DOM
The bourbon burnedas it slid down my throat, the bottom of my glass lifted to the ceiling. I drained it all before setting it back on the bar, stretching my stiff neck as I surveyed the room.
I fucking hated wearing those dress shirts. There was no greater relief than leaving the office and undoing the top buttons as my real work began.
What exactly I was looking for in the bustling crowd, I couldn’t describe. But I knew it when I saw it.
The Oracle can fuck itself.
This was my vigil, my watch. The higher-ups had far too many rules and regulations.
I fixed the cuff on my rolled up sleeve as the bartender grabbed my glass. “Another?”
The buzz of the old fashioned rushing to my brain as I shook my head. After the day I’d had in the office, I should’ve wanted another stiff fucking drink. Especially considering who I had to go home to.
But there was work to do.
I wanted to stay as far away from Valemont as possible — but even driving to another state wouldn’t have gotten me far enough away from her.
And being this close to the office wasn’t much better. The crowd here was far bolder. The patrons were used to getting what they wanted from women, and they didn’t take kindly to being told no.
More than anything, the bouncers could go fuck themselves — letting in underage girls who didn’t know what these men were capable of.
Even now, I could see a few guys circling them. Slowly herding them into corners and bribing them with free drinks.
We can’t save everyone.
It was a mantra I had to repeat to myself near daily, knowing the limits of our world. There was only so much we could cover up. Something Laniidae seemed intent on testing every semester.
Looking back at the wooden counter, I clenched my jaw.Herface wouldn’t leave my mind. Those green fucking eyes, that hair. The freckles. Something I never wanted to see again. All I’d wanted was to leave her and the trouble that followed her in the past.
I should’ve known it was her.
Maybe another drink was in order.
The clink of another drink on the counter felt like a hand of god. Nodding to the bartender, I let myself grab the cool glass. I needed to be aware, alert to handle what came next. But I knew how to hold my drink
I watched one particularly smarmy walk into the bar. He wore a cheap shirt and an even cheaper smile. Even the young ones knew to stay away from him.
As I sucked the bitter liquid of my third drink into my mouth, I reminded myself that Kiera would be fine. As much asI hated the looming reminder of everything that had happened, everything I’d done, she wasn’t in imminent danger. And until I could get rid of her, being trapped in that house was the best thing for her.
Even if I wanted her gone. Lost to the well of my memory forever.
Taking a deep breath, I thought about the disgusting look on my father’s face that he must have had when he decided to make Kiera his insurance policy. Isaac would have set Kiera and Gabriel up, unable to keep his hands out of anyone’s affairs. With Kiera close by, he’d be able to get closer to Maura and what he really wanted.
Maura. That fucking gold digger.
She hardly gave enough of a shit to keep an eye on Kiera, let alone to participate in the company her money came from. That was Maura all right — happy to leave the responsibility to someone else.
Anger bubbled in my chest, as I remembered the countless times I had to lead little Kiera from a room full of intoxicated adults, taking her upstairs to play.
My hands balled into fists, nails digging into my palms as I came back to Earth.
No cause for concern. Kiera would be fine, other than Gabe being a controlling ass.
But that didn’t stop my dark mind from conjuring worst case scenarios, not when Isaac was as smart and well-connected as he was.
Just like this asshole.
