Page 121 of Bound Lies

Out in the hall, Lorcan lets out a long, shaky breath as he rubs his jaw.

“He’s gone. The kid I knew…he’s not in there anymore.”

“He’s broken. And he’s useless.”

Lorcan's expression is one of pure devastation, and it kills me, but we need to take care of the situation.

This is business, and if Finn is now considered a liability rather than an asset, I need to let Ronan know.

I pull out my phone and give my brother a call as Lorcan and I walk back outside to where our cars are waiting.

“He’s not talking,” I say the second Ronan answers. “Lorcan tried. The kid is just too far gone, so I think it’s time.”

“Don’t kill him,” Ronan says sharply.

“Seriously? Why not? He’s a dead end.”

“I’ve got one more thing I want to try, so just hold off from blowing his brains out just yet.”

“You wanted me to step up, and I have. But the second I want to make a call, you shut me down. What the hell do you want from me, Ronan?”

“I’m not shutting you down. But timing matters, Kieran.”

I bite down my frustration as the familiar surge of resentment rears its ugly head.

“I’ll call you tomorrow.” I end the call and look over at Lorcan, who hovers beside his Jaguar. “I suggest you go home. Ronan will call you later with his plan.”

Climbing into my car, I start it and drive away, leaving him standing in the cloud of dust.

We’re running out of time, and I don’t want to waste any more of it arguing with Ronan. Not when I need to make things right with Riley.

I refuse to spend another night without Riley in my bed, especially when I don’t know how many nights we have left together.

But when I arrive back at the penthouse, the place is deathly quiet.

I head straight upstairs to Riley’s room, wondering if she’s still pretending to be asleep, but when I knock, there’s no answer.

“Riley?” I rap my knuckles against the door once more. “Open the door, Riley.”

Silence.

Frowning, I pull my phone out. I stare in horror at my security system alerts.

The stream of silenced notifications coming through on the screen now that I’m connected to the Wi-Fi tells me all I need to know.

Riley left.

“Fuck!” I slam my fist against the door so hard it opens.

The sight of her empty bed makes my stomach sink.

I specifically warned her about the risks of leaving this apartment, and yet she disobeyed me. And for what? Because we had an argument? If we can even call it that.

I scan the rest of the room and notice the few personal belongings that had been scattered on the dresser and the pile of clothes that she liked to keep on the floor by the end of the bed are no longer there. It’s all gone except for a scrap of paper that I spot on her pillow.

As I cross the room in three strides, my chest tightens when I notice my name written on it.

I quickly unfold the note and scan the contents, trying not to panic as I read the words written in Riley’s delicate scrawl.