Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
KIERAN
It’s been almost twenty-four hours since the attack on Sean’s men, and so far there’s been no sign of retaliation. But that doesn’t mean it’s not coming.
I have dozens of men located all over the city with their eyes on various locations where Sean is known to hang out. Everywhere from five-star hotels to strip clubs.
If he so much as takes a piss, I want to know about it.
I know what it would cost me to be unprepared if Sean decided to send a message my way, and quite frankly I’m not willing to pay it.
What I wasn’t prepared for was for Riley to ask to go to campus today.
I should have said no, but the guilt of hiding from her that her brother could be the one conspiring with Cormac had me giving in.
Thankfully, I didn’t come to regret my lack of rational thought because she arrived home in one piece an hour ago. But that knowledge does little to calm the storm brewing inside my head.
There are too many moving pieces on the board now that I have Sean, Cormac, and Oscar to worry about, and somehow I have to have my eyes on each one at all times.
At some point, someone is going to slip up, and I just have to hope that that someone isn’t me.
I’m looking through the surveillance footage that Brennan sent over of Oscar leaving Cormac’s place a few weeks before Dad’s murder when my phone buzzes on the desk.
When I see Brennan’s name, I swallow a groan.
I told him I would call him once I had gone through the footage for myself, but patience, it seems, is not a virtue my little brother possesses.
“I’m starting to think you’re obsessed with me, little brother,” I drawl when I answer.
Brennan scoffs. “You wish.”
“What do you want? I told you I would call once I’ve combed through the footage, and I’m not even an hour in.”
“You know, I take it as a personal insult that you don’t trust me to confirm it’s Oscar in the tapes.”
“That’s an issue between you and your ego, little bro. Now, what do you want? I’m busy.”
“I have an update on Oscar that I thought you should hear.”
My pulse spikes. “Has he met with Cormac?”
“No, but when you hear where he was, you might wish he had,” Brennan mutters.
“Where the hell was he?”
“My guy who’s tailing Oscar just checked in, and apparently, he was at Riley’s campus today.”
Every muscle in my body goes still. “Say that again.”
“Oscar was at the Columbia campus. Your girl’s campus.”
I grind my molars as I slam the lid of my laptop shut.
“Yes, I'm well aware it’s Riley’s campus. Fuck, why the hell was he there?”
“Something tells me he wasn’t there for a tour.”
I run a hand over my face. “No shit. Where exactly was he?”
“All I got was that he was inside the library. I thought you would want to know right away.”
He’s right. I do.
Of all the days Oscar decided to take a trip to Columbia, it had to be the day Riley was meeting with her professor. Either that’s one hell of a coincidence, or Riley flat out lied to my face.
“Want me to send him a message?” Brennan asks.
“I’ll handle it.” I tell him, then hang up.
I slam my phone down on the desk and ball my hand into a fist.
My first instinct is to confront Riley, but it would be stupid of me to do that without any concrete evidence. If I think the worst and accuse her of going behind my back without knowing for sure, it would be a breach of trust, and that’s the last thing our relationship needs.
But the only other way to know for sure is to speak with Allister. He had eyes on Riley the entire time, so he would know if she had any contact with Oscar.
I find him downstairs in the garage, restocking the trunk of Ronan’s car with extra ammunition.
He’s one of the biggest men on our payroll at almost six foot six and two hundred and fifty pounds of pure muscle. He’s not someone you would ever want to cross, which is exactly why I chose him to accompany Riley to campus today.
I really hope I don’t come to regret that choice.
“Allister.”
He glances over his shoulder at me, but when he sees the look on my face, he instantly straightens, tucking his hands behind his back.
“Boss?”
I step closer, folding my arms across my chest, letting the fury show in my eyes. “You were with Riley today.”
“Yes, sir. I took her to the college just like you ordered me to. I waited outside while she met with her professor.”
“Did you see Oscar Walsh while you were there?”
Allister’s heavy brow furrows. “Oscar? As in her brother? No. We didn’t cross paths with him.”
“So, you had eyes on Riley the entire time? She never left your side except to go into her professor’s office?”
He hesitates, which already tells me I’m not going to like the answer.
“More or less.”
“More or less? What the hell does that mean? Either you did or you didn’t, so which is it?”
For the first time, I see color rise in Allister’s cheeks as he fights to keep eye contact.
“You better start talking.” My hands ball into fists at my side as I fight the urge to wrap them around his throat.
“I cleared the building before she went in for her meeting. It was empty, except for a few staff, so I positioned myself outside while she met with her professor. But then she wanted to go to the library—”
“The library? Why the hell was she in the library when I specifically told you to accompany her to her professor’s office and nowhere else?”
“She said she needed to meet with her friend to work on something.”
I stare at him, unblinking. “School’s out, Allister. Finals ended two weeks ago. So please, enlighten me on what the hell they could have been working on?”
He swallows hard as I stare him down. “She said something about internship applications? But I could be wrong.”
“You mean, the ones that don’t open for another month?”
Allister runs a hand over his face. “I…didn’t think about that. But I swear, I never saw Oscar—”
“Clearly, because you were too busy taking a fucking cat nap.” I take a step closer, and he tenses like a man bracing for a punch. “Your one job was to keep eyes on Riley, and you failed. You made it easy for anyone, including Oscar, to get to her, and it’s a miracle she came back alive.”
Allister’s lips part like he’s going to argue, but then he snaps them shut again.
So, he can be smart when he chooses.
“You’re done,” I tell him flatly. “You don’t work for me anymore.”
“Boss, please—”
“Save it. You’re lucky I don’t put a bullet between your eyes for negligence. Now get the hell out before I change my mind and decide to use you to set an example.”
Allister pales but nods as he lowers his eyes to the floor. He knows better than to try and beg for my forgiveness.
My blood is on fire.
“You have five minutes to get the hell off this property before I trigger the alarm and you have a full firing squad on you,” I threaten before storming out of the garage.
If Oscar really was on campus, and Riley lied in order to meet up with her brother, I’m going to lose it.
The minute I’m in the foyer, I send my fist into the wall, cursing as my knuckles scream.
It’s not enough force to leave much of a dent, but it’s enough for Ciara to notice.
I’ll have to apologize later, but right now I need to confront my lying wife.
I storm upstairs and throw open the bedroom door to find Riley sitting in the armchair by the window with her laptop balanced on her knee.
The soft evening light makes her hair look more copper than auburn, and when she sees me, she smiles in that way that makes her green eyes light up.
That kind of smile usually melts away my bad moods. But not tonight.
Tonight, it’s going to take a lot more than a smile to get me to come around to the fact that she lied to my face.
“Did you see Oscar today?”
Riley flinches, and that’s enough confirmation for me to know that what Brennan said is true.
“Jesus Christ, Riley.”
“Kieran.” She closes her laptop, setting it aside. “Listen to me—”
“You fucking lied to me. When I’ve done nothing but try to keep you safe, you run back to him.”
“He’s my brother, Kieran,” Riley chokes, her green eyes immediately welling with tears. “I-I wanted to hear him out.”
“Let me guess, he won you over with some sob story about how he’s changed and how he’s on our side?”
Riley’s throat bobs as a few tears leak down her cheeks, but she doesn’t deny it.
I scoff. “Unbelievable.”
“Kieran, please. You have to believe me. I-I didn’t lie about meeting with my professor.”
“You seriously expect me to believe that Oscar happened to be on campus the very same day? No, better yet, the very same hour that you were? How stupid do you think I am?”
“I had no idea he was going to be there!” Riley throws up her hands.
“Why should I believe you?”
“Because…” Her voice cracks, and she looks away, wiping her cheeks.
When she doesn’t continue, I swipe a hand down my face, trying to keep a hold on my temper.
“Seeing as you can’t answer that question, why don’t you try explaining this? Why meet with your professor now when your classes aren’t even on? What is so urgent that it couldn’t wait a few weeks?”
“I told you, I needed to talk to him about the internship.”
“I know, but somehow I don’t believe that whatever you had to say couldn’t be put in an email.”
“It’s true.”
“Is it? Because your track record for telling the truth today is not looking good.”
Riley’s lower lip trembles as her gaze falls to the floor.
Normally, the sight of her so upset would make me feel like my chest was being cracked open, but her reluctance to answer me only angers me more.
“Answer me, Riley, or I swear to god—”
“I…needed advice. About the internship, and about what comes next for me.”
“Why would you need to ask advice on an internship you’re turning down?”
“Because I just did, okay?” she snaps, though her voice cracks as she fights back tears. “God, Kieran. Not everything in my life has to revolve around you and this war with Sean. I needed some clarity, and I got it. End of story.”
“And I couldn’t have given you that?”
She lifts her eyes to look at me, and there’s a flash of defiance in them. “No, I couldn’t.”
The words sting more than they should. “I thought we were a team.”
“So did I.”
For a moment, we just stare at each other like a pair of strangers, until Riley collapses back in the armchair and puts her head in her hands.
“I didn’t want to lie to you about Oscar,” she whispers.
“Then why did you?”
“Because he’s my brother, and… I need to know if there’s any way we can move past everything that’s happened.”
“Why would you want to? The guy is a snake. He literally tried to sell you off to Sean O’Keefe. How can you ever forgive that?”
“He’s my family, Kieran. Just like Brennan and Ronan are yours.”
I let out a breath as I perch on the edge of the bed and rub at the stubble on my jaw.
“Oscar’s a liability,” I remind her.
“Or maybe he’s not. Maybe he’s actually trying to make amends. But we can’t know that for sure without giving him a chance. Please, Kieran, just…give him a chance.”
I let out a sharp breath.
I want to tell her no. I want to forbid it and lock her away from every threat in the world.
But behind the tears, I catch that familiar fire in her eyes, and I know that she won’t back down.
Even if I were to bring up the possible link between Oscar and Cormac, I know she would have a reason to explain it away, and I don’t have time to waste going round in circles trying to defend her brother’s lack of moral compass.
Maybe this is just one fight I’m going to need to accept that I can’t win. At least not right now.
“Fine. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. But not until after I’ve dealt with Sean. Until then, Oscar stays the hell out of my way.”
Before Riley can say anything, the door bursts open, and Ronan appears, pale and out of breath.
We both jump to our feet, startled by how terrified he looks.
“What is it?” Riley demands.
“It’s Ciara. She’s having contractions.”
My heart speeds up. “Shit.”
“Is she all right? What can I do?” Riley reaches out to put a hand on Ronan’s shoulder. “Tell me how to help.”
He squeezes her hand. “I’ve called a doctor, and he’s on his way. I-I don’t know what else to do. She’s in so much pain—”
His voice breaks, and suddenly I don’t see Ronan, the head of the Sullivan empire. I see Ronan, the terrified husband and father.
I clap him on the shoulder. “You need to stay with her.”
“I know. I just need to know if you can handle things until I know what’s going on.”
“Of course, I can. Take care of Ciara. I’ve got this under control.”
Ronan gives me a grateful look, then tosses me his phone before sprinting back down the hall.
I stare at the phone in my hand, feeling the weight of everything pressing down at once.
Right now, my brother needs to focus on the lives of his wife and children, so it’s up to me to shoulder the burden and make sure that everything else doesn’t fall apart.
For a moment, I let myself take a deep breath as I try to tell myself that I can handle this even though I’m barely holding everything together.
As if Riley can read the thoughts in my head, she steps closer and brushes her hand against mine to steady me. “Kieran…what do you need me to do?”
I look toward the doorway and down the hall toward Ciara and Ronan’s room.
Right now, they are preparing to bring two new lives into this world.
It should be something to celebrate, but how can we when the world they’re being born into will put a target on their back the moment they take their first breaths?
All I know is that it’s up to me to keep them all safe.
I turn to face Riley. “I need you to stay out of trouble, because I can’t afford to be distracted, wondering if you’re safe. So please, little dove, do this for me.”
“Of course.” She reaches out to place a hand on my chest.
I grip her wrist, stroking my thumb back and forth against the back of her hand.
The feeling of her skin grounds me.
My earlier anger is nowhere near dissipated, but I need to put it aside for now. I can’t afford to let anything slip while Ciara and Ronan are in such a vulnerable position.
The thought should make me panic, but I force my nerves down.
I’ve faced worse and I’ve survived, and I’m not about to let fear control me now.