The Stranger Behind My Orgasm

Chapter 250: OFF TO SWITZERLAND

Finnegan

The house felt too quiet. I paced around the living room like a caged animal, hands clenched into fists at my sides. The doctors were still upstairs with Abigail.

I had us moved to one of my homes because I didn’t want her discomfort around hospitals slowing her recovery.

She was getting much better, but that did nothing to kill the worry festering in my chest. It had been a week since the accident and I was barely over the fact that my mother had tried to wipe out me, Abigail, and Angel in one stroke.

The driver who had been caught hadn’t confessed to anything, but it was plain as day that it was her. For one thing, she never called to check in.

The accident had been all over the news. What mother hears that her son and granddaughter were in a crash and does absolutely nothing? A guilty one. That was who.

There was a doctor checking on Angel too. Her injuries had been minor, but I was not taking chances with her.

From the living room I could hear the low murmur of voices upstairs, the occasional clink of medical equipment. Every sound wound my chest a little tighter.

River sat on the couch, watching me with worried eyes. "Finnegan, you need to sit down. You’re going to wear a groove in the floor."

I stopped pacing but couldn’t stop moving. My hands drove through my hair, tugging hard. Pain jolted sharply through my side. "She could have died, River."

The image of the SUV rolling, glass exploding, Angel’s terrified scream — it ran on a loop I couldn’t shut off. I had almost lost them both. My daughter and the woman I loved, in one brutal moment. A week on and I still couldn’t get past it.

River stood and placed both hands on my shoulders, steadying me. "They’re both okay. Angel is safe and so is Abigail. You should be proud of both of them."

"I am," I said roughly. "But I can’t let this happen again. School is about to resume and I don’t care about that right now. Angel has to leave the country. You have to take her somewhere safe until this is over — until Devin and my mother are behind bars. I won’t gamble with her life."

River’s eyes softened. She squeezed my shoulders. "I’ll take her. You know I will. We can go to the villa in Switzerland. She’ll hate missing school, but she’ll understand eventually."

I pulled her into a hug. "Thank you. I can’t leave Abigail. I have to end this. I have to make sure Devin and Mother answer for what they’ve done."

River exhaled against my shoulder. "I can’t believe it’s come to this. I’ve always had your back, Finn. You focus on keeping Abigail safe. I’ve got Angel."

That conversation had been straightforward. The one with Angel was something else entirely.

The next morning, she stood in Abigail’s bedroom with her arms locked around her, refusing to let go. Her small suitcase sat by the door. Tears streamed freely down her face as she clung to Abigail’s side.

"I don’t want to go," she cried. "What if something happens to you and Dad while I’m gone? I want to stay and help!"

I knelt beside the bed, my chest cracking. "Princess, it’s not safe here right now. Uncle Devin and your grandmother — they’re dangerous. I need you somewhere safe so I can focus on ending this."

Angel shook her head, burying her face in Abigail’s shoulder. "No. I’m staying with Abigail. She protected me. I want to protect you both too."

"Angel, please. This is for your safety."

She didn’t move an inch. Abigail caught my eye and gave me a small, quiet smile.

"Finnegan, can you give us a minute? Let me talk to her."

I hesitated, then stepped out, settling against the doorframe just outside. I could still hear everything.

"Hey, sweetheart. Come here."

The bed creaked as Angel shifted closer to her.

"I know you’re scared," Abigail said softly. "I’m scared too. But your dad is doing everything he can to keep us safe."

"He loves you more than anything in this world, and he’s fighting so hard so you can come through this unharmed. If you stay here, he’ll be worried about you every second. He won’t be able to focus and we need him focused, Angel."

Angel sniffled. "But what if something bad happens to you? Or to him?"

"Then we’ll fight together when you come back," Abigail replied. "That or we’ll wave a white flag and wait for aliens to intervene."

Angel laughed, and for the first time in a week something loosened in my chest.

"But right now," Abigail continued, "the bravest thing you can do is let your dad protect you. He needs to know you’re safe so he can be strong. You’re his heart, Angel. Let him keep it safe for a little while."

A long silence followed, then Angel’s small voice came through thick with tears. "I love him. And I love you too. I don’t want to lose either of you."

"You won’t," Abigail murmured. "We’re going to be okay. Your dad is the strongest man I know. And when this is over, we’ll all be together again. I promise."

I pressed my forehead against the door, my chest so full it almost hurt. Hearing Abigail comfort my daughter like that — with that much warmth, that much certainty — left me floored and quietly grateful that she was still here to do it.

I had fallen for her long before now, but in this moment something in me settled deeper. She wasn’t just my woman. She was becoming part of my family.

I would love nothing more than to make that permanent. I just had to clear the path first.

Easier said than fucking done.

Angel finally grumbled. "Okay. I’ll go. But you have to promise to call me every single day."

"I promise," Abigail said, and I could hear the smile in her voice. "Now go give your dad a proper hug. He needs it, those worry lines on his forehead aren’t going to smooth themselves."