His Irish Captive: A Mafia Arranged Marriage, Bleeding Souls Saved by Love collection book by Jenna Gunn & Gabby Hughes

Author:Jenna Gunn & Gabby Hughes [Gunn, Jenna & Hughes, Gabby]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Jenna Gunn, PrimalSea LLC
Published: 2023-03-14T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY

I’m staring out the window when a quiet but urgent knock jars me out of my spiraling thoughts. For a second I wonder if it’s imagined. My brain is still fogged by a sugar hangover from last night’s birthday cupcakes.

“Coming,” I call as I cross the room. Every knock on my door brings a ball of nerves to my stomach now. I flip the latch and open it cautiously.

When I see my sister standing in the opening, I shrink back in shock. “Oh, my god. What happened?”

My sister’s golden eyes are full of tears. Her mascara’s a disaster. The dress she’s wearing is torn at the shoulder.

Shauna’s chin quivers. She looks over her shoulder, then whispers, “Can I come in?”

“Oh crap, sorry. Of course.” I drag her through the opening. As she pads barefoot into the room I lock the door and check it twice.

I’m shocked to see her. It’s a Wednesday. The timing is weird. She’s dressed like she’s going to a fancy restaurant. Her dressy high heels are dangling from her finger.

She stops in the middle of my room and sobs.

Instantly, I’m terrified. Shauna never cries. She’s the life of the party. Everything’s a game to her. Even the darkest of mafia realities are nothing to her armor.

She flies into my arms when I open them.

“Good god, what’s wrong?”

Her voice is raw. She’s shaking all over. “It was terrible.” Within seconds, her sobs turn violent. I hold her tight as she buries her face against my hair.

For several long minutes, we stand together, hugging fiercely. She’s never hugged me like this. It’s terrifying. When she takes a breath and her crying slows, I guide her to the bed. That’s when I see the bruises all over her arms. Big fingerprints. A man’s handprints. Abrasions.

“Holy hell, Shauna, did Sean do this to you?”

She sobs, “No.”

I get in her face, pushing her disheveled shock of copper hair back so that I can see her eyes. The warm whiskey color is rimmed with angry red lines.

“Who?” I demand.

“Father.”

I gasp and drop to my knees. That bastard. “He hurt you like this?”

She nods weakly. “Sean is divorcing me. When that happens, Dad thinks he will lose control of the warehouse district. He’s livid.”

Squeezing Shauna’s hands, I seriously contemplate if I can get away with shooting Father Prick. I’ve never been so furious in my life.

“Has he ever hurt you or Sheila before?”

She shakes her head as tears start to fall again. “No, but he’s never had a daughter’s arranged marriage fail. You would have thought that he had rabies, he was so vicious. I was terrified he was going to shove me down the steps. I’m lucky this is all he did.”

As I lean back, I peel the pair of shoes out of Shauna’s hand and toss them on the floor. “When did this happen?”

“An hour ago. I’ve been locked in the bathroom in the library downstairs trying to get my shit together since. Sean is still in Dad’s office, I think.

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