Ryan Reign (New York Ruthless #4)(46)

“Oh, so my opinion counts now, does it?” I snap.

Shane stands quickly and pushes his chair back, making me jump. He leans his face close to mine. “Don’t,” he snarls and then he walks out of the room leaving his three brothers looking at me like I just poked the bear.

I know what I have to do, whether they are on board or not.

“Sorry,” I say quietly to them and Conor wraps an arm around me.

“There is no way we could let you put yourself in danger like that, Angel,” he says softly.

“I know.”



I lie in bed, sandwiched between my sleeping giants, Liam and Mikey. This is my safe place. I feel so protected and content when I am with the brothers. The deep ache in my chest almost takes my breath away, because I know this cannot last. Paul Ryan is out there. He has been watching me for who knows how long. He will always be watching. Waiting to make his move. Waiting for the perfect moment to strike. And next time, he won’t make a single mistake.

I blink away a tear and it rolls down my cheek. I can’t go on living the rest of my life wondering when he is going to take me. I can’t continue living in my past. I will not spend another day being afraid. Paul Ryan has taken enough of my life away from me. He has my past, but he won’t have my future. I know without a doubt that the brothers won’t change their minds and consider my plan to lure their uncle back to me while we still have a chance. I know he’s still in Ireland. I feel him. I’m as connected to him as I am to his nephews now.

I untangle myself from Mikey’s arm and slip quietly out of the bed. He groans and rolls over and I freeze. “Red!” he mumbles, but then he drifts back to sleep.

I pull on my clothes and sneakers. This has to end tonight. It is the only way for me to be free. When the Wolf found me at the hotel, I was unprepared. I was paralyzed with fear. But now I know who he is. He’s just a man. Paul Ryan is no longer an elusive phantom who plagues my nightmares, but a living, breathing human being.

I take the Glock from the nightstand and then with a final look at Liam and Mikey, I sneak out of the bedroom. They will wake shortly and notice I’m gone, I have no doubt. In fact, I’m kind of counting on it. I have no desire to do this alone.

I grab the keys to the Land Rover and take the red lipstick from my purse before scrawling a note on the window beside the front door. It’s time to take control of my own destiny.



The rain is heavy against the window pane as I drive through the country roads of Ireland. I doubt that Paul will be at the house already, not if he has any fear of his nephews anyway. But I have no doubt he will be watching. My heart is beating in my chest like a jackhammer as I pull up outside the old stone farmhouse. There is no car outside but there is a faint light coming from the window, as though someone has a lantern or a torch. Is he in there? Waiting for me.

I take a deep breath and step out of the car. With the gun in my hand, I approach the front door.

The house is empty when I walk inside but the flashing red light in the hallway tells me there’s a camera here and he’ll be watching. I look up to it.

“I’m here. What are you waiting for?” I challenge him.

I sit on the staircase and wait for him. I expect he’ll be here soon. This is it. One way or another, only one of us will walk out of this house alive.





Chapter 33





Shane





“Shane! Conor!”

The sound of my brothers’ shouting wakes me with a jolt. Instinctively, I grab for my gun and jump out of bed. I almost crash into Mikey as he comes running into the room.

“What?” I scowl at him.

“She’s gone!” he says and my world stops turning.

“What do you mean? Gone?” I shout. She was in bed with him and Liam, so what the fuck is he talking about?

“I woke up and she wasn’t there. Her clothes and shoes aren’t there, either. She’s gone,” he stammers, his face full of anxiety and concern.

“She left a note,” Conor pops his head inside the door and I look up at him. My insides fucking sink through my knees. Not another fucking note.

“What kind of note?” I snarl.

“Come see,” he walks out of the room and Mikey and I follow him to the front door of the house. Sure enough, in bright red lipstick, she has scrawled us a note.

Find my iPhone

I feel a rush of relief, anger, frustration and fear all at the same time. “She’s gone to find him,” I snarl.

“Jessie!” Conor sighs and shakes his head while Mikey and Liam stare at the two of us, waiting for answers.

“I will tan her fucking ass when we get hold of her,” I snarl. This woman is going to give me a fucking heart attack, or at least turn me gray before I hit forty.

“Someone pull up that fucking tracking app,” I snap as I head back into the house. “And let’s go find her.”



Twenty minutes later, we are driving as fast as the car will take us towards Paul’s house in Antrim where, according to the Find my iPhone app, Jessie is. I am so pissed at her for taking off and putting herself in danger, but my anger is far eclipsed by my fear that he is going to hurt her or that we won’t make it in time and they will disappear.

“We should have listened to her plan,” Mikey says with a sigh from the back seat. “We should have known she’d pull something like this.”