“I’m still not sure what caused him to go rogue,” Noah shrugs. “Getting information out of Dom is like trying to pry a brick from a house.”
I know the reason, but I’m not inclined to spill my friend’s secrets. If Dom wanted everyone to know, he would tell them. I’m sitting on vital information, but betraying one’s trust isn't something I would do.
That seems to dampen the mood of the group until Alana nudges Connor’s side. “Maybe Rowan will tell us about the brunette he’s keeping pictures of in his office.”
I choke on my drink, coughing as I set my beer down on the table. I recover quickly, only to notice Thalia’s raised brow.
“A brunette, huh?” Her lips tug up in that sinister fucking look that tells me she'sprofiling.
Fuck.
“It was no one,” I quickly try to gloss over it. “Just some woman in a report.”
“I need details.” Thalia ignores me, focusing on Alana.
“Tall, about five-foot-six, lithe build, nice rack, Hazel eyes, and tan.” Alana rattles off Addison’s description so fast I barely have the time to blink.
My sister’s head tilts as her eyes shift to me. “Addison?”
“No,” I grit, lifting a hand to Dale. “Two more.” The man nods before retrieving two more beers and placing them on the bar for me. “Drop it,” I command before stalking over to grab them. With my back to the others, I take a few deep breaths to calm the roaring in my head. This only happens when I feel like I'm on the brink of something I’ve tried to fight since I was a teenager.
It’s the same thing that dragged Thalia and Atlas down into the deepest fucking depths of insanity. I feel like a live wire, ready to destroy everything I’ve worked so hard for. No matter how hard I try, Ican’tstop thinking of her.
I grip one of the beers like I'm trying to strangle someone and pop the top. I throw it back, chugging it until my stomach nearly rebels, but it’s what I need to bring me back to the present.
Don’t blow up, Rowan.
They’re just curious.
Still, it has my mind circling back again and again to those brown tresses. Hazel eyes blink at me before a smile so radiant graces her plump lips.
I want that.
I want to bottle whatever it is that makes her,her,and just keep it forever. Even if she would never have me, I want Addison Bright so badly that it’s eating away at what little sanity I have left.
I push off the bar and grab my drinks. I give myself one last chance to pull it the fuck together before I walk back to the table. When I sit down, no one brings Addison up again, and I’m grateful for the change of topic.
“Out of whisky,” Thalia says before standing.
“I’ll come with you,” Alana follows her up to the bar, and Connor watches them leave until they're no longer in hearing distance.
The assassin sits forward, his features turning serious. “Now, for the real reason I called everyone here today.” He produces a red velvet box from his pocket, opens it, and flashesa massive teardrop-shaped engagement ring. “Do you think Alana will like it?”
“Fucking hell,” Noah mumbles in awe. “If she doesn't, I’ll take it.”
Connor rolls his eyes. “I’m just so fucking nervous. She’s it for me. I’ve been in love with her since high school.”
My brows inch up. “And you think she's going to say no again?”
“Let me put this into perspective,” Connor says lowly. “I’m about to ask the most intelligent and beautiful woman I know to marry me.Me, okay? I’m not perfect, but Alana saw those flaws and still decided I was worth something. So, yes. Asking her to marry me has me in knots.”
“You do this once a month,” I deadpan.
The assassin only smiles as he turns the box over in his hands. “Yeah. And I would do it for the rest of our lives if it meant seeing her face light up the way it does when she sees the ring.”
My face falls as a torrent of emotions sweeps over me. Envy is the least of my worries. Iyearnfor what Connor and Alana have. When was the last time I looked at someone the way he looks at her? When was the last time I thought about anything besides this damn organization?
Years.
