swallowed whole.

Ana shifts Lily into her bassinet, and we both linger there for a second, watching her chest rise and fall.

Then Ana turns to me. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“I am now.”

I reach for her hand.

Because the truth is, I don’t want to talk about what happened. Not right now. I don’t want to dissect the why or the who or the what-it-means.

I just want her.

I pull her in hard, crushing her mouth to mine.

Ana gasps, but she’s already yanking at my jacket, pulling me in like she’s starving for air and I’m the only thing keeping herbreathing. There’s no build-up. No slow burn. Just heat. Panic. Need.

Her hands fumble at my shirt. Mine are already at her zipper. We barely break apart long enough to shed the clothes between us, letting them fall wherever they land. I back her into the stairs, one of Lily’s toys getting kicked out of the way, but neither of us notices.

She bites my lip, hard, as I lift her. Her legs wrap tight around my waist, and I groan into her mouth.

“I thought you got shot,” she breathes, voice cracking.

“I didn’t.” My voice is raw. “I’m here. I’m fine. I’ve got you.”

I press her back into the wall, hands gripping her thighs, my mouth on her neck, her collarbone, her chest—anything I can reach. She claws at my back, grounding herself, anchoring me.

“Liam—”