Murphy's Wrath (Murphy's Law Book 2)
Page 14
In spite of the circumstances, it felt like home.
He watched as Julia and Elise paused at the bank of the river. Julia reached into the shallow water and pulled out a rock that she handed to her sister. Elise took it and put it in her pocket without looking at it.
She’d become more morose as time wore on, as if the weight of her experience was finally hitting her. At first, she’d been in shock, alternating between manic euphoria and wordless tears, but she’d grown quieter and more disconnected with each day that passed. The shadows under her eyes hadn’t subsided, and she was still painfully thin.
They’d filed a police report. They’d even talked to the FBI on the record, downplaying MIS’s rescue mission to avoid too many questions.
But Ronan wasn’t hopeful. Elise had been taken off the street not by Seth Campbell, but by someone she hadn’t recognized, though no one doubted that Campbell groomed Elise as a target.
The FBI would look into the Elysium and its ownership, but Manifest hadn’t escaped detection so long for nothing: they were well-versed in remaining above the law.
John Taylor had pulled Ronan aside the first time Ronan accompanied Julia and Elise to the little cottage in the woods. The older man had made it clear that in his mind, MIS’s mission wasn’t complete. The job had never been just to rescue Elise — it had been to make the people who took her pay.
Ronan needed no encouragement. The locked doors on board the Elysium remained fresh in his mind, and he couldn’t help wondering if there had been more women behind them, if the women had been drugged to keep them quiet.
If that hadn’t been enough, the photographs left on Julia’s doorstep sealed the fate of the men behind Manifest. They were a clear threat to Julia, and that was something that would never stand.
Julia shrieked and he looked up, his heart racing, to find that Chief had waded into the river, shaking off her wet fur onto Julia and Elise.
She looked at him and waved, then started back toward him with Elise.
Chief trotted ahead of them and put her paws on Ronan’s thigh before giving his cheek a sloppy lick.
“Good girl, Chief.” He ruffled her fur and stood as Julia and Elise came closer.
Julia slid her hand into his. “Hey, you.”
He bent to kiss her. “Hey, yourself.” He looked at Elise. “Ready to head back?”
They were still getting used to each other, but he hoped she felt safe with him, hoped she knew Ronan and his brothers would never let anyone hurt her again.
“Ready.”
He held tight to Julia’s hand as they headed back to the house. He hadn’t known it was possible for someone to so totally occupy his heart and soul. At times their love still felt tenuous, but it always took his breath away.
Would he ever stop worrying about her? Waiting for another threat? Another shoe to drop?
Not until the men behind Manifested paid. And pay they would. He was going to burn their organization to the ground.
Then he was going to spend the rest of his life giving Julia everything.
His body. His heart. His soul.
Everything.
Thank you for reading Murphy’s Wrath. Ronan and Julia’s story concludes with Murphy’s Love. Find out what happens when the identify of Manifest’s leader is finally revealed and Julia makes a stunning discovery that will change her relationship with Ronan forever.
Click here to read Murphy’s Love
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Also by Michelle St. James
Ruthless
Fearless
Lawless
Muscle
Savage
Primal
Eternal
Covenant
Revenant
Rule
The Sentinel
Rogue Love
Rebel Love
Fire with Fire
Into the Fire
Through the Fire
Eternal Love
King of Sin
Wages of Sin
The Awakening of Nina Fontaine
The Surrender of Nina Fontaine
The Liberation of Nina Fontaine
Thicker Than Water
Blood in the Water
Hell or High Water
Murphy’s Wrath
Murphy’s Love