Black Heart (Cursed Hearts #1)(71)

“I know that I’ve heard it before, but I just can’t remember where,” Shayne said as though Tristan cared.

He didn’t, so he focused on the stack of folders in front of him.

“I can’t believe that ye can’t hear it,” Shayne grumbled.            

“Believe it,” Tristan said absently, taking a sip of his beer.

“Ye know, lad, I’m beginning to think that ye don’t care,” Shayne said with a putout sigh.

“That’s probably because I don’t”

“That hurts, lad. I’m being tortured by a phantom sound and ye-“

“Don’t care,” Tristan said, cutting him off.

“Ye’d care if ye had to listen to this damn thumping day and night,” Shayne said and Tristan didn’t need to look up from the folder on his lap to know that the man was pouting.

“Stop being such a baby and man up,” he said, barely looking up from the file in front of him as he reached for his beer.

“I’m not being a baby! I………..,” Shayne’s words trailed off before he let out a chuckle. “I’m a f**king idiot, lad.”

“Agreed,” Tristan murmured, all of his attention on the latest kidnapping case.

“Well, that’s a relief,” Shayne with a satisfied sigh.

“Uh huh.”

“Ye don’t want to know what that sound is?” Shayne asked, sounding amused.

“Not really,” Tristan said, frowning down at the detective’s field notes and trying to decipher scribble.

“Then maybe I shouldn’t tell ye.”

“Then don’t.”

“It involves Marty,” Shayne said after a slight pause, grabbing Tristan’s attention in a big way.

“What about her?” Tristan asked, looking up, folder forgotten as all of his attention went to his grinning friend.

“Looks like ye got a babe on the lass,” Shayne announced proudly seconds before his own words seemed to sink in and when they did, his pleased expression turned horrified.

Tristan was too stunned to respond at first, but when Shayne let out a vile curse and suddenly disappeared, he found himself frozen on the spot.

Marty was pregnant?

He was having a little difficulty processing that thought when the screams for help started.

Chapter 26

“Open the f**king door!” Tristan shouted, panic taking over as Marty’s screams for help abruptly stopped and the sounds of men fighting grew louder.

“Marty!” he shouted, slamming his bad shoulder into the bedroom door, barely aware of the sharp pain shooting down his shoulder and into the tips of his fingers.

After a few more failed attempts, he swore as he stepped back and slammed his foot in the door. The door gave way after two kicks. Before the door had the chance to bounce off the wall, Tristan was making his way inside and ready to kill whoever had broken into his house with his bare hands.

“You’ve got to be f**king kidding me,” Tristan bit out in disgust when he spotted Shayne fighting with the spirit of a large man by the bed.

He shook his head in disgust as he looked around the room for his wife. When he spotted her in the bathroom, kneeling in front of the toilet, looking pale, he wanted to kick his own ass for not taking better care of her. She was running herself ragged and it was starting to take its toll on her. She couldn’t keep going like this, not with a baby on the way.

A baby…….

They were having a baby. It didn’t seem real, not at all. Only a month ago he was prepared to step back and allow her to go on with her life and now they were bringing a child into this world and starting a family. He honestly didn’t know what to think about that. It didn’t seem possible that someone like him could be this blessed.

The only thing that he was certain of was that it was past time that he took better care of his wife. After shooting one last glance at Shayne as the man took the intruding spirit down with an impressive chokehold, Tristan moved to go help Marty.

“Baby, are you-“

His words were cut off when a large man stepped in front of him and struck him in the chest, sending him flying across the room before he could get a good look at the bastard’s face or react. The air was forced from his lungs as his back slammed into the wall, his bad shoulder connecting with the edge of the windowsill as his head slammed back into the wall with a sickening crack.

“Tristan!” he heard Marty scream as he fell to the floor, the plush carpet doing little to protect his battered body.

His vision blacked out as he struggled to get to his feet. It took several attempts before he could manage it. His legs gave out on him several times before he accepted the fact that he couldn’t walk, but he didn’t let that stop him from going to his wife.

Squinting, he moved forward, crawling as he struggled to remain conscious. He couldn’t see anything so he moved towards the sounds of Marty’s cries. Someone had her, was hurting her and he was helpless to do anything to stop them so he did the only thing that he could think of before he lost consciousness.

“Protect……..her, Shayne.”

*-*-*-*

“Tristan!” Marty screamed, watching helplessly as Tristan dropped to the ground. She moved to help him when the voice that she’d come to think of as her protector spoke, drawing her attention to a large and very handsome man with short black hair and killer green eyes. Then again, all the men in the room, seven the last time she counted, were handsome with jet black hair and killer green eyes and no doubt related.