Perfect Sinner by Maggie Cole

26

Nolan

A Few Months Later

"Yes!"Gemma exclaims and pumps her arm in the air.

I toss my safety goggles and earphones off and carefully place my gun down. The bullseye on her target has a one-inch hole in it from the round she just fired. "You're getting good at this."

She beams then does a little happy dance. "You're buying dinner tonight!"

I chuckle then glance at my target. I only hit the bullseye half the time. The other bullets ripped through the ring next to it. Before we left, we made a bet. Whoever won had to buy the other one dinner. I wouldn't have let her pay since it's not in my blood, but she doesn't know that. I admit, "The new French restaurant opened in Lincoln Park. I already made a reservation."

Her expression brightens more, and she checks the chamber of her gun, fastens the safety, and sets it down. She throws her arms around me and teases, "You were scared, weren't you?"

In the last few months, Gemma's confidence has grown. Not just when utilizing guns or knives, but in everything she does. I wish I would have known what empowering her with self-defense would do for her. I would have taught her these skills months ago. I reply, "Don't get cocky, now."

She smirks. "But you were scared, right?"

I open my mouth, but my phone rings. I pull it out of my pocket and answer, "Liam."

"We're leaving tonight. I'll pick you and Gemma up at five thirty. The women will stay at Boris and Nora's," he informs me.

My gut flips. Rory sent a message to Darragh he wanted to meet. Our guys have been in Indianapolis for weeks, getting ready for the meeting and making sure the Baileys weren't anywhere near the warehouse, but he didn't set the exact date yet. "It's tonight?"

Gemma's face falls, replacing her happy glow with worry. Disappointment fills me. I hate not keeping my word, but Rory also needs to be dealt with. I don't know what he has up his sleeve. For several weeks, it's kept me awake at night.

"Tomorrow. See you tonight." Liam hangs up.

"What's going on?" Gemma questions.

"I'm sorry, but we're going to have to go to dinner another night. I need to go out of town with my brothers and cousins."

Her eyes widen. "Why? Where are you going?"

"I can't go into it. You'll stay with Hailee at Boris and Nora's," I reply.

She reaches for my face. "Nolan, please tell me what's going on."

I tug her closer to me. "You know I won't go into O'Malley issues with you. Don't ask me. You'll be safe at Boris's."

She closes her eyes. "How long will you be gone?"

"A few days. As soon as we can come home, we will," I assure her.

She pins her blue gaze on me. "I hate it when you're gone."

"This isn't a choice. I'd much rather take you out to dinner and wake up with you in my bed," I remind her.

She sighs. "I know."

I tuck a lock of her hair behind her ear. "You know that account I set up for you at La Perla?"

Her lips twitch. "Yeah?"

Blood heats in my veins. I wiggle my eyebrows. "Use it. Pick out something to surprise me when I get home."

She bites her lip.

"You remember what I did to you the last time you surprised me, right?"

Her face turns bright red. "Mmhmm."

I lean into her ear. "I promise I'll top it."

She softly laughs.

I steal a quick kiss then declare, "Time to go."

We put our guns, glasses, and earphones away, then leave the O'Malley shooting range. When we step into the house, Declan is sitting on my couch.

"Liam call you?" he asks.

"Yeah." I turn to Gemma. "Why don't you go pack."

She obeys, and I sit across from Declan. "Something else going on?"

He leans closer. "We caught the Bailey thug who's Rory's right hand. Killian and I just spent the last two nights with him."

The hairs on my arms rise. "And?"

He glances behind him then refocuses on me. "He claims Rory sent Orla to New York until he returns from Indianapolis."

"Why?"

"Not sure. We couldn't get anything else out of him."

Several minutes pass as I analyze this new information. I finally say, "It could be a trap so we think she's not with him. I don't trust a word anyone with Bailey blood says. No matter how desperate they are, nothing could ever be one hundred percent truthful. You can't take scum and try to cleanse it."

Declan nods. "You're right. But you also know when a man's begging for his life, things come out."

I scratch my chin. "I guess we'll just have to wait and find out."

Declan rises. "I need to pack. I'll see you tonight."

"Me, too. Later." I walk him to the door then go into my office and pack my laptop and chargers. I take the bag to the kitchen and set it on the counter.

The doorbell rings.

I go to the door and open it. "Colin. Didn't expect to see you."

His face looks slightly green. "You have a minute?"

"A few. I'm leaving in about a half hour." I open the door wider and step back. "Come on in."

"You have a beer? I need something," he claims.

"Sure." I go to the fridge, unscrew the cap, then hand it to him. I grab one for myself.

He sits on the barstool and drinks half of it.

"Thirsty?" I quip.

He sets his beer down and stares at the ceiling.

I sit next to him. "Want to tell me what's rattling you?"

He spins and says, "Madison called."

"And?"

He gulps another large mouthful of alcohol. In a deadpan voice, he says, "She's two months pregnant."

I do the math in my head. I slowly imply, "And the baby is yours?"

He scrubs his face and turns, staring at me.

"Shit," I mumble, realizing he's not one bit happy about this situation.

"Yeah, shit's a good word. And you know what, I'm not sure how this happened. I'm super careful. She's supposed to be on birth control."

I focus on the word supposed to be. My gut drops. I probe, "You think Madison did this intentionally to trap you?"

"Yeah. The chances of the condom and her pill failing are practically a miracle," he asserts.

I whistle. "What are you going to do?"

He scrubs his face. "Hell if I know. She's in England. I'm here. And it's not like she's my forever."

"She's going to be now that you have a baby on the way," I point out.

He finishes the rest of his beer. "You aren't helping."

I hold my hands in the air. "What do you want me to say? You knocked her up. Whether she trapped you or not is a moot point. If it's your kid, then you're stuck with her."

Colin groans. "I'm going to have to marry her now, aren't I?"

I take a sip of beer. "That would be the honorable thing to do."

"And where do we live? I wasn't looking to move back across the pond," he states.

"Can you move her here?"

He lets out a frustrated breath. "I don't know. She's attached to her mother, who I can't stand."

I tap my fingers on the counter, trying to figure out what to say to help him, but nothing comes to mind.

He rises. "I've gotta go."

I follow him to the door. "I'm out of town for a few days. When I get back, let's get together."

He nods, shoots me another expression as if he wants to curl up in a hole and never come out, and leaves.

I shut the door then go into the bedroom. It's getting late, and I need to pack before Liam arrives. Gemma closes her suitcase and zips it.

I slide my arms around her waist and put my face against hers. Her body stiffens. I assume she's still worried about me leaving. I kiss her cheek and inhale her earthy, lavender scent. "I'm going to miss you."

"Mmhmm," she voices but doesn't sink into me like she usually does.

"Everything is going to be fine," I attempt to assure her.

She removes my hands from her waist and spins. "You should pack."

I reach for her cheeks, but she ducks under my arms.

"Gemma."

"Sorry. I have to go to the bathroom." She hurries out of the room, and the door shuts.

Unsure what's wrong, I focus on packing and toss a few outfits into my duffle bag. I go into the bathroom and pack my toiletries.

Gemma steps out of the toilet room.

I zip my bag and tug her into me. "You okay?"

"Yeah." She smiles, but it feels forced.

I tell myself it must be due to her worry. "When I get back, I'll make it up to you for our missed dinner."

"It's okay. I understand," she replies.

The doorbell rings, and I groan. "That'll be our ride."

She attempts to escape my grasp, but I don't release her. "Hey."

She takes a deep breath and looks at me.

"Why do I feel like you're upset with me?" I ask.

"I'm not," she claims.

I study her. "You sure?"

She nods. "Yes."

"Are you just worried, then?"

She closes her eyes and releases an anxious breath. Her lids flutter open, revealing her glistening blue eyes.

I cup her cheeks and dip my face to hers. "Everything will be okay. I promise."

She blinks hard. Her lips quiver. "Okay."

I kiss her, and at first, she resists. I hold her head firmly to mine then deepen our kiss. She finally relaxes and returns my affection.

The doorbell rings again. I don't retreat. I continue kissing her until her hands lace together around my head and we're no longer two people. I murmur, "That's better."

She opens her eyes. Something I can't decipher is in them. I tell myself it's her fear, but I'm not convinced. She swallows hard and says, "Please be careful."

"I will." I return to kissing her. The next few days will be torture without her. I already know this. She'll be safe at Boris's, yet I'll still worry about her. And until she's in my arms again, nothing will feel right.

"Nolan!" Liam shouts.

I reluctantly release her. "We need to go." I sling my bag over my shoulder, put my hand on her back, and guide her into the bedroom. I pick her suitcase off the bed and lead her to the main room.

"Ready?" Liam asks.

"Yep."

We all step outside and get in the car. Hailee is in it. Since the night Adrian got shot, her attitude toward me has improved. She smiles. "Hey."

"Hi. You doing okay?"

"Yeah."

Gemma stares out the window.

"Gemma, what's wrong?" Hailee asks.

"Nothing." Gemma continues looking out the window the entire way.

When we get inside Boris's, I carry Gemma's suitcase into her room and shut the door. She stands near the entrance, avoiding me. I comment, "You're awfully quiet."

She gazes at me then steps forward. She places her hand on my chest. "Be careful."

Part of me feels relieved. She's worried, and this is what her standoffish behavior is all about. I fist her hair and gently tug her head. I dip my face above hers. "I will. Don't do anything crazy while I'm gone."

Her lips twitch. "I'm pretty sure Boris would stop me before I got too far into anything."

I study her face. "I'll miss you."

She softly replies, "I'll miss you, too."

I kiss her until Liam knocks on the door. He hollers, "Nolan, we've gotta go."

She pulls her lips off mine.

I give her a final hug then leave. I'm not sure why, but something feels off. I convince myself it's because I hate leaving her. I'm also nervous about whatever Rory has up his sleeve.

Liam and I say nothing. We meet my brothers and Finn at Killian's. Declan gets in our SUV, and Finn and Killian follow us in another.

Declan assesses Liam and me. "You two need to wipe your lovesick expressions off your faces. From this point out, the only thing you think about is how to take out Rory and all those other Bailey fucks if it comes to it."

I don't deny or argue with him. He's right. No matter how much I don't like leaving Gemma and the feeling like something is bothering her, there's no other choice at this point. We all need to concentrate so we get out of this meeting alive.