by Faith Gibson
“What?” Gideon raised his hand to rake it through his already disheveled hair. Again. “How could you know that?”
“Because I know how to do my fucking job!” Josiah strode closer, getting in Gideon’s face, snarling. “Lewis might be your guard, but he’s loyal to the Ministry first and foremost. He called me when he and Steven were on their way to retrieve that which you lost. He knows what can happen if the wrong people find out about us. He knows how important it is to keep the sheep in line.”
“And did Lewis also tell you he was the one who was supposed to be watching Kerrigan? That I wasn’t even here when she escaped? I was meeting with the elders. A meeting Abraham himself called. A meeting you weren’t invited to. So, why were you in the area?” Gideon knew his brother kept close tabs on all their properties, but he should have been hundreds of miles away, not close enough to arrive within hours of Kerrigan running.
“Abraham sent me here as soon as he learned you’d moved the redhead into your home. He didn’t trust you to turn her after what happened with Juliette. Seems he was right.”
Gideon couldn’t dispute his brother’s words. He had moved Kerrigan in sooner than he should have, but he mistakenly thought he could sway her if she was given an opportunity to see him in his home environment. He had grossly miscalculated the woman’s acting abilities. Give her a fucking Oscar.
“So, who are these bikers?” In Steven’s foray into the world, using his Stanley Carson alias, he had the task of bringing new members to The Sanctuary. Normally, it was the homeless closer to the compound. He’d been visiting a cousin in Maine who was asking about starting his own compound when Steven happened upon Kerrigan O’Shea. He’d watched the woman for over a week, knowing she was someone Gideon would be interested in, since she so closely resembled Juliette. While watching Kerrigan, Steven never encountered a group of bikers anywhere around Kerrigan, only her bully of a boyfriend. As luck would have it, Dalton Watkins was an idiot who drove Kerrigan from their home, and Steven happened to be in the right place at the right time. Like Juliette, Kerrigan was stunning with her red hair and bright, green eyes. And more so than Juliette, Kerrigan had a mind of her own, which led them to where they were now.
“They call themselves the Hounds of Zeus. How they ended up with Kerrigan is a mystery. I’ve yet to uncover their relationship to the woman, or how one of them happened to be camping right outside your compound. The fact that someone was so close to your location just proves you aren’t capable of keeping The Sanctuary free from outside influences. Until Abraham finds someone suitable, I will be taking over. You are to move into one of the cabins, and I will be staying here with your little bird.”
A startled gasp escaped from behind the gag in Sparrow’s mouth. When Gideon looked at the girl, she was shaking her head no. Gideon knew if she was left alone with his brother, the young girl would be ruined. Those who thought they knew Gideon thought he had no heart, but when it came to that young woman, he’d brought her into his home to protect her from Lewis. Sure, he had given the sister to his guard, but Mac was nothing like Sparrow. Mac was worldly and brash. A rebel among the sheep. Sparrow was as innocent as the day was long. Damn Kerrigan O’Shea for bringing this shitstorm to his door!
“Until Abraham shows up and removes me as head of my compound, I’ll remain in charge. I’ll also handle this mess with Kerrigan. Just tell me where they are keeping her, and I’ll get her back. I’m not worried about Lewis or Steven. Neither one of them would betray the Ministry, no matter how bad the torture is.”
Josiah pulled to his full height. He was only a couple inches taller than Gideon, but the malevolence made him seem bigger. “Do you dare dispute my authority?”
“Yes, I dare. I’ve overseen The Sanctuary for almost twenty years. Grown it into the success it is today. I’ve never let the Ministry down, and I don’t intend to allow this small infraction to mar my reputation.”
“Success? You call farming only enough food for your flock and raising a pitiful head of cattle a success? You have only enough guards to protect the perimeter, and you even failed at that. Your job is to raise soldiers, Gideon, not play God while pimping out the women.” Gideon flinched, and Josiah sneered. “Didn’t think I knew about that, did you? You’re supposed to approve couples who will bring forth sturdy offspring, not allow your guards to have their choice of whomever catches their eye. That McKenzie bitch is nothing more than a piece of trash. You should have let the dog finish her off!”
Another sob broke from Sparrow’s throat. Josiah finally turned his attention to the girl. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll admit to helping Kerrigan escape. If you decide to keep up this innocent charade, well, let’s just say you won’t be useful. Liars aren’t suitable choices for the men who are looking for a wife. If you have nothing to offer a husband other than treachery, you’re no use to The Sanctuary.”
Sparrow’s eyes pled with Gideon to help her, but Josiah stepped into Gideon’s line of sight. “You have twenty-four hours to retrieve Kerrigan O’Shea. If you do not return with her or dispose of her properly within that time, you will step down as leader. If you refuse, Abraham has given me permission to do with you as I see fit.”
“And you’ll what? Kill your own brother? Should I start calling you Cane?” Josiah swung a meaty fist towards Gideon’s face. He ducked, but not quickly enough. He should have been expecting it. As boys, they had gotten into more brawls than he could recount, and he’d always held his own. But this man was fueled with something Gideon hadn’t allowed himself to fall victim to. Sometimes, he felt close to losing his soul, but he still held a shred of humanity within. His older brother? Not an ounce was to be found. Gideon wiped the blood from his split lip. “Give me the information you have so I can get Kerrigan back.”
Josiah stared at Gideon for a beat then told him where the bikers were holding her. “Like I said, you have twenty-four hours.” He turned on his heel and left the office. Josiah stopped beside Sparrow and trailed a fingertip through the tears on her cheek. “Such a pity.”
Only when the front door closed did Gideon move. He stepped into his bathroom and wet a washcloth. When he returned to where Sparrow was sitting, he removed the gag from her mouth and gently wiped her face.
“G-Gideon. I p-promise. I would n-never betray you.”
Gideon tipped Sparrow’s face up. “I would hope not, but I can’t trust you. For the time being, you’ll be moved to the inner chamber. Once I’ve retrieved our wayward lamb, I’ll give more thought as to where you’ll stay.” He knew she didn’t have the same inner strength Kerrigan did, but he couldn’t worry about that. She’d either think on the truth and confess her sins when he returned, or she’d find a way to survive the isolation.
Turning to one of the guards who had remained silent while Josiah visited, Gideon instructed the man to take Sparrow. He allowed the girl to grab a pillow and blanket off her bed, but that was all. Gideon waited until they were gone to head over to the main building. He was going to cancel both women’s and men’s Bible study, something he only did when he had to travel for meetings. It was probably a good thing, because his mind wouldn’t be on teaching the flock the same message he regurgitated every day just in a different way. After he made the announcement, one of his guards, Baker, met him in his sanctuary office to let him know Lewis and Steven had returned. Gideon followed Baker back to his house where he found his two men sitting on the sofa with another guard standing watch. When they saw him, both men jumped to their feet. Both men looked like hell.
“What happened?”
Lewis shook his head and shoved his hands in his pockets. “We got to the hotel room where that biker was keeping Kerrigan, but they’d already gone, and some big guy was in the room instead. He didn’t appreciate me busting in the door.”
“And? What about the bikers who took you?”
“What?” Steven and Lewis looked at each other. “We weren’t taken. We came back here when we got away from the guy
in the hotel.”
“Don’t lie to me! Josiah told me you were taken. So where did they take you, and why did they let you go?”
Steven frowned and scratched his head. “No, that’s not right. There were no bikers. Gideon, we— oomph.” Steven doubled over when Gideon punched him in the stomach. Panting, he raised his eyes to Gideon’s. “I swear to you. There were no bikers. Tell him, Lewis.”
Lewis backed up a step and held his hands up. “He’s telling the truth. We...” Lewis narrowed his eyes and cocked his head to the side. “It’s all a little sketchy, to be honest. The bike was at the hotel parked in front of the room. I saw the biker go in. They must have slipped out somehow, because when we got to the door, it was some random man.”
“Did you search the room? They could have been hiding in the bathroom.” Gideon was barely containing his temper. He’d sent his most trusted men to retrieve Kerrigan, and they failed. Now they were telling him the bikers didn’t get hold of them. What were they playing at? Or was it Josiah who’d been lying? That made more sense. His brother would do anything to undermine Gideon’s authority where his men were concerned.
Both men looked at one another then shook their heads. Something was going on with them. He didn’t feel they were lying to him, but their actions didn’t speak of the truth, either. “Baker, sit on these two. Don’t let them out of your sight. I don’t want them leaving this house until I return.”
“Yes, Brother Gideon.”
Gideon closed himself in his office and opened his computer where he did a quick search of these Hounds his brother mentioned as well as the area where he said they were keeping Kerrigan. He needed more information than his brother had given. When he felt he had as much intel as he was going to glean from the internet, Gideon headed out to do the job his men had failed to do.
Josiah might think Gideon wasn’t a good leader for the Ministry, but his brother was wrong. Gideon had known the day might come when Josiah tried to step on his toes, and he was glad for the secrets he’d kept from both Josiah and Abraham.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Kerrigan
KERRIGAN may or may not have tried listening through the wall when Warryck was in the next room. Their words were muffled, so she had no clue what was said. Instead of sitting around worrying about it, she unpacked the bags, folding all the clothes and putting them in the dresser drawers even though they were only staying one night. She ignored the urge to strip out of her own T-shirt and put on one of Warryck’s.
War.
That’s what his brother and father called him. She could see that. War was the biker who flew in and saved her from Gideon. Warryck was better suited to the buttoned-up college professor. War was the one who made her fly apart when he made love to her. Warryck was the sweet man who bought her boots and a leather jacket. War was the sexy-as-hell male she would ride behind on his badass Harley. And she would ride with him again. She just had to convince him she wanted to stay. But what if that wasn’t what he wanted? Just because he’d given her the best orgasm of her life didn’t mean he wanted to keep her around.
When War tackled her on the bed, she was caught off guard, but she liked the playful side of him. She’d been ready for another round of toe-curling sex until he tickled her. He thought he hurt her, but she hated being tickled. Straddling his lap, she placed her hands on his face, running her bandaged fingers through his short beard. She’d always liked facial hair, and his was soft. Not giving him time to think, Kerrigan leaned in for a kiss. She didn’t brush her lips across his. No, she went in with the passion she wanted in return.
War gripped her hips when she started rocking against his erection. He broke the kiss and pressed their foreheads together. “As much as I want this, I don’t know when Dad and Ryker will be back. I doubt they’ll need to talk to us this late, but I don’t want to embarrass you if they catch us in the middle of sex.”
“I understand.” Kerrigan pushed off his lap, already embarrassed. “I’m tired, anyway, so I’m just going to get some sleep.” Moving over to the opposite bed, she pulled back the covers and got underneath them, not bothering to remove her clothes. She didn’t want to strip and make a further fool of herself.
War flipped the covers off her. “You are not sleeping in your clothes. If you don’t want me in the same bed, that’s fine, but sleeping in jeans isn’t comfortable.” War turned around and stripped out of his own clothes, leaving on his tee and boxer briefs. God, the man’s ass was a piece of art. Perfectly round. His thighs and calves were muscular, dusted with light blond hair. She’d had those legs under her, over her, and she had to look away before he caught her ogling. Pushing her own jeans down, she tossed them to the end of the bed where she could grab them should his dad and brother return.
Kerrigan rolled over to her side, facing away from the man who did things to her body by merely being in the same room. If she couldn’t have him, she didn’t want to have to look at him. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, willing sleep to come. The bed dipped, and War picked her up.
“What are you doing?”
He gently placed her on the bed farthest from the door and pushed her hair off her face. “I need to be between you and the door.” His eyes were the same dark storms she’d noticed when he was turned on. Maybe he did want her and had been telling the truth. Being around him made her forget where she’d been this time the day before. He was there to protect her, and she was throwing herself at him. Idiot.
“Oh, okay. Goodnight.”
After a few seconds, the lamp between the beds clicked off. The only light was filtering through the gap in the hotel drapes. “Goodnight.” His voice sounded conflicted, but that was probably her imagination. Or wishful thinking.
Kerrigan closed her eyes, but every move War made in the other bed, every sigh, called to her. She shouldn’t want him. They’d talked a little, but she still didn’t truly know what type of man he was. But he wasn’t a man, and that should have her running the other way. Knowing he was something other than human was exciting. Kerrigan had seen the lion, and now, she wanted to see the rest of him. There was no way she would ask him to shift for her. That seemed a little too personal. More personal than having sex? Yes. Sex was something two people did when they had an itch to scratch. It didn’t have to mean something deep. Yet, she’d felt a connection and something more when they’d made love. He’d been attentive and gentle while taking her body to heights she never thought possible. Kerrigan wanted that closeness again, even without the sex. She didn’t want to sleep by herself. Couldn’t he keep her safe in the same bed? “War?”
“Yeah, Sweetheart?”
“Will you hold me? At least until I fall asleep?”
Within seconds, War was beneath the covers, spooning his larger body around hers. Not trusting herself to keep her ass from brushing his crotch, she turned over and used his shoulder for a pillow. “Is this okay?”
“Perfect.” War moved her hair off her shoulder and kissed her forehead. Kerrigan settled quickly and closed her eyes.
War surprised Kerrigan a few minutes later when he softly said, “Tell me about your tattoo.”
“My middle name is Roisin after my grandmother on my mom’s side. It means ‘little rose.’ She came with my parents when they moved from Ireland and lived with us until she passed away when I was eight.”
“Can I see it?”
“Sure.” Kerrigan sat up and pulled her shirt off one arm while War turned on the lamp. His fingers ghosted over the ink, and she shivered.
“Does the stem say sláinte?”
“Yes. Since I was a bartender, I thought the Irish toast was fitting.”
“It’s beautiful.” War pressed a kiss to her skin before helping her put her shirt back on. “Thank you for showing me.”
“You’re welcome. I would ask about all your ink, but that would take a while, and I’m pretty wiped. Besides, if I look at them, I’m probably going to want to lick them.” Kerrigan ducked her head, her c
heeks heating at the admission. She did want to lick every one of War’s tattoos, not just learn if they had special meanings.
War chuckled and pushed her hair over her shoulder, kissing her neck. “You can check them all out later.” He turned the lamp off, and they settled back into their former positions, with him holding her close. His breathing evened out after a few minutes, and Kerrigan drifted off soon after.
The hotel room door closing followed by muffled voices woke Kerrigan. Sitting up, she pushed her hair back from her face and looked around. Finding herself alone, she stood and stretched. Figuring her time with War was coming to an end, she grabbed her jeans and slid them up her legs. Her body ached, and a bath would probably help, but she didn’t have the energy. What she wanted was a pot of coffee. She didn’t have any money, but surely War wouldn’t mind paying for a little room service.
She’d just picked up the phone when the door opened, and War returned holding a bag and a tray with two to-go cups. “Morning. Dad brought us breakfast.”
Kerrigan went straight to the table where War set the items down and grabbed one of the cups. She didn’t care if it was black. She needed the jolt of caffeine. “Ahhh.” When she looked up, War was smiling at her. He turned his attention to the bag and pulled out several breakfast sandwiches before dumping cream and sugar onto the table. Kerrigan doctored her coffee with cream and returned the lid to the cup.
“He wasn’t sure what you liked, so there’s several options.”
“I’m not picky.” And she wasn’t. Kerrigan ate just about anything. Sure, she loved a good steak or lobster dinner, but she didn’t need those things to be happy. Her parents hadn’t been rich, but neither were they poor when she was growing up. Her dad was careful with his spending, and Kerrigan had learned how to get by on not having a six-figure income as well. She would have had a good bit of savings if Dalton hadn’t stolen it from her. After taking a bite of sausage, egg, and cheese on sourdough, Kerrigan chewed while thoughts of her future flitted through her head. Her parents would be arriving in a couple hours, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about seeing them.