Niamh could tell that Bagot hadn’t been after her at first.
But the moment their eyes met, Bagot spun around and charged straight at her
“You think you can screw me over and get away with it? I’ll gut you, I swear!”
He lunged at Niamh, waving a kitchen knife like a madman.
Her instinct was to disarm him, to wrestle the knife from his hand. But before she could move, someone crashed into her, knocking her to the ground.
“Watch out!”
It was Julian. He’d tackled her out of harm’s way.
Niamh knew he was trying to protect her, but now Julian’s back was exposed to Bagot–putting him in even greater danger.
Bagot looked completely unhinged; Niamh had no idea what he was capable of
anymore.
“I thought I could squeeze some cash out of you, but my company’s gone bust, I’m broke, and those loan sharks-‘
”
Bagot rambled to himself, voice cracking.
The knife in his hand–he’d bought it to deal with the loan sharks, not her.
“So you want to ruin me? Fine! Let’s all go down together!”
Bagot raised the knife again. Julian pulled Niamh behind him, shielding her with his body.
A few yards away, Susy stood frozen, watching the scene unfold, her bridal makeup ghostly pale against her skin.
Suddenly, a convoy of sleek black cars barreled through the crowd, scattering people in every direction.
Headlights blazed. The cars–every one a black Audi A8–came to a halt. Men in black suits and sunglasses spilled out, surrounding Bagot, Niamh, and Juli
Niamh recognized a few of the faces. Bagot, however, had never seen anything like this; his bravado vanished, knees buckling, and the threats died on his lips.
From the circle of bodyguards, a man emerged.
14410
He wore a black suit, but his confidence and the cut of his clothes set bint from the rest. His presence was magnetic; his looks, arresting.
A ripple of whispers ran through the onlookers.
“Isn’t that the CEO of the Thomas Group?”
“That’s Jonathan…”
“God, he’s gorgeous…”
Jonathan barely glanced at Bagot before addressing one of the family’s bodyguards. “Take him. Let the cops handle it.”
Then he walked over–not directly to Niamh, but to Julian, who still stood protectively in front of her.
For a split second, Jonathan’s eyes landed on Julian.
Julian was tense, but his grip on Niamh was steady, resolute.
Jonathan lowered his gaze.
“Step aside,” he said quietly.
Julian just frowned, bristling with defiance, refusing to move.
“Mr. Neville, your fiancée’s watching,” Jonathan said with a smirk.
Julian caught Susy’s devastated expression out of the corner of his eye. Reluctantly, he stepped away.
Niamh lifted her head, meeting Jonathan’s cool, unreadable gaze–only to find herself swept up into his arms.
“Put me down,” she hissed, voice low so the crowd couldn’t hear.
But Jonathan ignored her.
He carried her through the ring of bodyguards, away from the gawking crowd, and toward the waiting car–a deep blue Bentley.
He set her inside, fastening her seatbelt before starting the engine.
Niamh couldn’t remember the last time she’d sat in the passenger seat of Jonathan’s car.
They sat in silence as the Bentley glided through the city, all the way to Jade Peak Manor.
14:41
Cha
