Page 48 of Stolen Temptation (Irish Kings #3)

Rory

I wince, retracting my shooting arm as all hell breaks loose in the sanctuary.

The De Luca-Petrov wedding dissolves into complete and utter havoc when Maksim hits the ground. Guests scream, duck, and scatter, scrambling down the aisle and diving beneath the pews to get out of the way.

I hit that fucker in the tux between the eyes.

Knew bringing my silencer would come in handy.

Cian and I lurk behind one of the pillars on the left side of the altar. It wasn’t easy to sneak into this place, and we’ll probably lose some of our own people, but an alliance between the Petrovs and the De Lucas would have resulted in an infinitely worse body count for us.

My gunshot wound burns like someone shoved a hot poker inside me, but I grit my teeth and ignore the pain.

Finn and my other friends attempted to persuade me to stay behind, but screw that.

I refuse to sit back while Kiara’s life hangs in the balance.

I’d rather die than let De Luca sacrifice Kiara to that Maksim motherfucker.

I’ll kill every last Russian before that happens.

And that’s exactly what we propose to do.

Kiara stands still as a statue even after Maksim collapses at her feet, his blood staining the hem of that gaudy poof of a dress. Everything in me screams to run to her and yank her off that altar before the real chaos begins, but a moment later, I realize I’m too late.

In the back-right corner of the sanctuary, wooden pews creak as Petrov mafia members flip them to create a barricade.

“How many?” Darren’s voice rises from the earpiece I’m wearing.

Cian curses under his breath, craning around our marble pillar to count the men starting to shoot from behind their small wall of pews. “By my count, about fifteen.”

“Russians or De Lucas?” Finn’s gravelly voice comes through the earpiece next.

My eyes are still glued to Kiara, but I say, “Russians.”

“Heard.” Finn whistles a signal.

As planned, he, Darren, and their squadron flood into the sanctuary from the emergency exit, guns ablaze, bullets cutting through the air as they exchange fire with the Russians.

The static, air-shattering pops of rapid gunfire, the thud of dropping bodies, the iron stench of blood—it’s a good old-fashioned shoot-out.

I hear a high-pitched wail and sobbing Russian and glance toward the noise.

An older woman slumps over Maksim’s body, crying into his chest. A small man—Nikolai Petrov, I remind myself from the brief on the way here—grabs her and pulls her away from his brother.

He barks something in Russian at the other Petrov men before dragging the woman off the altar.

Kiara remains still as a tree the entire time.

Cian and I stick to one side, hidden amongst the exodus of wedding guests, but not for long. Finn, Darren, and their team fan out through the sanctuary, spraying bullets at the Russians. By the time they reach us, it’s clear that our two factions aren’t the only ones who want in on the action.

“Three o’clock!” Cian roars.

We flatten ourselves behind the thick marble columns, bullets raining sideways at the space where we just stood.

Adrenaline pumps through my blood, providing momentary pain relief and energizing me despite the hole in my chest that’s packed tighter than an overstuffed suitcase.

Keeping close to the column, I peer in the direction of enemy fire.

De Luca soldiers have created their own barricade in the front of the sanctuary on the left side, and now they and the Russians are firing down the aisle as one.

We can’t move.

But we still have the upper hand.

Because today, we came prepared to fight.

The Italians and Russians came to eat cake.

“Now,” Finn growls to Darren.

“Thought you’d never ask.” Darren lobs smoke bomb cartridges into the center of the room, and a silver fog consumes the flower-infested battlefield.

Our enemies are shouting and shooting into the fog, but their aim is worse now that they don’t know exactly where we are. We’re hoping they might shoot each other by accident. Who doesn’t love a little friendly fire, as long as it’s directed at the other side?

Darren’s rough fingers clamp down on my shoulder. “The hell are you waiting for?” He shoves me toward the altar. “Go get your girl.”

Hidden by the smoke, I make a break for it, skirting around the column into the sanctuary proper, keeping low as I book it toward the front of the room. Moving hurts, but nothing is going to stop me from getting to Kiara.

I’m almost there. Through the haze, the top of the rose decorations and Kiara’s silhouette appear.

I’m so glad to see her, I could break into song.

Before I get there, Leo De Luca throws himself at her, nearly tackling her right off the platform and into the shadows beyond.

I lose sight of them.

No. No fucking way.

Wood screeches against the marble floor behind me as the Kings create their own barricade.

“Move in!” Cian’s order comes through the earpiece I’m wearing, but I barely hear the words.

More gunfire. I drop low again, and even though part of me wants to spin around and jump into the fray with my friends, I stay focused on pushing forward. I may be injured, but I’m also determined.

I’m going to protect Kiara. I’m going to bring her home.

No one is going to hurt her. Not Leo, not the Petrovs.

Not today. Not ever again.

She’s mine.

And there’s nothing Leonardo De Luca can do about it.

Anger and resolve fuse inside me when I peel off from the sanctuary and launch myself into the shadows beyond the altar.

I’m going to find Leo and the woman I love.

It’s time for that piece of shit to die.

After banking around the back of the altar, I sprint down the hall that circles the outside of the room, stopping only when I catch sight of Leo backing Kiara into a corner. Leo throws Kiara into the wall so hard, I hear the thump of her head against the stone.

Ire rips through me, setting my body ablaze.

I almost shoot Leo from right here, but one miscalculation could mean Kiara’s life. I’m not willing to risk that.

“ Don’t move .” Leo snarls at her like a beast before pivoting and streaking toward the other side of the hall, back to the sanctuary. He didn’t see me. Good.

As soon as he’s gone, I race to her side.

Her head snaps up once I stop taking care to soften my footfalls.

“Rory?” Her whole face opens up, tears flying from her eyes. Then she damn near tackles me in her five-ton wedding dress. I almost fall backward as she crushes against me, the hole in my chest burning like lava.

I don’t care. I don’t give a flying fuck if my stitches tear.

All I care about is Kiara.

I hold her tight enough to crack her ribs, sucking up the scent of her dark hair. She smells edible. Or maybe I’m just that hungry to be with her.

Today. Tomorrow. The next decade. Or three.

Another deep inhale. Despite the nauseating pain that shoots through me, I feel as though I’m breathing for the first time in over two weeks. “What did they spray you with? An aphrodisiac?”

“I thought you were dead!” Her voice comes through big, hiccupping sobs. “I thought Leo killed you. You’re alive. Oh my god, you’re alive!”

Kiara’s words shatter me. She’s been mourning me this whole time.

“Can’t get rid of me that easily.” I plant a rough kiss on her bare shoulder, and she draws back to look at me, bleary-eyed and relieved.

She holds my face in her hands, peering into my eyes like she can’t believe it’s me. And I…I can’t believe my luck that the one woman I’m insane over seems just as wild about me.

Is this what a miracle feels like?

Her lips fall open, but more talking will have to wait. I crash my lips to hers and kiss her hard. She knots her fingers in my hair, giving as good as she gets.

“I missed you so damn much,” I breathe against her lips.

“Let’s get out of here.” Her words mesmerize me. “Just you and me. Let’s go somewhere far away from here and never look back.”

She overwhelms me. I’m shocked I haven’t bounced up to the ceiling just from these few precious moments alone with her.

It’s like there’s no one else in the world but us.

And that only clinches my determination to make the world safe for her.

And we’ll never be safe together as long as that half-brother of hers is breathing air instead of decomposing in a ditch.

“The answer’s yes.” I shove another kiss to her lips. “But there’s something I need to do first. Where’s Leo?”

Kiara shakes her head, tears returning to her eyes. “Rory, no. Don’t fight him.”

“Did you really think I’d let that bastard get away with hurting the woman I love?”

She freezes, her mouth dropping open in a little ‘o’ of surprise. “W-what?”

“I didn’t even understand what love was until you came running into my life.”

I thought admitting my feelings would be a challenge, but as soon as I do, a burden lifts off my chest. She should know, even if she can never return them. I’m pretty sure she cares for me. And that’s enough. Far more than someone like me deserves.

“I love you too.” Her words come out watery and half-choked, but it doesn’t matter.

My hands convulse from shock. I don’t notice that I’m squeezing her tightly to my chest until pain lashes me.

Black dots pepper my vision, but I’ll take that trade-off any day. “How can…are you sure that…even though I’m like this ? You really love me, even though you deserve so much better?”

She nods, brushing her nose against mine. “I really love you.” She laughs, but it sounds more like a sob. “I really love you, and I don’t even know your last name.”

What was that about a hole in my chest? Because I can’t feel it now. Nothing registers but the swell of joy and the blood rushing through my ears as I admire her stupidly beautiful face.

“O’Connor.”

Her pretty smile acts like a natural endorphin. “Rory O’Connor. I like it.”

“And I like you. No, I love you.” My smile is probably goofy as hell, but I don’t care. “Kiara, I’m so in?—”

A fresh round of gunfire draws my attention. Shit. I nearly forgot where we are. With a groan, I kiss her forehead and pull away.

“Stay out of sight.” It takes everything in me to tear my eyes off her gorgeous face. I turn on my heel and sprint in the same direction Leo went.

It’s time to finish this.