Gus arrived on day eight,although he, Rafe, Callen, and even Snow checked in regularly.
His massive frame blocked the light when he filled the doorway of the suite. A grin spread across his face when he saw Kiernan propped up against the pillows on the sofa.
“You look like shit,” he announced.
“As everyone keeps telling me.”
He crossed the room and rested his hand on Kiernan’s shoulder. “Scared us, you bastard.”
“Wasn’t my intention.”
“Never is.” Gus’ eyes shifted to Oliver and me. “You two. Keeping him in line?”
“Trying,” I responded.
“Try harder. He’s slippery.” But there was approval in his voice. “I brought rope.”
Kiernan’s eyebrow rose. “I can’t?—”
“Not for you. For them.” Gus nodded at us. “Callen mentioned they’re interested in learning. I figured I’d give them a proper lesson while you watch.”
“That’s cruel.”
“That’s the point.” Gus’ grin widened. “Nothing motivates recovery like watching other people have fun without you.”
He stayed for three hours. True to his word, he demonstrated techniques on Oliver first, then on me—nothing sexual, just the basics, like how tension and pressure could ground someone, hold them, make them feel safe.
Kiernan’s fists remained clenched until Gus left. By then, he was practically vibrating with frustration.
“That was torture,” he said.
“That was the point.” I sat beside him and touched his face. “One more week. Then the doctor clears you.”
“It feels like a year.”
“I know.” I kissed him. “We’ll wait.”
Rafe came the next day.His coiled energy and watchful silence were jarring after Gus’ warmth. He arrived with a folder under his arm.
“The Thorned Thistle,” he said, dropping into a chair in the sitting area. “We need to talk.”
When Kiernan nodded, Oliver and I turned to leave, to give them privacy, but Rafe held up a hand.
“Don’t go. You’re part of this now.”
We stayed.
“I found three vulnerabilities,” he said, opening the folder. “James exploited all of them.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” Kiernan muttered.
“It was. I’m head of security. The failure is mine. You know the first two, but the third was worse.” Rafe was quiet for a moment, and when he spoke, pain was evident in his voice. “He accessed our database of member records. We don’t know how much he copied before—” He stopped. “Before the end. I’ve brought in specialiststo assess the damage and rebuild our security systems. But some members may have been compromised.”
“Have the other partners been briefed?” Kiernan asked.
“They have. Snow is handling certain aspects. We wanted to wait until you were briefed before deciding how to proceed.”
“The members need to know.”
