“I didn’t fucking call for you, Linwood.”
Both continue to stare at each other and then, they take a step back, as if realizing something at the same time.
I finish the final staple and wipe my brow. “What? What is it?”
“If you didn’t call for me?—”
“He was lying.”
They seem to finish each other’s sentences, leaving me in the dark as a ball of anxiety wounds tight in my gut. I hate being out of the loop.
“Who?” I help the runner stand and usher him out. I’m not sure if he’s supposed to know about this and I know firsthand,the clan doctor needs to be on the Captain’s side concerning privacy.
Simon was for Pops. I don’t want to be like either of those men, but I take my job seriously. This is what I’ve been training for—to be a doctor, to help people. I survived long enough to get here. I’m not wasting it.
“Finley pulled you out?” Maeve asks, eyes bouncing around as she rubs her bottom lip. She taps her boot covered toes, the sound echoing along the metal.
“He said there was trouble and you needed me.”
I watch how Maeve’s brows draw in, and Killian’s mouth frowns. There’s something between them I’ve never noticed before. They stand a bit too close, always seeming to be drawn to the other. When they’re in the same room, they orbit each other like the sun and the planets. They’ve always just been rivals but, could there be?—
Nope. Not thinking about it.
“He knew you’d come if I called.”
Killian shakes his head. “He knew I’d come if I thought you needed me.”
“He’s our leak.” She explodes, kicking her heel into the drywall, pieces flinging around the sterile room.
“Wait.Him?” My voice cracks. Then, my heart pounds in my chest, adrenaline spiking, as I shout, “You left him alone with Hayes?”
Fear so intense pushes me past them both, rushing down the long corridor. I pass the gym and weapons room to an untouched hallway full of broken chairs and shattered glass. This is the area of the mansion I’ve never gone back to since those lessons stopped. I’ve avoided it, ignored its presence entirely because of what it was for me.
Death. Sin. Ugliness in corporeal form.
That doesn’t matter now. I’d live in these rooms if it meant finding Hayes and keeping him safe.
Shoving open the cracked interview room, I see the fallen chair and broken black ties. No Hayes. No Finley.Nothing.
“Fuck,” Killian breathes, shoving past me.
He kicks the chair and it crashes into the far wall, shattering on impact, hand clawing at his hair. Maeve is right next to me, her gun high. She looks as tense as my chest feels.
Roman got Hayes.I was always the target, but we never considered them going afterhimto get me.
“I want him back,” Maeve tells Killian who stops in front of her, wiping his mouth. I’ve never seen Killian so mad before—sure, maybe angry, or irritated. But this is black rage that even a demon would never understand.
My lungs feel as if they can’t get enough air and I’m crashing to the floor, knees buckling before I understand what’s happening.
Mind spinning, I can only feel—lost, useless, terrified for Hayes. He’s alone—he’s back with those people. He was supposed to be safe.
Maeve squats before me, grabbing my shoulders so I don’t fall forward. “Breathe, kid.Breathe.”
I can’t express to her that Ican’t. My lungs won’t function, my chest feels too tight. Everything is swirling in my mind—thoughts, feelings, and my heart feels like it’ll explode. I can’t think.I can’t breathe.
“She’s having a panic attack,” Maeve calls Killian, pulling me close. I catch the light scent of her violet perfume and press my forehead to her shoulder.
She smells like strength and my hands hold her tight.
