SWNOVELS Brutal Savage: Chapter 31
I had her take off work the past few days because I couldn’t handle the thought of something happening to her. She fought me on it. She loves her kids and didn’t want Jerry to ruin this for them—or her, for that matter.
Teaching is her passion, and I didn’t want to be the one to crush it. Protecting her doesn’t mean shattering her dreams. So we compromised. In the form of four bodyguards, around the clock. For her and Brody.
More men means more eyes.
But we’re still looking for that asshole and his father. If they wanna hide like rats, then so be it. We’ll find their people and take them out one by one until they have no choice but to face us.
Sometimes, to cut the head, you have to cut the arms first. Isaac and Jerry have no idea who they’re fucking with.
There’s a soft knock on the door of my office, and it’s Elara, all dressed up. Her hair’s curled at the ends, and she’s in a tight white dress with beige heels.
Stalking over to her, I wind an arm around her back. “Where are you going dressed like that?”
“Like how?” Her mouth curls. She knows exactly what I mean.
“Like you’re about to leave a trail of dead bodies behind you.”
“And why is that, Mr. Quinn?” She throws her arms around my neck.
“Because I’d have to kill every man for looking at you the way I am right now, mo chuisle.”
She giggles all sexy, leaning in for a kiss, and with a growl, I grab the back of her head and kiss her right back.
She’s been different since she told me about her past. She gives her affection more freely now, and I like it.
Very much.
I’ve been careful with her since the car chase, knowing how much it all affected her. I haven’t pushed for anything, merely content with holding her every night.
But her kissing me like this, it just broke my damn self-control altogether.
I throw her body up against the wall, a hand sinking into her hair, the other gripping her hip as I slide my tongue into her willing mouth.
“Mm,” she groans, scratching her nails up and down my back. “You’re gonna make me late for my date.”
My mouth drops to her jaw, nipping and biting down the column of her neck. “A date, huh? Tell me his name so I can eliminate the problem.”
She sucks in a gasp when my fingers slink up her inner thigh, tracing her pussy, covered in a pair of thin panties.
“Her name…” she breathes when my palm drives into her core, forcing her to ride it.
“Her? Who’s her?”
“Elara, are you ready?” a voice I recognize booms from the other side of the house.
“You’re going out with my sister?”
She laughs at my shock. I hadn’t even realized they were talking, which of course makes me happy. I want her to get close to my family. But Iseult? Mm…debatable.
Elara clears her throat and tousles her hair with her fingers in an attempt to fix it. So much I could do to that hair while I fuck her. Maybe bent over my desk. I think it’s time I christen it. Maybe get her pregnant like that.
Fuck, the thought makes my dick throb.
“Yes, I am. Is that a problem?” She curves a brow. “Iseult called me this morning and asked if I wanted to go shopping with her, so I said yes.”
Now, normally I’d say no, even with four of my men tailing her. But knowing she’s going to be with my sister, one of the best assassins I know, makes the situation a lot easier to process.
“No problem at all, baby.” I kiss her forehead, inhaling her fragrant perfume. “Have a good time. And please spend our money. I want you to spoil the shit out of yourself.”
“Okay, Mr. Quinn.” Her flirtatious smirk makes me ravenous. “I’ll make you proud.”
“That’s my girl.” I grab a fistful of her ass and drag her body into mine, kissing her one last time, her red lipstick already completely ruined.
She notices me looking there. “Ugh, it’s my lipstick, isn’t it? Is it that bad?”
“I mean, define bad.”
She groans, rushing into the bathroom attached to my office. “Tell Iseult I’ll be right out and that it’s all your fault.”
“Take your time. She can wait.”
While she fixes herself, I go to greet my sister, who has the patience of a toddler.
Her over-the-knee stiletto boots clack on the ceramic as she paces, talking to someone on the phone. Probably Gio.
“I’ve gotta go, babe. Gio says hi,” she says to me.
I nod to return the same.
“He says hi too. Glad everyone loves each other. I’ll see you later,” she tells him. “Don’t kill anyone until I’m back.”
He must say something to that because she rolls her eyes, but her face flushes.
Don’t wanna know.
She ends the call and places the phone in her bag.
“So, you and Elara are friends now?”
“Yes, we bonded over our mutual disdain for you.” She flips her hair back. “And our mild affection too.”
“Watch out for her.” I squeeze my temple, unable to stop worrying while Jerry’s still out there. “I can’t let that prick get to her.”
She grips my shoulder. “Not gonna happen with me around. I’d never let it.”
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I force my eyes to a close, taking a deep breath and telling myself that Elara will be okay. She has to be.
“Shit, you’re in love with her.”
I immediately stare back at her. “What? No, I’m not.”
She drops her hand to her side. “Oh my God. You are! You can lie to yourself, but not to me.” She lets out a short laugh. “It’s okay. It happens to the best of us. I won’t tell anyone,” she whispers. “Especially Devlin, since you’d owe him a million dollars.”
“Shut up about it. Stupid fucking bet,” I mutter.
“I know how much you hate to lose. But this time you’re done for, brother.”
“I don’t know,” I tell her honestly, and her face grows serious. “I can’t explain it.”
“Explain what?”
“The things I’m feeling.”
“What sort of things?”
“Like the fact that I hate not knowing if she’s okay when I’m at work. If she’s upset or crying thinking about that piece-of-shit ex. I want to be near her all the damn time, to a maddening level. And I like her laugh. I even like it when she’s pissed at me. But all I really want is to take care of her and make her happy. Every damn time.”
“Aww.” Her face drops to the side, her lips tightening. “Time to face the facts. You’re stupid in love.” She slaps me on the back. “Mazal tov.”
“Nah, I don’t think so.”
She rolls her eyes. “Denial doesn’t look good on you, brother.”
I let her words sink in, marinating in my head. But I can’t think about that. Of falling in love with her. Of losing her…
Images of my mother burning to death come barreling in. If she hadn’t married my father, she would still be alive. I know I can’t rationalize it all this way, but it’s all I’ve got. I don’t want what happened to my mother to happen to Elara. It’d kill me.
“Well, this is as much emotion as I can handle.” My sister starts to walk away. “I’ll wait for her in my car.”
“Thanks, Iseult. She really needed a normal day. As much as I want to, I know I can’t keep her prisoner in the house until we find Jerry and his father. We need to find them, though, because I can’t handle knowing they’re still alive.”
“We’ll find them, and we’ll kill them. And everyone who works for them. But for now, you’re right. You can’t keep her prisoner here. She needs to live her life.”
“Have fun today. Please make sure she spends money. I constantly have to remind her that it’s not just mine, but ours.”
She winks, flinging her red hair behind her shoulder. “Don’t you worry, I’ll make sure she spends the shit out of it. Oh, and we’re taking your jet. Have your pilot on standby.”
“Just make sure she comes back to me in one piece.”
Her face softens, and that’s something for Iseult. She feels everything, but hates showing it.
Her younger years weren’t easy. Losing our mother at fourteen, having to take care of our baby sister, who was five at the time. My father was too busy enacting revenge for my mother’s death to worry about how much the loss hurt Iseult. Then throw in everything else she endured because of Konstantin’s father, and I’m surprised she’s even here at all.
I admire her.
She’s made herself into a weapon, and no one can fuck with her now.
“I promise, Tynan. She’ll be okay.”
And I believe her.
ELARA
My eyes grow as soon as we step foot inside Dolce & Gabbana. I can’t get over the fact that we took a jet here. This is all wild. People actually live like this.
It’s your life now too.
I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it.
Iseult made sure the store was only open to us. That way I won’t worry about looking over my shoulder every second.
I’ve been keeping a good front for Tynan and Brody and my grandma, but I’m petrified. Because if Tynan and his people still can’t find him, that’s not good. I thought by now Jerry would be found.
But I can’t keep hiding from him. I want to go back to teaching, to living my life. I want to go visit my grandpa.
I’ve begged Grandma to come stay with me and Tynan in the meantime, but she refuses, wanting her independence. I don’t fault her for that. It’s what I want too.
Tomorrow, I’m finally going back to work, and I’ll get to see Grandpa after I’m done. He may not know who I am, but I know him, and I miss him terribly.
Things with Tynan have been good. Fun, in fact. Every day, it gets harder to remember why I’m not supposed to want this. He’s a good man, and I can see how easy it would be to fall head over heels for him. And some days, it feels as though I’m already there. Yet at the end of the day, this marriage isn’t real.
When I get married, I want it to be my choice. And I want the man I marry to actually love me.
“Are you ready to do some damage?” Iseult throws her arm around my shoulders, moving toward a rack of clothes.
I like her. She’s got an edge. Definitely don’t want to be the one to ever piss her off, though.
“I guess.”
She picks up some red leather pants while I examine a green pencil dress, the shade reminding me of Tynan’s eyes, and I instantly know I want it. It has a faux belt and a deep V-neck. But when I look at the price tag…
“Oh my God.”
Iseult appears beside me. “We’re getting that one.”
“It’s ten thousand dollars, Iz!”
“So?”
“I can’t keep buying things that cost this much! It’s crazy!”
“Hello! My brother is loaded, and now so are you.” She smirks. “And I promised Tynan you’d shop your heart out, so shop. Or else I’ll have to call him and tell him how difficult you’re being,” she teases with a quirk of her brow.
I know she’s right, that this is our money now, but it still feels weird to me.
We continue shopping, both of us trying things on and showing them to the other. I’m forcing myself to ignore all the price tags, even though it’s quite difficult.
Iseult picks up a black-and-gold embroidered one-piece swimsuit with the center cut open.
“This would look amazing on you.” She hands it to the sales associate. “She’s going to try this on.”
As I attempt to pick up the price tag, she swats my hand away.
“I’m gonna have them rip off all the tags if you don’t stop.”
“Okay, just for my curiosity, can you just tell me what it costs?”
“Fine.” She huffs. “Thirty-three hundred. Now, can we find more things to try on?”
My eyes fly open. “Jesus, for a scrap of material?”
She shakes her head, treading toward the men’s section. “Oh my God.” She holds out a canary-yellow suit. “Can you imagine Tynan ever wearing this?”
I break out in a fit of laughter. Picturing that man, who only wears neutral colors, wearing something like this is comical. It’s like Big Bird and Tweety Bird had a baby.
“He’d die before he’d ever wear this,” she says. “You should buy it for him.”
“Pretty sure he wouldn’t appreciate that.”
“I know. That’s why you should do it.” Her wicked grin is deadly.
“Oh, you’re bad.” I examine the suit, unable to hide my own smile. “You know, maybe you’re right. He has been telling me to spend money. Maybe it’s time I really did.”
“Phyllis,” Iz calls the sales associate. “We’re gonna take a bunch of these suits. Which colors do you think he’d like?”
“Hmm…” I purse my lips to stop from laughing. “I think the yellow, the green, and that bright purple would really make his eyes pop. Don’t you think?”
“I think I do.”
“Phyllis, we want all the colors. You have my brother’s size on file, yes?”
“Yes, ma’am.” She nods, not even a bit fazed.
“I think Tynan will approve of your lavish spending habits, sister-in-law.” She bumps my hip with hers.
“I think you’re right.”
“I wish I could see the look on his face. Any chance you can record it?”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
He’s gonna hate this, and I’m giddy with excitement.
I never realized how exhilarating torturing one’s husband could be.