Chapter Thirty-Three
Kieran
I blinked open my eyes, stretching the moment before the pain in my head pushed through into consciousness with me. Tor helped me sit up. I took in the fucking mess. It was already light outside. The cabin had no window, no roof, and a bedroom in the kitchen.
“What the fuck?” I grumbled. My throat dry. I hacked up a lung. Or at least that’s what it felt like.
Tomás was sitting on the floor, his back against a part of the wall, Fox beside him. “What the fuck?” My brain couldn’t get any other words out at the moment. I knocked the ringing out of my head and stumbled to my feet. My training superseding everything else.
Leave no trace.
I took in the scene again. Yeah, not happening. Fucking Fox. “You,” I said pointing at the general vicinity where I saw both of them. “No more explosives for you,” I made a cutting gesture in front of myself.
He shrugged.
A few of my people were missing and I was damn sure Tor and Rumor had not been with us. “Wren called,” Tor said. “Told us to come get you out of here. He’s gone, Kieran. And he took Alessandro with him.”
“He said sorry.” Tomás said from his spot on the floor.
“Sorry? Fucking sorry?” I wanted to upend something, but the pain was too much. “And where the fuck is Luca?”
No one could answer. This was all kinds of fucked up.
“Sit down with your wingmen. We need to get you hydrated. And next time…” Tor bit his lip. “You know what, forget it.”
I sat down next to Tomás as Rumor walked in with a fucking tub and started wiring us to saline. Because of my diabetes, he checked my blood and added extra juice to mine. The trembling eased and my head started to clear.
Tomás laced our hands together and rested his head on my shoulder. I was able to breathe a little bit better.
Fox looked ready to burst out of his skin.
“What happens now?” Tomás asked.
“Now,” Tor said. “We clean this fucking mess up. The cabin doesn’t belong to the Mancinis which is a good thing. No one knew Alessandro was even here, so we blow it up. Leave no trace.”
“But us, right?” Tomás said with a nervous chuckle. “We’re not going to be in the cabin when you blow it up, right? I just want to be clear about things.” He lifted a lopsided smile I wanted to kiss off him. But then I got distracted when Rumor started to laugh. It was an odd, deep sound that didn’t come often, but when it did, it was transcendent.
Even Fox smiled.
“You guys are fucking dorks,” Tor said, shaking his head. “We’re out in twenty. And you’re going to help me haul the bodies down to the catacombs. Fuck it. It’s the closest spot. Four more won’t do shit.”
Thinking about going back to the catacombs made me shudder.
After we hydrated, Fox and I helped with the body problem, using Declan’s SUV and his credentials to get inside the property. I’d left Tomás at the medical facility. He was worried about Micah and Ashton who’d gotten hurt during the games.
It didn’t take River long to find us.
His expression was hard, his body rigid. “What’s going to happen to him?” he asked, as we dropped bodies into a cart and started to push it into the caves.
Tor, Rumor, and even Graham walked beside us. We all had made vows to the brotherhood, to the mission to do whatever we needed to find peace. Together. Wren going rogue complicated things, and I couldn’t, I wouldn’t fail him again.
“Unless anyone has any objections,” I said. “I’d like to find him before Maddox does.”
“Because Maddox will kill him,” Graham said.
“Maddox and Tomás are half-brothers,” I said. “I’m sure Maddox won’t care to kill Wren if he finds out what Alessandro did to Tomás.”
“But?” River asked.
“But it’s not my story to tell. And I won’t force Tomás to tell Maddox something like that.”
“Wren won’t force Tomás either. I think that’s why he took Alessandro. He wants to tie Alessandro to his mother’s death. It’s what he’s always wanted,” Fox said.
“Then we find him and help him,” Tor said.
“I need you to be one step ahead of Maddox. Once he finds out Alessandro is missing, he’s going to put Liam on it. That means Graham will have to work extra careful. And you two have to let us know what they have. We find Wren first.”
Tor nodded.
After we dumped the bodies, we headed home. Tor stayed in Henry’s room while we ate, listening to Dasher’s story. Once they rang the bell indicating the games over, Dasher got himself out of the cage and quickly took Henry with him. Constance hadn’t been too keen to release him just yet, but Dr. Casera reminded her of the rules.
Fox looked like he wanted to ask more questions, but he bit his tongue. The following day, Tor and Rumor returned to their place beside Declan who had no fucking clue what just happened. I didn’t think the guy had any clue as to what century he lived in. “So you’re staying here like the bastard you are?” Declan said once we got him to the SUV.
“I am where I need to be. Yes. I’ll call Tristan later.”
Declan snorted, mumbled something about drowning babies I didn’t give a fuck about, and climbed into the SUV.
“Pray that I don’t kill this one,” Tor said before climbing into the driver’s seat. Rumor followed into the passenger side. And they drove off. Graham had left earlier in his own vehicle. Now that they were gone, I needed a fucking shower and a nap.
The nap didn’t happen though.
While I was in the shower, my beautiful liar crept up naked behind me. I let him think he got the drop on me, although I’d heard him enter my room. I hadn’t anticipated him entering my heart.
He wrapped his arms around my body, and I clung to him. I kissed the bruises on his knuckles. Each one. Then I turned to face him.
He’d already cleaned up. His brown eyes held such depth. I wanted to get lost in them. Get lost in him.
“I love you,” I said. I slid a finger across his forehead, moving the wet hair away from his face. “I loved you since the first time we shared this shower. When you touched me for the first time. When you took care of me.” My heart did a thing in my chest that made it hard to breathe. “I never did thank you for that.”
“No,” he said. “You pushed me away.”
I always pushed him away, and he was still here. “I’m sorry I was an ass.”
“I’m not,” he leaned and captured my lips in his. A soft kiss, tempting. “I wouldn’t change anything about you.”
“Nothing?” He knew what I was asking. I was the heir to a crime family. I’d always be a Brennan. I wouldn’t be able to remain at Arcadia.
“Nothing,” he said and seamed our lips.
We kissed. Slow at first. Then he took the soap and ran his hands throughout my body. I came in his hand. I came into his greedy mouth. And then I took him into my bed and he fucked me into the mattress.
I fell asleep surrounded by him.