They were all in sync, and all at once, they went off at 12 o’clock.
The silence was deafenin’ afterward.
Keenan cleared his throat. “What’s it to be, lad? Ready or…”
I picked up the box and he followed me out.
Chapter39
Maeve
The last petal from the roses Cian had given me last week trembled as the door shut behind Fiona and Cash. It was twelve o’clock, and the clocks in our old apartment seemed to go off inside of my head at once, like I’d been programmed to keep track of time.
This second felt like a dagger dangling over my head.
Cian didn’t even have to tell me what he’d left to do. Finish the war.
I sensed it.
From Keenan and Fiona giving each other glances that were equal to conversation between them, to Cash and Keely returning to the house, seemingly at Keenan’s invitation. Kee’s friend, Mari, and Mari’s husband, Mac, were with them. A few minutes later, Delaney and Robert showed up.
The house was quiet—the kids were sleeping—but my breath was stuck at 12 o’clock, sensing that, at 12:01, the last petal would drop.
Delaney sat with me in the dark, silent kitchen, holding my hand. No one asked, no one brought it up, but we all knew what was happening.
“Hey,” Kee breathed as she entered the kitchen. She took a seat across from me. Then she popped up, but for as tall as she was, and as rushed as she was, she didn’t disturb anything. “How about I make us tea? Does tea sound good?”
“I think tea sounds great,” Delaney whispered. “I’ll help.”
After turning on the lights, Kee put on a pot of water to boil and started rummaging through the cabinets with Delaney. Delaney asked her what she was making. Bread. Kee’s friend, Mari, came in and started helping them.
When the whistle for the kettle howled, I jumped from my spot. “I have to do something,” I whispered.
Mari put a soft hand to my shoulder. “From experience, that never helps.”
Kee stood straighter, flour on her head. “I’ll do whatever I need to do,” she said.
Delaney looked between me and Kee and shrugged. She didn’t know what Kee had meant by that. But I knew. She was talking about what she could do with a bow and arrow. She was the twin to Keenan, as far as how excellent she was.
I reclaimed my seat, but softly, not wanting to disturb the night around me. Delaney slipped me a cup of tea, but my throat was too tight to drink it. I was glad to have something to hold onto, though. I felt like the last petal, trembling with no idea what was going to happen once my time ran out and I drifted to the ground.
I took a deep breath, softly releasing it.
All I could do was anticipate and wait.
Chapter40
Cian
The windshield was distorted with slush and snow, a combination that seemed to absorb the red brake lights as cars stopped at the sign before turnin’ the corner.
I’d parked not far from where Oran’s hideout was. It looked like an old Bostonian bar, but it wasn’t listed on any business pages or maps.
Keenan handed me a black ski mask. I’d tuck it in my pocket and only use it if I needed to blend. This wasn’t going to be a few shots and done. Oran was keepin’ a gang around him for protection.
The glow of red brake lights smeared across the windshield again as a car parallel-parked into a spot in front of me.
Fiona.
