Page 100 of The Villain

I gripped Cian tightly. I hadn’t even let myself think about the cleanup and police and investigation. “What’s the catch?”

“No catch.”

“You’ll let us leave?”

Nik stepped aside and wiggled his fingers at the van. “All yours.”

I took a tentative step toward the van with Cian. I watched the men to see if this was a trick and if any of them drew their weapons, but most of them just looked bored. One yawned. Another picked lint off his pants.

I helped Cian into the passenger seat while he gritted his teeth through the pain. I kept an eye on Nik as I rounded the front of the van. As I opened the driver’s side door, Nik’s voice broke the silence. “You find what you’ve been looking for this whole time?” He jerked his chin toward Cian.

I turned my head. Nik watched me carefully as he rocked back and forth on his heels. The sun glinted in his eyes.

I swallowed. “I did.”

“I’ll tell Conrad.”

“He won’t give a fuck.” I slid into the driver’s seat and was about to slam the door when the roll of my gut made me pause. I turned to Nik, who watched me. I knew I didn’t have the right to ask, but I did anyway. “How are they? Con and Tav? Amara and…” I swallowed. I didn’t deserve to even say my nephew’s name. “…Holden?”

Nik slowly blinked. I’d surprised him. I hadn’t thought it was possible to surprise him. “They’re all good. Happy.” His expression darkened in a challenge. “You didn’t break them, Walsh.”

And I gave the most truthful response I could. “Good.”

I had the door almost shut, when Nik spoke again. “They don’t forgive you. They never will.”

I inched the door back open to meet his eyes. “I don’t expect forgiveness. I hope they forget me.”

Then I slammed the car door shut.

When I turned the key in the ignition, I braced for the van to blow up like some cliche mafia movie. But the engine only rumbled to life. I pulled out of the alley, past a watchful Nik, past his men, and didn’t breathe until I was speeding out of the city limits.

TWENTY-SEVEN

Cian

He was a fucking idiot, and I was going to kill him. Just as soon as I got stitches in my side and I could feel the left side of my face.

We ditched the van near our hotel and picked up our SUV from the hotel parking lot. Our time at the beach seemed a million years ago, when it had only been yesterday that I’d eaten greasy pizza while warning Dev about the dangers of feeding seagulls.

We stopped at a drug store, and I waited in the car while Devlin bought the entire first aid section. While I disinfected and bandaged my wounds, Devlin ordered what seemed like the whole menu in a fast-food drive through. I hadn’t even realized how hungry I was until I smelled the flame-broiled burger. I ate two before hand-feeding Devlin fries and chicken nuggets as he drove.

Neither of us had a phone. Mick had probably tossed mine after drugging me, and Devlin had never had one. I couldn’t call Rhys to let him know I was alive, and he was likely out ofhis mind. He’d been expecting us yesterday morning. I didn’t even want to think about how Jace had been the last twenty-four hours. The only thing to do now was get home as soon as possible.

With my belly full and over-the-counter pain meds working their way through my system, I leaned my temple against the window.

“Did you doubt me?” Devlin asked over the roar of the engine as he sped close to ninety miles per hour down the highway. “Be honest.”

I rolled my head to face him. “I’m always honest with you.”

“So?”

“I didn’t doubt you, but when the drug was still working its way through my system, I doubted my own judgement. Could I have been wrong about everything? But then I decided that if this had all been an act on your part, and I’d fallen for it, then I deserved whatever happened to me.”

He frowned. “So you thought I was going to betray you?”

“In the basement, when you wouldn’t look at me, I had doubts. And then… I decided to trust you. That’s why I didn’t cause problems and try to fight that big fucker. If you had a plan, I was going with it.”

“Ididhave a plan.”