I passed on it, of course, but I was grateful for the offer. Me and my brother, we didn’t see each other that often. Really only when he had work for me, another skull to encase for his trophy room. I’d only met his beauty once, and to this day I believed the only reason their relationship worked was because that beauty had some inner darkness of her own.
Kind of like my princess.
Unlike Laina and Mike, I was not so tired, so after a while of lying there and dividing my time between staring at them or looking up at the ceiling, I got up. I did so quietly, without rocking the bed too much, so as to not wake either of them. I tugged on some sweats and meandered over to the refrigerator, where I got myself some water. My phone dinged after that, alerting me that someone was downstairs, in the alleyway.
I only needed one guess as to who it was, so, after I chugged my water, I headed for the stairwell. Soon enough I was unlocking and opening the alleyway door to see Kieran’s not-so-smiley face.
His brown hair was a little greasy, which told me he hadn’t showered recently. His black eyes spotted the fact that I was wearing only sweats instantly, and he frowned at me as he stepped around me and muttered, “That’s what I get for being late.”
I chuckled. “I think you’ll be even more surprised when you walk in there and see both Mike and Laina asleep.” When I said that, he had a single foot on a step, about to launch himself up, but he froze.
He froze, then he glanced back at me as his eyebrows shot as high as his face would allow. “What? I’m sorry, the way you said that made it sound like—”
“Like Mike and I tired her out while you weren’t here? Yes, that’s exactly what happened.”
Kieran chuckled, although it wasn’t mirth that laced with that laugh. More like bitterness and envy. “I shouldn’t be shocked, but I’m not going to lie, I kind of am.” He ran a hand through his hair as he leaned on the metal railing of the stairwell. “Uh… good for you guys, I guess?”
“Don’t be too jealous. I’m sure she would love to have you in the mix. You could’ve been, if you would have gotten here sooner.”
“That’s a case for me being even slower next time,” he deadpanned.
Together, we headed up the stairs, one step at a time. I asked him, “Where were you? It’s been hours.”
“For once, I wasn’t on a job for Sylvester. I was out of town. I drove to a few places, to try to find…” He paused. “Let’s just say Laina mentioned wanting me to wear my devil mask again. I was trying to find the perfect place to do it, far away from all this.”
No, he did not have to elaborate on why she wanted him to wear that mask again. I knew Laina and why that mask would be so important to her. “Did you find a good location?”
“I think so. I thought it would be a perfect distraction, given everything that’s going on, but then I get a call saying she got kidnapped again and managed to escape on her own. She’s going to need a bigger distraction than a masked chase in the woods.”
“A masked chase in the woods might be just what she needs,” I told him, and I didn’t think he expected me to say that, because he whipped his head in my direction and gave me a questioning look. “What? I know she’s been holding herself back from you. Coming to terms with you being her devil wasn’t easy. She spent two years thinking you were untouchable.”
Kieran’s shoulders slumped as we rounded the final landing. “Believe it or not, things weren’t supposed to turn out like this. If Tessa would’ve just let her be… we’d all be in very different places right now.”
“Alas, your sister could not let her be, and, as you’ll hear from her, she’s already got a hired gun at her beck and call, someone who’s been watching Laina for a while. It means he’s patient, not your typical goon from a wannabe gang. This guy… I don’t know what to make of him yet.”
We reached the door that opened up into my top-floor abode, but before Kieran could grab hold of the door handle and pull it open, I set a hand on his shoulder and stopped him.
“You should also be aware Laina is…” Oh, how should I put this? “Intrigued by this guy.” As I said it, I could see his expression hardening. He was jealous that Mike and I were with her, but now? This current envy put that to shame in the blink of an eye.
“Intrigued?” Kieran echoed with a frown. “By the guy who kidnapped her?”
“Yes, strange, isn’t it? She’s never fallen for someone like that before.”
He rolled his eyes and shrugged my hand off him. “Great. Just great news. Thanks for that. As if I didn’t already have enough to worry about.”
“You shouldn’t worry about any of it. We’ll get through this together, I’m sure of it.” My words were meant to be comforting, but he clearly did not want to listen to me. I watched as hegrabbed the handle and flung it open, stepping inside without so much as acknowledging my comment.
I walked in seconds behind him, and Kieran went straight for the bed, sitting on the side not currently taken over by Mike—who had woken up and was now sitting, bare chested, watching the approach. Laina, on the other hand, was still asleep, though when Kieran sat on the bed, she stirred.
Her eyelids peeked open, and she spotted him looming over her. “Kieran,” she mumbled with a yawn. She sat up, let the sheets fall and expose her top half, and threw her arms around his neck.
Even though he was agitated by what I’d warned him of, I noted the way his shoulders relaxed when she hugged him, how he seemed to melt in her grip as he hugged her in return. The man might pretend to be icy all around, but when it came to her, he was just as weak as Mike and me. She had that way about her.
Only when the hug ended did she pull away from him and ask, “Where were you?”
I meandered to the other side of the bed and sat near Mike’s feet, giving them a bit of space, as Kieran answered her, “I was a few hours away. I spent all last night checking out a few spots I thought might be good for… for a particular hunt.”
You’d have to be blind to not see how Laina perked up at hearing that.
