Chapter Four
KIERAN
It’s been days since Cormac vanished underground, and I’m no closer to finding him than I was the night he disappeared. The bastard covered his tracks too well, and now I’m left chasing nothing but false leads and dead ends.
How Ronan can believe he’s not guilty is beyond me.
From his spot on the couch, Brennan keeps his laptop is balanced on his knee as he combs through security footage from the safe house. “Find anything?”
“What do you think?”
The figures on my laptop screen blur together, and my eyes hurt like I’m rubbing them with sandpaper every time I blink.
I honestly can’t remember the last time I slept, and the only thing fueling me is caffeine and alcohol.
“I take it Ronan isn’t joining us?”
“If you ask one more question, I’m going to strangle you, Brennan, I swear to God.”
“I hope Riley knows how cranky you get when you’re tired.”
I shoot my brother a glare, and his answering grin has me launching my empty coffee cup at his head.
Thankfully, he manages to catch it with one hand before it crashes to the floor.
“Take that as your cue to get me another cup.”
“I thought that was what Helena was for, or whatever her name is.”
“It’s Elena, and she’s here to take care of Ciara, not be your fucking surrogate mother.”
“Kinky.”
I turn my attention back to the computer screen, bristling at Brennan chuckling under his breath as he heads out of the office. I find his good mood is grating on my nerves more than usual.
It doesn’t take long for me to be interrupted again by someone knocking on the door. But the knock is soft and hesitant, and I don’t need to look up to know it’s Riley. I’ve barely seen her for the past few days. I’ve been locked away in this room day and night.
But that doesn’t mean she hasn’t been on my mind.
I hope she knows that I’m doing this for her. I don’t want her to ever have to experience what she did at the safe house ever again. I was meant to be her safe haven and I failed her, but I’ll be damned if I do so again.
She lingers outside for a moment before nudging the door open. She’s dressed for bed in an oversized college tee and a pair of shorts that show off her toned legs.
Fuck, it seems like forever that I’ve had her naked in my bed, but it would be selfish of me to do so now when I’m this distracted.
Riley deserves my undivided attention, and I want to give that to her. But not until I’ve made some progress on trying to track down my brother.
She leans against the doorframe with her arms crossed. “It’s after midnight. Are you going to be much longer?”
“I’ll be in bed soon.” I look back at my screen.
I don’t need to look up to know she’s frowning at me.
“That’s what you said last night. And I’m pretty sure you didn’t come to bed at all.” The irritation in her tone is clear as day, but I don’t have the patience right now to appease her.
I want nothing more than to climb between the sheets and wrap my body around hers, but I can’t. And having her remind me of what I’m missing isn’t helping.
I slam my laptop shut. “Some things are more important than sleep right now. Maybe if I didn’t have people getting on my back, I’d actually get things done a lot quicker.”
The second the words leave my mouth, I regret them. But it’s too late.
Riley stiffens, and I catch the flash of pain in her eyes.
“Fine. Do what you like.”
The door closes with a sharp bang that makes me flinch.
“Fuck.” I drag a hand down my face.
She doesn’t deserve that. She’s been nothing but patient as I’ve buried myself away in this room while I hunt for Cormac.
With every hour that passes, I’ve unintentionally shut her out, and instead of giving her the reassurance she’s clearly seeking, what do I do? I bite her head off like the asshole I am.
I shove the guilt aside and try to focus. I don’t have the luxury of feelings or time right now. The search for Cormac is eating me alive, but what else am I supposed to do? I can’t risk him coming after Riley.
Every path I follow leads to dead ends. Cormac covered his tracks so carefully I would find it admirable if I didn’t want to wring his fucking neck for it.
In my opinion, the only thing this thoroughness proves is guilt.
Why else would he vanish like this? Why take every precaution to stay buried if he didn’t have something to hide?
I scroll one more time through the list of accounts I’ve been monitoring for the past few hours.
My brain is so fried I almost miss the charge that is tucked away, but it’s there.
A payment for a storage locker back in New York.
My pulse quickens as I look back through the statement, clocking that an identical payment has been made every month for what looks like years. Considering the fact Cormac hasn’t lived in New York for almost half a decade, I can’t help but wonder what he’s keeping there.
It might be nothing, but it still warrants being checked out because at this point, I have no other leads.
Adrenaline pushes back my exhaustion as I grab my phone off the desk and shoot Ronan a text. Even though he’s only a few doors down, I’m not about to go and wake the sleeping dragon that is pregnant Ciara.
“You look like hell,” I say when Ronan appears, taking in the sight of his disheveled hair and the five o’clock shadow of stubble covering his jaw.
“You try sharing a bed with a pregnant woman for a night. You won’t sleep a wink.”
“I don’t need to know the details of your sex life, brother.”
He groans, collapsing into an armchair and raking a hand through his hair. “Trust me, it’s a miracle if Ciara so much as lets me hold her hand at this point. So, you better have a good reason for waking me up.”
“I found something.”
“Of course, you have.”
“Just listen. I found a recent charge on one of Cormac’s accounts to a storage unit in Albany. From the looks of it, he’s been paying for it for years.”
That information seems to be enough to wake Ronan up. He straightens, a crease forming between his eyebrows as he looks at me. “You’re sure?”
“Positive. Now tell me that isn’t at least a little suspicious. The guy has been out of the state for the past few years. Why the fuck would he have a storage unit in Albany of all places?”
Silence settles between us, but I can tell from the look on Ronan’s face that I’m on to something.
He exhales. “All right. You’re right. It could be something.”
“I know I am.”
Ronan shoots me a glare. “It’s worth checking out. But you’ll have to be the one to do it. I’m not leaving Ciara right now, and you’re more thorough than Brennan.”
“I’ll head out now. I can be there in a few hours.”
“Fine. Keep me updated.”
“Will do.”
I’m about to get to my feet when Ronan holds up a hand.
“Wait here.” He slips out of the office.
He reappears a few minutes later, carrying a leather carry-on.
“What’s that?”
“Some supplies.” He tosses the bag down onto the desk. “Just in case.”
I quickly unzip it to find a stash of cash, two Glocks, and a burner phone.
“I didn’t think there would be anything to find?” My voice drips with sarcasm.
“You need to be careful, Kieran. When you get like this with your tunnel vision, it makes it all too easy for something to slip through the cracks. For all we know, Cormac is being set up, and you’re about to walk into a trap.”
“I like my chances.”
“You always do, and that’s the problem.”
Ronan leaves without another word, and I let out a breath before shutting down my laptop and packing up my things.
If I get on the road within the next thirty minutes, I can get to the storage unit before sunrise. My head is already there, working through possible outcomes of what I’ll find in that locker.
Riley’s going to be pissed when she wakes up and realizes I’ve left, so I scribble a note to leave beside the bed, promising her I’ll be back soon.
The quicker I check out this storage unit, the quicker I can get back to her.
Slinging the bag over my shoulder, I sneak out of the office and down the hall toward the guest room that is mine and Riley’s for the foreseeable future.
I appreciate that it’s the safest place for Riley to be, but I miss the privacy of the penthouse and the day-to-day routine that we were falling into.
I’ve never been one for mundane things, but with Riley, I crave those moments the most. Talking with her over our morning coffee or curling up together on the couch and watching a movie.
If everything about my life disappeared and all that was left were those moments, I can genuinely call myself lucky.
The door to our room is cracked open, and a soft slice of lamplight spills into the hallway.
I push it open gently and swallow a laugh when I find Riley sprawled across the entire bed.
Her auburn hair is fanned out behind her, and the blanket is twisted around her bare legs. Somehow, she’s managed to take up most of the mattress without even trying.
A small smile tugs at my lips. I guess it’s a good thing I’m leaving, seeing as there’s no room for me anyway.
I sneak inside the room and leave the note on the bedside table. I’m sure she would rather I wake her, but I can’t handle another goodbye. Instead, I linger beside the bed and watch her chest rise and fall in a steady rhythm as she sleeps.
It feels like such a long time since I’ve seen anything other than pain and worry etched into her features, and for the first time all night, the tension in my shoulders eases at the sight of her looking so at peace.
God, I love her.
The thought hits me harder than I expect, but I don’t cower from it. Because it’s true.
I love this woman, more than anything or anyone.
And yet, the feeling soon curdles into guilt because I’ve been neglecting her. Instead of giving her the attention she needs, I’ve been pushing her away.
I tell myself it’s temporary. That once Cormac is handled, things will be better.
But what if it isn’t temporary? What if I keep choosing work and family politics over her because it feels like the safer option?
Love is vulnerable, and that’s not something I’m used to feeling.
I’ve seen the way Ronan is being torn apart trying to balance it all, and he’s barely hanging on. If he can’t hack it, how can there be any hope for me?
When I get back, I need to fix this before I push Riley too far, and she decides I’m not worth it.
While I can’t force her to stay, I vow to myself to do something to remind her that she’s still the most important thing in my life.