It wasn’t my business to know anything more. I trusted the boss and everything he did. Loyalty, that’s what Sloan asked for and what he got from us.
“To be part of the Company?” Lor shook his head. “No, but I was never really his son. I was more of a responsibility. After my mom died....” He leaned back against the SUV. “Listen, I’m not here to turn you into the cops or anything. I just wanted to make sure Vail was okay. He’s been through a lot. He needs help.”
I stepped back, caught between the urge to slam him against the Expedition again and walking away. This was Vail’s friend, and as much as I hated to admit it, what hurt him would hurt me. I’d come to care for him too much to start murdering off the people he liked, no matter how annoying they were.
“Fine.” I waved my hand at the door. “Check on him. See if he’s okay. But he’s not going back to work. Not yet.”
“He needs a normal life,” Lor argued, crossing his arms and straightening.
“Not right now.” I tucked my gun into the back of my jeans. “Listen, ye seem like a smart kid. Someone’s out to get him and we have to protect him. We have something planned in a few days that should deal with the problem. Until then, he stays here.”
His gaze slid to the door where Vail had started knocking again. Voices echoed from behind the thick wood, and I heard Rowen yell something at me.
“They’re trying to kill him?” Lor didn’t look angry or furious or any of the other thousand-and-one things I would’ve considered a normal reaction to my news. He merely rubbed his eyes as if he was tired.
“Yes, because of that bloody book.” I crowded in on him again, and he didn’t move, standing his ground. “It ends now. Everything he has on the current mobs will be burned, am I clear?”
He nodded. “I’m on your side about that. Dr. Atmeyer won’t like it, though. He expects the book to bring more students to our school, and that means more notoriety and money. If Dr. Mifflin doesn’t do the book—”
“I don’t give a rat’s arse what this doctor likes or not. Vail isoursnow, and we protect ours. If this other fecking doctor don’t like it, he can come tell me himself.” I pressed my fingernails into the palm of my hand to keep myself grounded. Rowen liked to say I went “ragey” when I hadn’t hurt anyone in a while, and this was one of those times. I wanted to find this other man and throttle him.
“You don’t need to tell me. I understand.” He raised his chin. “I care about Dr. Mifflin, too. I would never want to see him hurt, so I’ll go back and tell Dr. Atmeyer he’s handling his father’s death on his own and will not be finishing the book. Dr. Mifflin must expect pushback, though. He’ll get a lot of calls from Atmeyer.”
“I’ll handle that.” I stepped out of his way again and waved my hand. “Go, before they beat down the door.”
Lor stared at me for a long moment before he nodded and slid past me. Rowen nearly fell into the garage when Lor opened the door, and glared at me as Lor nodded at him on his way past.
Rowen surged forward, and I stepped back with my hands raised, not because I was afraid of him but because I didn’t want to get into a fight. Vail followed him in, concern on his face.
“What the fuck were ye thinking, Cillian? Ye scared Vail.” He stopped right in front of me, his face almost as red as his hair. I’d always found that funny, and when we were kids I’d called him a tomato.
“I was just asking questions, wasn’t I? Look at that lad, he’s unharmed.” I shrugged and smirked.
“Ye’re a fecking twat.” Rowen backed off, jaw twitching, and spun on his heel to guide Vail out of the garage.
I rolled my eyes and followed them back into the house. Vail kept giving me glances over his shoulder as Rowen led him to the hallway where Aspen and Fallon had blocked the exit, trapping Lor.
Vail rushed toward him, and Lor shook his head, giving him a genuine smile.
“I’m fine,” he said when Vail reached him. “We were just talking.”
“I’m sorry, he shouldn’t’ve done that.” Rowen shot me a glare. “He’s got no manners.”
“No. He....” Lor’s gaze slid to me, and an understanding passed between us. We both wanted the same thing—to protect Vail—and that meant keeping some secrets we’d discussed. His attention returned to Vail. “You’re safe here, Dr. Mifflin. Right now, that’s what matters. I’ll tell Dr. Atmeyer you’re unavailable for classes and won’t be doing that book.”
“What did he tell you?” Vail curled his arms around himself, shifting from foot to foot. His posture was vulnerable, and it called to my basic instincts to go over there and envelop him in a hug, a strange but nice feeling. I’d never wanted to do that with anyone. “I should go to class at least. We need to discuss the cartels that impacted America, it’s on the final. People love cocaine, and there’s a whole section on El Chapo. Oh, I should call my mother, too. The book is gone, there’s nothing I can do. They destroyed it all.” He waved his hand vaguely in a circle.
Lor nodded along with Vail like he was following everything, and I supposed he was used to Vail’s wandering mind by now. “I know. I’ll handle the classes for you. Please take a few days off.”
“But—”
“Please, Dr. Mifflin, keep safe. I wanted to make sure you were okay.” Lor took a step back, and when I hooked a thumb at Aspen and Fallon, they moved aside to let him past. He rushed out of the house, slamming the door behind himself.
Vail turned toward me slowly, eyes watery, but he wasn’t crying. “He’s a friend.”
“I know,” I said.
“I can’t lose him, too.” His bottom lip trembled gently.
