“Sure.”
Jamie and Ellison both step out, and I’m alone with Westlyn for the first time. I take this private moment to look at her wounds. There are so many slashes on her skin that she looks like she ran through a plate-glass window. “I’m so sorry this happened to you, doll. But I’m going to find the fucker who did this to you. And when I do, I’m going to make him sorry.”
Jamie returns. “I can’t fucking believe it. There was a man who came in with a blunt force trauma to the skull a few hours ago. He has a concussion and is being kept for observation.”
“Sounds like that could be our man. Is Isobel still here?”
“I’ll get her,” Ellison says.
Isobel comes into the trauma room. “Jamie says the man who did this may be at Royal Infirmary. I need you to go with me and identify him.”
“Of course. That animal needs tae be put down.”
“Did you get a name?”
“Tavis Ewart,” Jamie says.
“Ewart,” Isobel says. “That name is very familiar tae me.”
“I’m still not familiar with every brother, but I don’t recall one being named Tavis Ewart on the list of Order members.” I drop a text to my dad, telling him to check the roll for this asshole’s name.
“Feels like I’ve known an Ewart before, but I can’t put my finger on it right now.”
“Maybe it’ll come back to you when you get a better look at his face.”
“Maybe.”
* * *
“Tavis Ewart’s room, please.”
The woman keys in his name and frowns. “Looks like Mr. Ewart was discharged.”
Fuck. “How long ago?”
“I’m sorry. I can’t give you that information.”
Isobel and I walk away from the clerk’s desk. “What are we going tae do now?”
“Only thing I can do. My brother is going to hack into the system and get his home address.” Let’s hope he’s forgiven me for choking him.
“Yer brother’s contribution is hacking?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“We dinnae have a hacker, but times are changing. We need one.”
“Yes, ma’am, every brotherhood needs a hacker.” Don’t know what we’d do without Maddock.
I phone Maddock and put him to work on locating Tavis Ewart. He’s fast as fuck. Has a home address for me in under five minutes. “Looks like we’re going to a village on the outer edges of Edinburgh.”
The farther we drive, the more convinced I become that Tavis Ewart is not Order. None of our members live on this side of the city. It’s a dump.
“I’ve been over this way before.”
“What circumstances would bring a leader’s wife to find herself in this slum?”
“I came with my daughter-in-law. We were investigating a lead aboot Abram.” The car stops in front of a stone cottage. “His lover lives here. Cameron…” Isobel’s eyes widen. “Cameron Ewart. That’s no coincidence.”
I’m confident that we’ve found the man who attacked Westlyn. I just don’t know why. “A man who lives in the same household as Abram’s lover attacked his daughter more than a year after Abram’s death. What does that mean?”
“I have no idea, but we are about to find out.”
The door is unlocked, so I walk in as though I’ve been invited. “Who the hell are you?”
“Is this him?”
Isobel answers without hesitation. “That’s definitely him.”
“Are you the police? Are you arresting me?”
“You’re going to wish I were the police.”
“Who are you?”
“I’m the man who’s going to make you sorry that you attacked my fiancée with a knife.”
“Is the Breckenridge girl dead?” His voice is so cold.
“No.” I see his disappointment. “She didn’t do anything to you. Why did you try to kill her?”
“I want to see Abram.”
He doesn’t know that Abram’s dead? “Oh, you’re going to see Abram all right… in hell.”
“What does that mean?”
“Abram is dead.”
“You’re lying to protect him.”
“Abram has been dead for a while.”
“So has my little girl.”
“Cameron?” Isobel says.
“Yes. How do you know her name?”
“Abram used tae come here tae…” Isobel pauses. “Spend time with Cameron. She had information aboot him that I needed, and I spoke to her.”
“Did you know that she was dead?”
“I did not. I never saw her again after that day we spoke. I’m sorry tae hear that.”
The bastard wails. “Abram killed her.”
“How?” Isobel says.
“The doctors told me that she had been choked. She didn’t die right away. She was in a coma for almost a year before I lost her. And that bastard did it. He killed my little girl.”
I’m not going to ask how he knows it was Abram because I’m sure he’s probably right.
“I’m sorry for your loss, but you’re coming with us. You have a mess to clear up for me.”
“What kind of mess?”
“Don’t worry about it right now. Either walk out on your own or have both of your kneecaps shot off and be carried out of here. Your choice.”
He chooses to walk.
* * *
Isobel and I take Tavis Ewart to one of The Fellowship’s warehouses. This isn’t The Order’s mess. I’m not killing this man on our territory. This is Abram’s doings, and The Fellowship will be responsible for the cleanup.
My father and brothers are the first to arrive. As far as I know, it’s the first time Isobel has seen my father since the night I kidnapped Westlyn.
Dad isn’t pleased to see Isobel here. “Issy shouldn’t be here for this.”
Isobel is a fiery redhead. My father should know better than to talk to me about her as though she isn’t standing there. “This man attacked Westlyn in front of me. I want tae be here. I hope ye aren’t under the impression that I’m too soft for this because ye’d be wrong.”
“I know you’re tough, but this isn’t a place for a lady.”
They spar back and forth about her being here, like old friends, but then the conversation takes a different turn. “Aren’t you going to ask me about William?”
“Wasn’t planning tae. No good can come from it,” she says.
“He asked about you.”
Isobel’s full attention has been captured. “What did he want tae know aboot me?”
“If you looked the same. If you are happy. If you had asked about him.”
“I…”
Their conversation is cut short when Thane, Sin, and Mitch arrive. I requested the entire council be present with the exception of Jamie because I need all of them to be clear about where the fault lies regarding Westlyn’s attack. I also need them to witness with their own eyes to what degree I’m willing to go to avenge this attack on my mate. “Meet Tavis Ewart.”
“One of your Order members?” Thane says.
I punch Tavis. “Tell him who you are and how your life came to be intertwined with Westlyn’s.”
“Abram killed my daughter, so I came to kill his. But this guy told me that she didn’t die, and that means I can’t be charged with murder.”
Poor bastard doesn’t know that I am his judge and jury. “You attempted to murder my mate, and the punishment is the same.”
“I’ll get a lawyer. I’ll never do time.”
“You are correct, Mr. Ewart. You won’t serve a single day in prison.” I’m itching to take out my Magnum, but I hold steady in case Thane has questions for this man. “As you can see, Tavis Ewart is not a member of The Order. Westlyn’s attack was an extension of a murder that Abram committed. My people did not do this to her. Are you satisfied with this as proof, or do you want to question him further?”
“You aren’t a member of The Order?”
“Is that
some kind of cult or something?”
Thane flicks his hand. “He’s not Order.”
“Do you withdraw your objection to my marriage to Westlyn?”
“I withdraw my objection… and request pardon.” A pardon. Not something a leader ever has to ask for, but he did nonetheless.
I nod. “Pardon granted.”
“What the fuck kind of rubbish are you people talking?”
I choose to forgo torture because the man lost his daughter. He has suffered enough at the hands of Abram Breckenridge.
I place my Magnum at the back of his head and pull the trigger. Only one shot is needed when it’s coming from one of the most powerful handguns in production.
“Fuck… fuuuck.” Mitch’s eyes are huge. “You blew off half of his head.”
I don’t think my new brother-in-law is accustomed to being on this side of business. “This is what happens to anyone who dares to harm Westlyn. I will never hesitate to kill for her… because she is my heart, and I love her.”
I might as well confess who and what I am since we are going to be allies. “This is what I do. I am an assassin. The best you’ll ever meet. We are now allies, but more importantly, we are family. If you need my services, you need only just ask.”
Thane offers his hand. “Our alliance is in good standing. Just have to get Westlyn and you married.”
I want that more than anything.
Chapter 20
Westlyn Breckenridge
The lace sleeves on my new wedding dress are long and come down into a V. They conceal the pink lines all over my lower arms and hands. The neckline is slightly off the shoulder, but it covers the healing slashes on my chest. The ones on my face, those can’t be hidden. Only camouflaged with cosmetics.
Kieran says that he doesn’t see my scars. I know he does; he gives himself away because he kisses them often.
Jamie says I’m healing well, and with more time he expects minimal scarring for most of the wounds. I hope he’s right. I want as few reminders of the attack as possible. I want to put it behind me and move on with my life. My life with Kieran as my husband.
We were forced to postpone the wedding longer than either of us wanted. Recovery has been harder than expected because so many of my wounds are located in areas where my skin must stretch to accommodate movement. It’s been some agonizing months. Agonizing because of the pain, but also agonizing because I want so desperately to be married to Kieran. Today, we finally become husband and wife.
“The zipper isn’t cooperating. You’re going to have to suck in.”
“Easier said than done.” My belly has had a growth spurt since my final dress fitting. It’s like I went to bed with a flat stomach and woke up with a bump.
“She’s already getting fat.” It’s just like my mother to say something like that.
“She’s not fat. Her body is expanding to accommodate the bairn inside her,” Isobel says.
I might be self-conscious about the way my body is expanding if Kieran didn’t constantly tell me how beautiful I look with his child inside me. I thought he was insatiable before, but he can’t keep his hands off me and my growing belly.
Lorna pulls harder on the zipper and I feel the dress suddenly become tight around my waist. “Got it.”
“Mmm… that is tight. I hope I make it through the ceremony and reception without busting the seams.” The seamstress expanded it as much as she could. There’s not a lot of fabric inside the seams holding this dress together.
Bleu studies my waist. “Are you sure you don’t have twins? That’s exactly what my belly did when I was pregnant with the boys.”
I place my hand over my bump. “Doctor says there’s only one in here.”
“And let’s all pray that it’s a boy.” My mother wants the bragging rights of calling herself the grandmother of the next leader.
I know Kieran would love to have a son. I would too, but now that I’m pregnant, he also says that he’d love to have a little girl with my hair and eyes. “Kieran and I will be happy with whatever we get. We’re far more concerned with our child being born healthy.”
I was barely pregnant when I was attacked. I know that the baby wasn’t injured, but I’ve taken so many drugs the last several months. Jamie says they’re all safe for the baby, but I always have that fear in the back of my mind… that maybe I harmed my own child by taking medicine for pain when I should have suffered through it.
“Kieran may say that he’ll be happy with whatever you get, but he wants a boy. Trust me. They all do. Your father wanted all boys. He was very angry that you and Evanna were girls.”
What a shitty thing to say to your daughter—even if it is the truth—on her wedding day. I might be hurt if I didn’t know that my father was an evil bastard.
“Stop talking, Torrie.” Isobel warns. “Ye’ve not said anything positive the entire day, so shut yer gob.”
“Westlyn doesn’t know how men are. I’m just telling her how her husband really feels.”
“Say another word and I’ll slap ye so hard that yer ears ring. And it won’t be church bells ye’re hearing.” Isobel isn’t kidding. She’ll do it. She’s done it before.
“Maybe she’ll renounce you too, so you don’t have to listen to her bullshit anymore,” Evanna whispers.
“I wish.” But there’s no way my mother would renounce me. I’m marrying a leader. Her new son-in-law has too much money and power for her to walk away from me.
My mother renounced Jamie for marrying Ellison. She renounced Evanna for being in love with a cleaner—a brother who cleans up the bloody mess and bodies following a kill. Mother says that Craig is the lowest of the low and beneath Evanna’s status. But Evanna has chosen him; she loves him. He has claimed her, and they are going to be married at the end of the month.
I’m proud of my sister. She’s no longer allowing Mum to control her.
Isobel places her hand on my arm. “It’s almost time. We should probably go.”
I look at my reflection one last time. Not much longer as Westlyn Breckenridge. I’ll be Mrs. Kieran Bryce Hendry the next time I look at myself in the mirror. “I’m ready.”
Chapter 21
Kieran Hendry
I’m standing in the center of a stone arch between two large round pillars in St. Giles Cathedral, waiting for my beloved. It’s an unusually sunny day. Rays of sunlight passing through the stained-glass windows look like modern-day graffiti on the centuries-old stone surrounding us.
The bridal chorus begins, and Thane and Westlyn enter the cathedral. They must walk from my left to reach the center aisle. Thane’s body is blocking my view of Westlyn, but then they reach the aisle and turn to face me, giving me my first look at my bride.
And I can’t take my eyes off of her.
She’s so beautiful, it takes my breath away.
People use that expression all the time. I thought it was just a saying, but it’s a real thing, and this moment is proof of it. My face and hands are tingling. My heart is beating so fast that it can’t carry oxygen to my brain fast enough to keep up with the sudden demand.
Westlyn’s arm is looped through Thane’s, and they begin their walk toward us. I had no idea what her dress and veil would look like this time or how she would wear her hair, but everything about her is perfection. Slightly off-white in color. A strapless dress with a lace overlay, her shoulders peeking out at the top. Her body is covered so she appears chaste, but she’s showing just enough skin to be sexy. Gorgeous.
She smiles, and her eyes never leave mine as she approaches. Thane shakes my hand and kisses Westlyn’s cheek before placing her hand in mine.
She turns and passes her bouquet of white roses to Evanna and then places both hands in mine. I slowly rub my thumbs back and forth over the top of her hands, hearing little of what the minister is saying.
Our ceremony is traditional. Music. Vows. Ring exchange. We’re saving our true vows for the reception.
The minster rambles on for
too long as I anxiously wait to hear him tell me to kiss my bride. When he finally does, I lean close and cradle her face. “Mo chroí.”
“Mo chroí.”
I press a soft, loving kiss against her lips. Nothing too passionate. I’m saving that for later when we’re alone.
“I now present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Kieran Bryce Hendry.”
* * *
A large white tent stands in the backyard of our compound. It covers tables adorned in white cloth with glowing candles and huge floral arrangements. Several crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling, making this outdoor room feel elegant, courtesy of the event planning done by Isobel and my mother… and overseen by Torrie. Which means Isobel and my mum did all of the work.
My father has Westlyn and I join him on a raised platform in front of all of the guests—members of The Syndicate, The Fellowship, and The Order. There are hundreds of people in attendance. “We gather here tonight to celebrate the marriage of my eldest son, Kieran Bryce Hendry of The Order, formerly of The Syndicate, to Westlyn Leigh Breckenridge Hendry of The Fellowship. We are also celebrating the inception of Westlyn into The Order as one of our own.”
My wife and I approach the small table adorned to match the larger tables throughout with one exception—a dagger. The bleeding ceremony is traditional. It can’t be skipped, but I’ve dreaded doing this—slicing Westlyn’s skin so we can bleed together.
“Kieran Bryce Hendry, do you accept responsibility for Westlyn Leigh Breckenridge Hendry?”
“I do.”
“Take the dagger.”
I lift it as my father instructs and take Westlyn’s hand in mine. “Don’t watch. Close your eyes.”
“I think it’ll be worse if I don’t watch.”
“Are you sure?”
She nods. “Yes,” she whispers. My lass is so strong. So brave.
I drag the blade across the center of her palm as lightly as I can to bring blood. I pierce my own and lace our fingers together so we’re palm to palm. Blood, mostly mine, runs the length of our forearms, saturating our sleeves.
Sin Series Stand-alone Novels: Endurance, Unintended & Redemption Page 41