Always You (Adair Family 3)

It didn’t seem that long ago I was in this hospital with stab wounds. Now I’d been fucking shot. Thankfully, they’d gotten both bullets out in surgery.

Concerned, I watched Arro as she slept in the armchair beside my bed. She was there when I woke up for the first time during the night, while the nurses explained what happened to me and assured me the doctor would be in first thing to talk to me. The doc had arrived fifteen minutes ago, and Arro had slept through the whole conversation.

Still in a lot of pain, I wanted to reach out for her, but every time I did, it hurt.

Apparently, I’d been out after surgery for a whole day and night. I’d sluggishly demanded answers from Arro last night before exhaustion pulled me under again.

The shooter was Lee Kilmany’s girlfriend, Roisin Bankman. She was also Craig Kilmany’s ex-girlfriend. They’d been working together to avenge Craig. I still didn’t know if she’d been aiming for me or Arro, or both. All I knew was they were both behind bars now, and Arro was safe.

A noise brought my head up from watching Arrochar sleep. Robyn hurried into the room with Lachlan at her back. Remorse filled me as my brave, strong girl’s face crumpled, and she burst into quiet tears as she reached for my hand.

“I’m okay, wee birdie,” I promised, tightening my hold. “I’m right here.”

Lachlan rested his hand on her shoulder as Robyn sat down on the free chair at my other side and tried to gather herself.

“I was so worried.” She swiped at her tears, her gaze roaming over me. “Dad, you gotta stop doing this to me.”

I chuckled and groaned as pain shot through my back.

“What? What’s going on?” Arro jolted awake, her face adorably sleep-creased as her wide eyes flew around the room. She relaxed at the sight of Robyn and Lachlan, but tensed as soon as she looked at me. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, darlin’,” I promised her.

Arro stared at me, haunted.

I wanted to kill Lee and Roisin.

“I’m okay,” I assured her.

“Are you okay, Arro?” Lachlan asked her.

“He’s still furious the police arrested you,” Robyn said. “We all are.”

Confusion and anger filled me. “What the fuck?”

“I hadn’t told him yet.” Arro shot her brother and my daughter an annoyed look.

“You got arrested?” I demanded.

She shrugged wearily. “I fought with the police about not getting to go in the ambulance with you, and then Roisin said some things … I just flew at her.”

“Broke her nose,” Robyn added proudly.

I raised an eyebrow at Arro.

But she didn’t smile. She shrugged again, dark shadows in her eyes. “I would have killed her if I’d had the chance.”

Realizing how terrified she must have been, how much trauma it must’ve brought back from her father’s death, I held out my palm to her. Arro slipped her hand into mine, her lips trembling as she refused to look at me.

Fear niggled in that place where all my demons laid in wait.

“What happened?” I asked.

“Arro called me. I called my lawyer, and we both arrived at the police station to ream them. They had witness statements from her neighbors. They told me they were keeping her there to calm her down. Oh, aye, fucking arresting my sister after her boyfriend gets shot is one way to keep her calm.” Lachlan’s voice rose angrily with every word.

Robyn hushed him, reaching up to soothe him.

Looking back at Arro, that niggle wouldn’t leave me alone.