I crawl into bed beside him and turn my back to him as I tuck the blanket around me.
As if sensing me, Kieran shifts onto his side and drapes an arm over my waist. His warmth seeps into me, but instead of easing my worry, it only makes the guilt sharper.
He trusts me completely, but I’m doing nothing but lying to him in return.
I look down to where his hand rests on my waist and catch sight of the gold band around his ring finger, a symbol of the promise we made to each other.
A promise that I’m terrified I’m already breaking.
Chapter Twenty-Two
KIERAN
I haven’t been backtoSullivan Investmentssince Sean decided to attack it, and soon enough, our employees will start wondering if I’ve abandoned this side of the business altogether.
The truth is I almost have. Boardrooms and balance sheets don’t exactly hold my attention when Sean is out for blood and Cormac is nowhere to be found.
The lobby is quieter than usual when I walk in, but the ripple of awareness spreads through the building the second someone clocks me.
A few employees straighten in their seats as I pass their cubicles, suddenly very invested in their screens.
I don’t stop to chat.
We came too close to losing this place. If I hadn’t intercepted Sean’s men in the parking garage, they would have stormed the boardroom upstairs and painted the walls red.
Since then, we’ve had extra security stationed in the lobby as well as doubled the number of security cameras just in case Sean decides to pay us another visit.
“Mr. Sullivan.” Colin Dougherty, one of the senior board members, gets to his feet the moment I walk into theboardroom, offering me a tight smile that I don’t return. “We weren’t expecting you.”
I don’t miss the way he glances around at the other men sitting around the table.
“It was a spur-of-the-moment visit.” I take the seat at the head of the table, making a point to look each of them in the eye. “Thought I would remind everyone I still exist.”
A few men chuckle, but it’s more out of nervousness than amusement. I wave a hand to signal to Colin to continue with his presentation on a few new partnership proposals.
I nod whenever he glances my way, but in truth, I barely hear a word he says over the roar of everything else that is fighting for space in my head.
Sean.
Cormac.
Riley.
The walls feel too close, the lights too bright.
Talking about budgets and projections feels hollow and a complete waste of my time.
A few months ago, I would have killed for Ronan to let me step up and take on a bigger role at the company. But now?
Every minute I spend sitting around this table is time I should be using to intercept Sean before he turns Riley’s life into a nightmare, time I should be using to track down Cormac.
By the time Colin finally pauses, my patience has snapped. The first pinch of a headache creeps across my temples, the kind that only something stronger than coffee can ease.
I push back from the table. “Send me the minutes. I’ll look them over.”
It’s a lie, but they don’t need to know that.
I leave the room without waiting for anyone else to stand.
