Fix You (The Irish Rogues #3)

Chapter Twenty-Four Raphael

W hen we got on the plane to Boston, the adrenaline that had been coursing through Maeve’s veins since the coffeeshop dissipated. She collapsed down into one of the seats. As the harsh shakes echoed through her body, she turned her frightened gaze to mine.

I knelt down in front of her. After taking her hands in mine, I squeezed them. “Easy, amore . Just breathe through it.”

Her trembling was so bad her teeth chattered. Glancing over my shoulder at Milos, I said, “Will you grab me a blanket.”

“Yes, sir.”

When he returned, I wrapped Maeve in it. My hands rubbed up and down her arms. Harsh shakes went through her body. Once her body regulated, the tears came. Her chest pumped hard with her sobs. Through her cries, she repeated Nolan’s name several times.

“I’m so very sorry,” I crooned into her ear.

Her grief was valid. Our bodyguards often became extensions of our family as they put our lives first. As I glanced over at Milos, I nodded my head at him, hoping my gesture spoke what I couldn’t say in words.

He responded with a nod of his own. He then went and got a bottle of water and some tissues for Maeve. “Thank you,” she whispered as he handed them to her.

“Is there some of Nolan’s family you’d like to contact?”

That suggestion caused the tears to flow even harder. “He’s been divorced as long as I’ve known him, but his daughter, Aoife, is in college at Maynooth University outside of Dublin. That’s why he liked being with me because he got to see more of her.” Her anguished cries cut through to my soul.

“Why don’t you go into the bedroom and give her a call?”

She shook her head. “I can’t. Not like this.”

“How about I ask your mother to do it?”

When she nodded, I took my phone out of my pocket. It was then I remembered that out of all the Kavanaughs, I didn’t have Orla’s number. “Let me have your phone.”

After she handed it to me, I jerked my chin at the bedroom,. “Why don’t you go lie down?”

“Will you join me when you’re finished?”

“Yes.”

After kissing my cheek, she rose out of her seat and went into the bedroom. When she closed the door, I dialed Orla.

She answered on the first ring. “Róisín, are you okay?” she demanded.

“I assume you’ve heard what happened.”

“Yes, Quinn called Callum–” It was then that it hit her that she wasn’t talking to Maeve. “Raphael? What are you doing on Maeve’s phone?”

With a grimace, I replied, “I assume Quinn left out the part about me being in Dublin.”

“Yes, he did.”

“I flew in yesterday to surprise Maeve. We’ve been seeing each other since after my father’s shooting.”

“Now I know why she’s been so happy these past few months.”

“I kept telling her she should tell you.”

“It’s okay. I know why she didn’t.”

“You do?”

To my surprise, a giggle echoed over the line. “She knows I’m the worst at keeping secrets, so I’m sure she was afraid I would accidentally let it slip that the two of you were seeing each other.”

“That makes sense.”

“And there’s always the fact that it’s far more exciting to be sneaking around, isn’t it?”

I laughed. “Yes, I suppose so.”

“With all that said, I’m assuming you didn’t call from her phone to out your relationship.”

“No, it’s actually about Nolan.”

And then I related to her the agony of the day. Thankfully, Orla was willing to take on the task of informing Nolan’s family of his loss. I’m sure she’d done it many times as a clan leader’s wife.

After I was finished talking to Orla, I headed to the bedroom. When I opened the door, Maeve lay on her side with her knees pulled up to chest. I went over and laid down with her.

“Your mother–”

She silenced me by bringing her lips to mine. At what must’ve been my surprise, she pulled away to stare into my eyes. “I don’t want to talk anymore.” Taking my hand, she brought it to her breast. “I need you to feel me. I need to feel alive.”

“You’re sure?”

“Absolutely.”

As I brought my mouth over hers, I pushed Maeve down into the mattress and prepared to make her feel alive.

Many times.

After wasting no time initiating Maeve into the Mile High Club, we spent the remainder of the six hour flight getting a lot of use out of the bedroom. Just when I thought I was wearing her out, Maeve would initiate another round. Her desire for me was so incredibly sexy.

Each and every time with Maeve was discovering something new.

A new noise of pleasure she made.

A new position that angled me deeper inside her.

A new way she discovered her effect on me during a blow job or sex.

As we neared Boston, we had to pry ourselves away from each other to shower and get dressed. The plan was to go straight to the Kavanaugh mansion.I sure as hell wasn’t looking forward to it. I’d faced many foes in my life, and I hadn’t been afraid of any of them.

But I was a little afraid of the Kavanaughs.

When we started to exit down the jet stairs for the waiting SUV, Maeve froze. “Oh God,” she murmured.

Naturally, my hand went to the gun in my jacket. At the sight of Callum and his uncle, Seamus, waiting for us on the tarmac, I didn’t immediately take my hand off of it. Callum’s expression was one of stone cold fury.

“Go on, Tesoro . We have to face the music.”

“Let’s just turn around and get back on the plane. Give them time to cool off.”

With a chuckle, I replied, “I’ve never been too much of a pussy to face my consequences, and I’m not going to start today.”

When we reached the bottom of the stairs, Maeve slid her hand into mine. The closer we got to her brother and uncle, the more Maeve’s hand trembled . Callum shot me a menacing glare.

Holding up my free hand, I said, “Look, I know you’re angry but just let me explain.”

Callum’s reply came as a right hook to my face, his knuckles bashing into my nose. Blood gushed from my nose as I staggered back. Maeve screamed, “Callum, no!”

“It’s all right. I deserved it for sneaking around with you,” I replied, as I tried focusing my blurry vision.

Ignoring both Maeve’s plea and my comment, Callum launched a harsh punch into my gut, which knocked the wind from me. A wheeze escaped me as I doubled over in pain.

“Stop it! Seamus, make him stop!” Maeve cried.

“It’s between the two of them,” Seamus reasoned.

As I righted myself, Maeve stepped between me and Callum. “Don’t you dare hit him again!”

“A real man doesn’t let a woman shield him.”

Before I could move Maeve away, she floored me by hauling off and knocking the hell out of Callum. The crack of her hand against his cheek echoed around us.

Callum’s blue eyes popped wide. “Christ almighty, Maeve! What the feck do you think you’re doing?” he demanded as he palmed his red cheek.

“Trying to get your attention.”

“By fecking hitting me?” he snarled.

“It was the only way to get through to you,” she protested.

“This is between me and Rafe.”

Maeve shook her head. “No, it’s not. None of this is any of your business. This is my life, and my happiness.”

Callum’s expression turned murderous. “You’re not any girl off the street. You’re a Kavanaugh, and as clan leader, that means as my sister, every aspect of your life is my fucking business, especially when you’re fucking around with an engaged man.”

After spitting blood at Callum’s feet, I jabbed my finger at him. “Don’t you dare disrespect her.”

“I’ll talk to her any way I see fit as the head of this family and clan.”

Sweeping her hands to her hips, Maeve countered, “Then maybe I need to leave this clan and family.”

Callum narrowed his eyes at her. “No one leaves the clan.”

“When I’m treated this way, what would possess me to stay?”

“Maybe the honor or your blood.”

“At the moment, it feels very dishonorable to be a part of a family that doesn’t want to see me happy after everything I have been through.”

A low growl came from deep within Callum’s chest. “Have you even stopped to think about the fucking firestorm the two of you are bringing down on us? Caruso isn’t going to go quietly when the engagement is called off. It’ll be an all out war.” Callum angrily shook his head. “None of our allies are going to side with us. Broken alliances are bad business.”

“I will handle the fall out,” I argued.

“And just how do you presume to do that? The Neretti family is still weak from your father’s assassination, and that’s with the Caruso alliance. You’ll be cut at the knees if you break it off.”

As much as I hated to admit it, Callum was right. We were about to be completely and thoroughly fucked. Cutting my eyes over to Maeve, fear etched over her face. “I’ll handle it,” I reassured her.

“Have your brothers had any say in this?” Callum challenged.

“They’re aware of my feelings for Maeve.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

My jaw clenched as I stood toe to toe with Callum. “I’m the capo of my fucking family. My brothers will fall in line with my decision.”

“You’re a selfish prick to endanger them over your fucking cock.”

“Says the bastardo who kidnapped a nun and forced her into marriage,” I countered.

“Fuck. You.”

“Truth hurts, doesn’t it, motherfucker? After what you did to my sister, you don’t have a right to say one fucking thing about what I’ve done with yours.”

“I have every right as one of your allies to protest what you’re doing.”

Maeve shook her head in disbelief. “Quinn said you wouldn’t be happy, but you wouldn’t refuse me.”

“He shouldn’t have spoken for me.”

Tears shimmered in Maeve’s green eyes. “Please don’t be this way.”

“I’m about to be a father. I cannot risk the lives of not only my wife, but my child just so the two of you can fuck each other’s brains out.”

And with that, I snapped.

I lunged at Callum, punching him square in the jaw. All my rage and frustration reined down on him through my fists. We rolled around on the tarmac, kicking and punching each other.

We would’ve kept fighting if Maeve hadn’t grabbed the gun out of Seamus’s holster and fired a warning shot.

“Are you crazy? You’re going to have the NTSB on our asses now!” Callum shouted at her as he jumped to his feet.

“It’s better than the two of you killing each other,” she shot back.

“Like he could have done that,” Callum replied with a sneer.

At his insult, I pulled myself to my feet. “Get on the plane, Maeve,” I commanded. It was obvious I wasn’t welcome in Boston, and as long as Maeve was with me, she wasn’t either.

With one last look at Callum, she turned her tear-stained face away and started climbing the jet stairs. When I started to follow her, Callum’s hand shot out and grabbed my arm. “There’s still time to change your mind. All of this can be made right as long as you do your duty.”

“Fuck you,” I growled before I slung him away.

“So be it,” he replied.

Whirling around, I then jogged up the stairs. I heard Maeve’s sobs before I got inside. Instead of going to the bathroom to clean up from my fight, I went straight over to her and drew her into my arms. “Don’t cry, Tesoro .”

“But it’s so awful,” she cried.

“We knew it was going to be bad.”

Maeve jerked her head up from my chest to stare wide-eyed at me. “Bad? That is the understatement of the year. In case you missed it, that was scorched earth out there. The brother who practically raised me just disowned me. Not to mention the horror of watching the two of you go at it.”

“He’ll cool off and come around.”

“You don’t know him like I do. He’s stubborn to a fault.”

“All mafia men are.”

She shook her head. “It’s different this time with the baby.” At the mention of Caterina’s pregnancy, she started to weep again. “What if we never get to see their baby?”

I drew her against me again. “I highly doubt Caterina feels the same way Callum does.”

“She might. Especially since we’re putting her baby in danger by being together.”

“Caterina grew up in the underworld. She knows there are risks to her child that have nothing to do with us.” I brushed my knuckles along her jawline. “I know Caterina won’t cut me out of her life or her child’s.”

At that moment, my phone rang. When I glanced at the caller ID, I grimaced. “Who is it?” Maeve asked.

“Dare.” After the scene I’d just experienced with one Kavanaugh brother, I wasn’t stoked at the prospect of talking to another one. “Hello?”

“I heard you had a little tussle on the tarmac.”

At the teasing tone of his voice, I sighed in relief. “Good news travels fast.”

Dare chuckled. “How’s Maeve?”

“Despondent.”

“Put her on speaker.” As soon as I complied, Dare began rattling away in Irish. Whatever he said was a balm for her soul because her tears dried up, and she managed to smile a few times.

“Apparently I need to speed up my Irish lessons,” I mused.

“Sorry, boyo, I knew Maeve needed to hear comforting words and what better way to do it than what she grew up with.”

“As long as you weren’t calling me names.”

“Of course I was.”

I laughed. “ Testa di cazzo .”

“Touche. But I do know what that one is because Caterina told me.”

“I see you’re not denying you are one.”

“Never.”

Maeve playfully rolled her eyes at our antics. “Dare was saying he doesn’t feel like Callum. He wanted me to know that neither do Kellan and Eamon. Despite the risks, he wants me to be happy.”

I found my throat feeling tighter. “That means a lot, man.”

“Does that mean you’ll comp my drinks this coming weekend at the club?”

Before I could answer, Maeve shrieked in horror. “ You’ve been to Inferno?”

“Of course I have.”

Maeve covered her eyes with her hands. “Oh my God, does that mean he could’ve been in Lust when we were?”

“No. I made sure of that.”

A pause came over the line. “What the fucking hell? Maeve has been to Lust?”

Mortification flushed Maeve’s cheeks red. “Maybe,” she whispered.

“Okay, I take that back, Neretti. I’m on Callum’s side now.”

“Whatever,” I grunted.

His deep chuckle rumbled through the phone. “I’m just kidding. But Jesus, Joseph, and Mary, I could’ve lived a lifetime without knowing my little sister has been in a sex club.”

“Trust me, I feel the same way,” Maeve moaned.

“If I promise to keep Maeve home, will you come visit the club and us this weekend?” I suggested.

“I sure as hell will. I’ll bring Kellan and Eamon with me to see you, too.”

“I’d like that a lot, Dare,” Maeve said.

“You’re welcome, sis.”

This time happy tears shimmered in her eyes. “ Is breá liom tú ,” she said to Dare.

“ Is breá liom tú freisin .”

When we hung up with Dare, Maeve smiled up at me. “ Is breá liom tú.”

“ Ti amo, ” I replied back.

And then I brought my lips to hers. At her sweet taste, I knew there was nothing that Callum could do or say that would make me give Maeve up.