“You took pictures of everything,” I remind him.And you’re alive. But I don’t say that part.
God, I don’t think I’ve ever felt fear like that, not even when Da died. When Brent pointed his gun at Colby?—
No, I can’t freak out too.
“Let’s move,” I tell him, but before we get to the end of the alley, Colby yanks his hand from mine.
“Eian, what if they’re working with him? What if they’re all in on it?”
“That’s not possible,” I snap at him, without even thinking about it.
“Think about it,” Colby urges. “Brent was obviously scared of Crawford?—”
“Shh.” I shush him sharply, then take his shoulders and walk him back three steps until his back is pressed against the wall and we’re shrouded in the building’s shadow. “Don’t fucking say the names, Colby.” God, how the hell am I going to stop him from going down this rabbit hole. This isn’t any of our business anymore. “What you saw tonight... fuck, Colby, you can’t ever talk about it withanyone, do you understand?”
I know damn well Harry isn’t involved in human trafficking for fuck’s sake, and of course Iris would never do that. I can’t say I know anything about any of the others, but since my family was there, I know that at least.
Obviously, I can’t tell any of this to Colby.
So how the fuck am I going to placate him until I can talk to Harry?
“You’re scared too,” he whispers.
“I’m not scared ofthem.” I have to roll my eyes though I doubt he can see it very clearly. “I was scared shitless Brent was going to kill you, and I have no fucking clue why those rich assholes were there, why they were together, or what they’re going to do now. But I don’t give a shit because you not dying, you not getting yourself into more trouble is more important than anything, Colby.Anything. Do you understand?”
I feel Colby’s sharp breaths hitting my neck, but he doesn’t say anything for the longest time.
I hadn’t realized he was gripping my biceps hard until his hold loosens and his arms drop to his sides.
“So what, we’re just going to donothing?” He might sound mad as hell, but at least he’s whispering again. “After everything we’ve done, after getting all the proof we need to put him away, we’re just going to hand it over to the fucking Illuminati?”
I have to snort.
“They’re not the Illuminati.” That’s ridiculous, but I do like that out of the two of us, I’m the one who sounds rational. That probably won’t happen very often. “I don’t know whatthey are, and neither do you, but I understand enough to know that nothing I can do will help us if those people decide we’re too much of a liability, Colby. We can’t talk about it ever again. We can’t think about it ever again. We have to forget that happened. And no, I’m not saying we’re going to do nothing. We’re going to go home, give Seamus all the pictures you took, then we’re going to go to sleep. In the morning, I’ll call the commissioner and we’ll go from there, all right?”
With my eyes adjusting to the dark, I can see the conflict in his eyes, his need to know more, knoweverything now.It’s his nature, and it’s just another thing I love about him, so I reach up to cup his cheek, and give him the time he needs to see reason.
“There’s something wrong about what just happened, Eian. You know that, right?”
“I know as much as you do,” I tell him, almost a hundred percent truthfully, because I know he needs to hear it. I can tell he’s doubting me, and though I get it, it doesn’t take the sting away.
Not able to disguise it this time, I drop my hand and step back.
“We’re not going to tell anyone about all the people who were there. Whatever’s happening in that house now is not just above their pay grades, Colby, but mine too. And very few things are, so we’re going to tell them we got pictures of everything and that’s it, okay?”
Somehow it hurts more when the fight seems to leave him completely and he nods. “Yeah, okay.”
“Let’s go, then,” I grumble, and just start walking.
It feels like an apology when, three steps later, Colby rushes to me and grips my hand then falls into step with me.
And that just makes me feel worse, because I don’t think I deserve that apology.
At three in the morning,I pace in my office and throw back my second glass of whiskey.
Colby did everything exactly right, exactly as I told him to, but I know he was still conflicted when he went to his room to call Bran. I know he got a few minutes of seeing Maggie, but then he stayed in there to sleep.
It’s only been two nights, he’s only slept in my bedtwo nights, but when I was faced with my empty bed, I just couldn’t bring myself to get in. I also knew that Colby going to his room was very deliberate, and going to his bed now would not end well for anyone.
