“I’m not stupid,” Abbey whimpered defensively.
“We’re wasting valuable time,” Gordon snapped. “Abbey, please go back to your car. You’ll be safe there with Caleb.”
Abbey sighed as she shuffled back to the rear vehicle, glancing at the very large, very muscular blond waiting behind the wheel to be her personal bodyguard. Once she was secure inside the last Land Rover, Gordon, Liam, and Robert nodded in confirmation to each other.
Gordon and Liam climbed into the lead Land Rover while Robert slipped into the driver’s seat of the second one. Gordon patted the metal box gently as Liam shifted the car into gear and pulled into the evening traffic.
»»•««
Abbey stared out the window as they drove through the streets of Belfast. Her heart raced, her stomach churned, and she felt light headed. She looked down at the five-gallon pail sitting on the floor, left there for her in case she felt sick. Before the night was over, she was pretty sure she was going to have to use it.
The buildings around her steadily grew more dilapidated, less used. There were several broken windows and boarded doors.
She looked ahead at their convoy. Each vehicle was loaded with vigilante soldiers and weaponry. Never in her life did she imagine she would be a part of something like this. The whole thing seemed surreal. Abbey laid a protective hand on her stomach, to shield her unborn baby from the melee about to ensue.
Abbey felt her senses peak as she noticed an unmarked car pass the T intersection in front of them. It was packed full. In the dark, she could make out very large guns. Another car just like it followed.
A squeal escaped her lungs as Caleb spun the car at an angle to block the street. She watched as the next three vehicles did the same. The lead Land Rover driven by Liam, kept driving toward the intersection.
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. A white van, with its windows covered in chain link, appeared from behind a half-crumbling building. But Liam didn’t slow down. In fact, he hit the accelerator.
As the van arrived dead center in the intersection, Liam drove into it. The deafening force of crumpling metal toppled the van on its side. Abbey flinched, waiting for an explosion. There was none.
Gordon and Liam, their faces covered in black, burst out of the mangled Land Rover, each with a baseball bat in hand. They smashed the windows of the van, the glass shattering and the chain link ripping free. She could hear their violent brogues order the occupants out.
Then, they carefully reached in and extracted a body. In the headlights of the surrounding cars, she could make out Sloan. He was bloody and beaten, but he was alive. The cars surrounding the van erupted as Gordon and Liam struggled with a limping Sloan. Armed soldiers opened fire.
The night sky was torn apart as the crumpled Land Rover exploded into a ball of fire. Abbey noticed the three distinct detonations, even though they were a split second apart. The blast quickly swallowed up the white van, leaving an inferno that reached toward the stars. Soldiers dove to the ground, dropping their weapons to save themselves.
It left a perfect window for Gordon and Liam to help Sloan into the waiting Land Rover driven by Robert. Once Sloan was safely inside, they followed.
Abbey held the leather seat tight, digging her nails into the upholstery, as Caleb threw the vehicle into reverse. He sped off through the streets of Belfast, fleeing from the burning wreckage. Abbey watched as the other Rovers took off in different directions.
“Where is everyone else going?” Abbey panicked.
“We’re each going our own way to confuse followers,” Caleb informed her. “We’ll meet at the rendezvous point soon.”
Caleb drove in the pitch-black, Ireland night for over two hours. A little after midnight, Abbey watched as they drove down a long, gravel driveway to an abandoned farmhouse surrounded by the other four Land Rovers. Abbey barely waited for her vehicle to stop before launching out of the rear passenger door. She raced across the dirt driveway, up the porch stairs, and through the front screen door of the farmhouse. She stopped, breathless, finding the living room vacant except for several pieces of antique furniture and a disturbing amount of semi-automatic weapons. Her head snapped around toward the staircase as she heard voices upstairs.
As she silently trotted up the steps, the voices grew louder. She tiptoed to the only lit room—the door was open a crack. Her heart leaped when she saw Sloan sitting on the bed surrounded by Liam, Maggie, Robert, Gordon, and about a dozen fully armed men. He was bloodied and beaten but thankfully, he was alive.
Then, she froze in place as she heard Maggie announce the news of her pregnancy to Sloan, news Abbey was hoping to tell Sloan herself. She watched intently for his reaction to the news. She shook her head as Sloan stared at Maggie, shocked and dumbfounded. A voice in her head demanded her to storm in, to demand his support. Her thoughts went back to their talk on the balcony over a year ago. He made his feelings about children clear then. It’s time to move on.
Jogging down the stairs, she raced back to the Land Rover. She opened the door and slipped inside as Caleb stepped out.
“Anything wrong, Miss?”
“Please take me to the airport,” Abbey begged.
“Miss, we can’t. Liam wants us to regroup before we move. We need to go in…”
“Please? They don’t need me anymore. It will be better if I’m out of Liam’s way. That way he can concentrate on Sloan.”
Caleb stared at her then slipped the keys out of his pocket. “Very well.”
Abbey gazed out the tinted window across the midnight scene of rural Ireland. It was almost dawn when Caleb pulled the Land Rover to a stop in front of the terminal entrance of Dublin Airport. He helped her out and escorted her inside. He waited patiently as she slipped her MasterCard from her purse. She dismissed him at the gate with a kiss on the cheek, assuring him she would be fine from here.
Abbey watched Caleb disappear into the crowd before she found a cold, plastic orange seat to sit on. Tears filled her eyes as he whipped her cell from her pocket. She dug the business card from her purse. Once she dialed she waited for it to be answered. “Hello? I need to speak to Xavier Meachum right away… My name is Abbey O’Riley. Tell him I’m ready to take him up on that plane ticket to Iowa.”
»»•««
Sloan stared at his sister in disbelief. “Abbey’s…pregnant?”
Maggie nodded silently.
“You’re sure?”
“I took a sample of her blood and had it tested at the hospital. The test came back positive.”
Sloan shook his head then stood, wincing at the excruciating pain that echoed through his body, starting in his head and resonating all the way to his toes. He felt his body shake as he straightened upright. Maggie, Liam, and Gordon rushed to his side, but he waved them away.
“Sloan, you need to rest. Please,” Maggie begged.
“No, I need my wife.” A laugh escaped his throat. “I’m going to be a father.” He looked up at Liam. “Where’s Abbey? I want Abbey. I want to hold her.”
“She was in the Land Rover right behind us. She should have arrived.”
Sloan weakly pushed through them and stumbled down the hallway of the farmhouse to the stairs. He searched every room, every closet, until he reached the front door overlooking their escape vehicles. He counted them. Sloan had been told five vehicles were involved in his escape. He counted four.
“She’s not here,” Sloan reported, worry growing in his voice. He turned toward Liam, who had followed him in his search. Without a word, Liam flipped open his cell and speed dialed. Liam excused himself from the room as he waited for an answer.
Sloan leaned against the doorframe, closing his eyes as pain waved through him. I’m going to be a father. He couldn’t believe those words no matter how many times he said them to himself. The whole idea seemed surreal. Yet, he couldn’t be more ecstatic. This was a dream he never thought he would have. He sacrificed so much to join the IRA including the idea of a family. The
y would just be put in grave danger. I would defend Abbey and our child with my last breath.
His thoughts filled with images of his own father. He was so good, so kind to everyone he met. And he loved his wife and children more than life itself. He worked hard to provide for them. Sloan wanted to be just like him. He wanted to tell his children stories. He wanted to play with them. He wanted to teach them to draw and paint. He wanted to hold them close to him.
Abbey, the mother of my child. I thought she was amazing before… He was still in a state of shocked disbelief. He would be until she told him. Seeing her hazel eyes sparkle, seeing her perfect lips form the words for him— I’m pregnant. His heart raced in excitement to hear that sentence in her soft voice.
He wouldn’t rest until Abbey was with him, wrapped tightly in his arms. He would kiss her long and hard. Then, he would get her out of Ireland and take her home. Our home. They would find a house with a yard for their children to play in. I will give her anything she wants. He looked up as Liam entered the room.
Liam took a deep breath. “She’s on her way to Dublin.”
“What?” Sloan exclaimed incredulously.
“She asked Caleb to take her to the airport. He said she was in tears.”
Sloan grasped the doorknob and turned, half falling out the door onto the porch. He stumbled down the steps and limped in the direction of the cars.
Robert raced after him, wrenching him back by his arm. “Don’t do it, Sloan.”
Sloan spun at him. “Then order Caleb to bring her back. Turn him around immediately. I need her here.”
“We can’t, Sloan. It will raise suspicion if he turns around and comes back. Suspicion we can’t afford right now. We have to let her go back to the States and catch up to her when we get back.”
Sloan felt his world fall apart as he stared down the gravel road into the night. The perfect picture of family he held in his mind disappeared. His past, his secret, finally caught up with him. “I wondered how she would react if she ever found out the truth about me. I guess now I know.”
»»•««
Abbey let go a sigh as the elevator door opened. This confrontation would be the hardest thing she had ever done. The thought of seeing indifference in the eyes of the man she loved with her entire being destroyed her. It had taken her two weeks to muster the courage to even face him. She took a deep breath, ripped her key from the lock on the control panel, and stalked across the vestibule to the glass double doors. She knocked.
Abbey steeled herself as a shadow crossed the foyer of the penthouse and turned the knob. Then, she smiled at the sight of Maggie.
“Abbey!” Maggie exclaimed as she jumped across the threshold and hugged Abbey in a full-frontal bear hug.
“It’s good to see you again, Maggie.”
Maggie slowly let her go, tossing her ebony hair over her shoulder. “Sloan’s not here. He’s still in Amsterdam, waiting for the U.S. Government to clear him to come home.”
Abbey felt sudden relief. She smiled. “I just came for my things. I’ve been, well, sort of living here with your brother.”
Maggie chuckled. Her laugh is just like Sloan’s. It ripped Abbey’s heart apart. “I would assume so. You are his wife and all.”
“Yeah.” Abbey forced a smile on her face. “How did you get here?”
“Sloan. He arranged it. Since Mother died, there’s nothing left for me in Belfast. What have you been doing since you returned?”
“Packing. I leave for Iowa in less than a week.”
A look of horror spread across Maggie’s face. “You can’t.”
“I have to.”
“Why?”
“I have nothing here. At home, I have my mother. She’s going to help me raise the baby.”
“Abbey, please believe me. Sloan’s a good man. Truly. His past is behind him.”
“It’s not his past that’s the problem. True, I don’t like violence. But if my father and brother were killed in front of me, and I almost died, I would have done the same thing. I don’t blame him for what he did.”
“Then why would you leave?”
Abbey took a deep breath and exhaled. “Sloan doesn’t want this baby.”
“Yes, he does. He’s elated to be a father.”
Abbey shook her head. “I saw his reaction at the farmhouse when you told him I was pregnant.”
Maggie stared at her dumbfounded. “He was overjoyed. He was beaten, bruised, and bloody with a concussion, and he stormed the place looking for you so he could hold you. To celebrate.”
Abbey shook her head again. “It’s not what I saw.”
“Abbey, please.”
Abbey motioned to the penthouse surrounding her. “Maggie, how would a baby fit into Sloan’s lifestyle? Where would a baby fit into this?”
“A baby would fit perfectly into this with a loving mother and father.”
Abbey spun on her heel in the direction of the staircase. “I’m sorry, Maggie. I just need to get my things.”
Abbey tuned out Maggie’s continuous protests as she vaulted the steps two at a time. Blindly she opened drawers, grabbing handfuls of her clothes. Grabbing the bag she had left on the floor, she shoved them inside. Then, she dumped her books resting on the nightstand in as well. Lastly, she ripped the closet door open and tossed a few articles on top. Finished, she sprinted down the stairs.
Maggie stood in the foyer, her fists balled on her hips. Her frustration fumed from her. Abbey hated hurting her—she just wanted to leave New York with what few pieces of her heart were left. “I’m sorry, Maggie.”
“Please,” Maggie answered weakly. “Please, Abbey. Let’s call Amsterdam. We’ll talk to him. You’ll see.”
“I’m sorry.”
Abbey weaved around Maggie, opened the door, and quietly closed it behind her.
»»•««
Sloan stared out at the canals of Amsterdam from the window of the hotel room, his arms crossed over his muscular chest. The cream-colored fisherman’s sweater he wore could not warm up his heart.
He felt empty. Abbey was gone, back in the U.S. He knew if he ever told a woman about his true past with the Irish Republican Army, they would run fast, run far. It had never made a difference before. He had never fallen in love. Now, just the thought of losing Abbey ripped him to shreds. He didn’t turn as the door opened.
“Sloan, it’s time,” Liam announced.
He snorted. “What’s the point? What do I have to go back for? Abigail knows, Liam. And it’s obvious she doesn’t want me—the real me. And why should she? I’m a monster.”
Liam exhaled slowly. “Sloan, I’m sorry. But we have a meeting with the U.S. Embassy. We need to go, or you may never leave Amsterdam. You have to be in the U.S. to make your case with Abbey.”
Sloan shook his head and laughed hopelessly. He stopped at the ring of his cell phone. Looking at the caller ID, he instantly hit the talk button. “Mag, what is it? Are you all right?”
“Abbey was just here, Sloan. She came to get her things. She’s going back to Iowa.”
He lowered his head in defeat. “Let her. She’s probably better off there than being with a murderer like me. So would my child.”
“It’s not that, brother. What you did when you were young doesn’t bother her. She doesn’t believe you want the baby.”
Sloan raised his head in disbelief. “She what?”
“She believes the baby will conflict with your lifestyle. She was in the house when I told you. She says your reaction indicated you didn’t want the baby.”
“Nothing could be further from the truth.”
“I told her that. She wouldn’t listen.”
Hope flooded his heart. She accepts me. She thinks I don’t want my child? I will show her just how much I need both of them.
Sloan smiled. “I’ll convince her. If she accepts my past, then I won’t let her go. I can’t. I love her.” He glanced up and nodded at Liam as his smile grew. “I have to go, Maggie. I have an imp
ortant meeting to get to.”
“Of course, Sloan. See you soon.”
Sloan ended the call then turned to Liam. “You are right, Liam. We need to go.”
The two men strode from the hotel room to the car waiting outside. Sloan sat quietly in the backseat, silently preparing his case for the Embassy. He had to have an ironclad case. He couldn’t lose this one. He would have to plead his investments in the U.S. he needed to attend to. He would bring up his charity work.
Exhaling, he ran his large hand through his black, wavy hair. His best defense was the ruse he had participated in so long ago when his first visa had expired. He would have to plead his marriage to an American citizen. That he needed to return to the U.S. to his wife.
He looked up as the car came to a stop, examining the stately building where they had arrived. The United States Embassy. Sloan steeled himself as he stepped out of the car. It was time to fight. It was time to convince a ton of American strangers and politicians to let a known, former terrorist back within United States’ borders.
Chapter Nineteen
Abbey glanced around her little efficiency apartment. Six boxes, none of them very large, sat in the center of the room. Everything she owned was packed safely inside. With so little, it was pointless to rent a van. UPS was an easier choice.
After leaving Sloan’s penthouse, Abbey had taken a cab to Panda Publications for a meeting with Aubrey. She knew she should have made an appointment, but her time was running out. She was surprised how quickly she was summoned back to Aubrey’s office.
Abbey had asked Aubrey for the leniency to work from home. With the door closed, Abbey explained everything, short of Sloan’s involvement with the IRA. Somehow, she could tell Aubrey knew of his past. She could tell everyone knew but her. As always, she was the naïve Iowa girl.
Abbey had promised continued involvement. She would continue writing. She would go to the book signings and author events. She would be forever tied to Sloan now through their child anyway.
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