SWNOVELS Brutal Savage: Chapter 42
Brody sits in my lap, sobbing against my chest as I try my best to reassure him that Tynan will be okay. That he’ll pull through the surgery.
But me? I’m dying inside. Dying slowly, trying my best to keep it together for this little boy. My boy. My arms hold him tighter while I stare at the doors of the hospital, waiting for someone to tell us something.
I haven’t even come to terms that Gran is gone. My mind hasn’t fully grasped it all. Who she really was. That she ran a gang for most of her life. That she knew Jerry and his family. That she had Mom killed.
My stomach forms tight knots. Can’t think about that now. I have to focus on Tynan and Brody.
“I can’t fucking wait another second!” Iseult’s hands curl as she paces, shoving away Gio’s arm as he tries to hold her.
“Babe, it’s Tynan,” he says. “He’s gonna be fine.”
Though Gio fails to convince me, let alone Iseult. She loves her brother. It’s easy to see how much by the look on her face. She doesn’t cry. But she’s hurting.
“Yeah,” Patrick says this time. “Our boy is gonna be fine, darling. You’ll see.”
Eriu, though? She’s quietly sobbing against Devlin, while he appears tense himself.
His brothers look worried too. They’re a close family, and I love that about them. I know in my heart none of them would ever betray each other like my family has.
We wait for what feels like hours until an older man walks out, removing his green plastic cap.
Brody and I jump off our seats, everyone approaching the doctor.
His pale blue eyes bounce between us.
Why isn’t he saying anything?
“Tell us how he is, Doc.” Patrick is the first to break the silence.
“Well, he lost a lot of blood and—”
“Oh, no!” I snivel. “Please…”
Eriu comes to my side and wraps an arm around me, while I grip Brody’s hand.
“He’s alive, Mrs. Quinn. Tynan is alive.”
“Oh, thank God!” I slap a hand to my chest, my heart beating so fast I grow lightheaded.
“The surgery went well. The wound was shallow. The knife just missed his spleen. He’s very lucky.”
“Thanks, Doc. I owe ya.” Patrick slaps a hand to the man’s shoulder.
“When can we see him?” I ask.
“As soon as he wakes up, one of the nurses will let you know.”
“Thank you.” I wipe the tears fogging my vision, relief hitting me like a ton of bricks.
He’s gonna be okay.
We’re gonna be okay.
Brody cries, circling his arms around me, and I hold on to him even tighter than before.
TYNAN
It takes me a moment to realize where I am. The smell—like disinfectant. The lights blaring in my eyes from above.
The hospital.
I groan, trying to sit up, but throbbing pain in my abdomen causes me to lie back down.
“Elara,” I call for her, yet as my eyes adjust to the room and I look around, I find myself alone.
The memories hit me then. Her fucking grandma. That bitch stabbed me.
I grab the call button, pressing it five times, needing to see Elara desperately.
A nurse walks in. “Mr. Quinn, we’re so happy to see you up.”
“My wife. My son. I need to see them. Now.”
Her eyes expand at my harsh tone.
I’ve got no time for pleasantries. I want my family here.
“Alright, not to worry. I will go get them for you.”
She rushes out, and I stare at the ceiling, wondering if Elara will be the one in the hospital next. It could’ve easily been her. It could happen at any time.
How the hell do I reconcile these feelings? The fear for her safety, the love for her that I can no longer deny.
Is it wrong to tell her now? Do I wait until I’m home? What if I don’t make it home? What if I die here?
The door flies open, and Brody is there, his eyes stricken with tears. Elara is behind him, her gaze bloodshot.
I love you.
The instant thought hits me so hard, my breaths still.
Brody rushes to me, and I sit up, fighting the pain just as he crawls up on the bed, pressing his head to my shoulder and crying against me.
Elara appears beside him, her tears falling freely.
“Tynan…” The rest of her words die in her throat.
“I know.” My voice is croaky, and I hate it. “I’m alright now.” I take her hand and kiss the top of it. “Never gonna leave you.”
“Pl—”
That voice…
It wasn’t hers. And it wasn’t mine.
Was I imagining it?
But one look into Elara’s widened eyes, and I know it was real.
“Brody?” I tilt his chin up. “Did you say something?”
Elara stays in place like she’s afraid to move.
“Talk to me,” I beg him.
“Please…”
Oh, fuck. He’s doing it. A throb clings to my throat.
“Please don’t leave me too.”
Elara sniffles, cupping her mouth.
“Never, Brody. I’m never gonna leave you.” Blinking past my own emotions, I hold him tightly to me, ignoring the stabbing pain, focusing on the fact that he talked again.
He fucking talked.
“I’ve missed your voice, kid.” I kiss the top of his head, squeezing my eyes shut for a moment. “You know, maybe I’ll get stabbed more often if that’s what finally gets you talking again.”
He cracks a smile, swiping under his lashes. “Not funny.”
I shrug, my mouth tipping up. “It’s a little funny.”
“Yeah, no.” Elara wrinkles her nose as she shakes her head. “Not even close to funny.”
I let out a chuckle right before my face grows serious when I stare into her gorgeous cerulean gaze.
“Elara…” My chest squeezes. “Sit by me.”
Brody slips a little lower on the bed, staying by my knees to give her room beside me.
She places a palm around my face. “I’m glad you didn’t die.”
I laugh. “Me too. It’d be much harder to tell you how much I love you.”
Her chest swells with a quick inhale, lips parting with the shock weaving through her features.
“You don’t have to say anything,” I tell her. “But I’ve wanted to tell you for a while now. I just… I didn’t know how to. Never said it to a woman before, but you…” I take her hand in mine and kiss the center of her palm. “When I woke up, all I wanted was to see you and tell you that I love you. That I want you. That I need you, Elara. With all my damn heart.”
Her tears streak silently as I go on, needing to get it all out.
“And I know I forced you into this and that wasn’t right. But I need you to know I’m not sorry about it. I’d do it again if I could. Because you were meant to be mine, Mrs. Quinn. And with every single day you wear my ring, I’m gonna prove to you that I’m worthy of you.”
I stare deep into her eyes.
Waiting.
Hoping for her to say that she loves me right back.
Yet it never comes.
ELARA
I can’t make my mouth move, rendered speechless. He was adamant about not falling in love with me, and a part of me accepted that I might never hear him say those words. But now, actually hearing them, my heart’s ready to explode.
“It’s okay if you don’t feel the same.” His gaze grows pained. “I understand. But it will never change how I feel.”
I place my hand over his chest, searching his gaze, knowing what I feel is too powerful to ignore. There’s no way I can allow him to think I don’t feel the same.
“I don’t know how it happened, Mr. Quinn, but I’m crazy in love with you too.”
His grin, it lights up the room and my soul right along with it. “Never said I was crazy in love with you.”
His teasing has me laughing. Brody’s chuckling too.
“Kiss me, mo ghrá,” he whispers. “Kiss me and tell me you love me again. I need to hear it.”
And those words, the way he says them—so raw and full of passion—they warm me from the inside out.
I let my lips fall closer, feathering them against his as I whisper the words I’ve longed to say. “I love you, Tynan. I love you so much it hurts.”
He inhales deep and captures my mouth with his, growling low just as Brody groans.
We both laugh, and he kisses me one more time before we separate. He stares into my eyes, and I swear I could stare at this man for hours.
“I’m gonna try to get out of here today.”
I scoff. “Be reasonable. You have to take care of yourself. They said you were lucky to be alive, so lie here and get better.”
He shakes his head with an exhale. “I’m not good at this. Doing nothing.”
“Well, too bad. Your wife says you have to.”
His brows rise. “Oh, I like you bossy.”
“Mm-hmm, get used to it. There’s gonna be a lot of that while you’re recovering.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Then he grabs the back of my head and kisses me some more.