And letting that silence stretch, knowing that Braden’s mind would be playing through all the possible consequences his defiance might inspire, cost Killian a great deal indeed. It was an ache in his chest, knowing he was sacrificing one of the few true friendships he had to keep his woman safe.
But he was rewarded for his patience, and his sacrifice, when Braden moved to perch stiffly on the couch.
Shifting his attention away from the man he’d once considered a brother, he met Aria’s gaze and raised a single brow.
Your move, princess.
Like her father, she moved to the couch and sat, her back poker-straight. It was a bit eerie, seeing them side by side like that, looking so fucking similar he wasn’t sure how he hadn’t seen the resemblance before he’d bedded her. Their lives would all certainly be much less complicated now if he had.
But he couldn’t bring himself to regret a single moment of that night, even if it had led them here.
“Thank you.” Just because he’d used some rather unconventional means to get them to heed him didn’t mean manners had to go out the window. “Braden, as I explained on the phone, I gave you and Aria both what I felt was ample time for you to come to terms with the seriousness of our situation. Not only has she refused to quit working for a dangerous man, neither of you have taken any precautions to protect her. For nearly a week now, I have observed her leaving her apartment building and walking a mile to work, completely open and vulnerable to attack. Which I demonstrated today by having my cousins pluck her off the street without so much as breaking a sweat.”
Anger still simmered in his veins at the thought of how careless they’d both been, but he kept his voice calm without letting a hint of that emotion show.
The same could not be said for his friend.
“The only thing you’ve demonstrated to me is that I should have listened to my brothers when they told me to keep you away from the club. After years of defending you to them, to everyone, this is how you repay me? Fuck you, Killian.”
“I’m repaying you by keeping your daughter safe.”
“I am more than capable?—”
“You aren’t. If you were, I never would have gotten to her.”
A muscle in Braden’s jaw jumped, a sure sign he was fighting back his own temper. “An oversight that won’t happen again. Aria is moving back to Oregon.”
Absolutely the fuck not.
“No, I’m not!” Anger turned the blue of her eyes to snapping sapphire as Aria stared her father down, her chin tilted up in defiance. “I’m not going to run and hide just because the father of my child is a psycho.”
“Lochlan is the psychopath of the family. Or perhaps a sociopath. I can never remember. Either way, I’m afraid I can’t claim that dubious honor for myself.”
The pair stared at him, clearly not appreciating his humor, before Braden turned to his daughter. “Aria. Be reasonable. The only thing that was keeping you in Charleston was the job with Richard, and since working for him is no longer an option there’s no reason for you to stay.”
“There’s you. And Lottie.”
“We’ll come visit you, as often as we can. But you can’t stay in Charleston, it’s not safe.”
“Well, I can’t go back to Oregon, so we’ll just have to find a way to make it safe.”
“Aria—”
“Mom is going to hate me.” The words seemed to burst out of her, and to Killian’s shock, tears filled her eyes. “She’s going to be so pissed, Dad. I can’t… I can’t stay there. Please, don’t make me go back to Oregon.”
“Oh, baby.” Everything about Braden softened as he pulled his daughter into his arms. “Your mother could never hate you.”
Clearing his throat, Killian waited for them to refocus on him. “Forgive me, Braden, but you seem to be forgetting one key piece of the puzzle.”
“Oh?” Venom dripped from that single syllable. “And what might that be?”
“I have no intention of letting Aria, or my child, out of my sight.”
“Even if it could save her life?”
There was a logic there he couldn’t really refute. Sending Aria away would indeed be the best way to guarantee her safety.
But the thought of her being out of his sight for even a moment, never mind on the other side of the fucking country, awakened the beast inside him, clawing and roaring that she was his. Fighting back the urge to snarl, he kept his voice as even and calm as possible. “She’s perfectly safe here with me. Which is where she will stay, for the foreseeable future.”
