Chapter Twenty-Four
KIERAN
I’m parked in the shadows of a quiet side street with my eyes glued to the building across the way. I peer through my binoculars, keeping my eyes fixed on the entrance.
So far, not a single person has come in or out, and I’m starting to think this is yet another dead end that someone is making sure I stay focused on.
I hate the uncertainty of it all.
There’s nothing worse than feeling like someone else is controlling the board.
I’m tired, but I can’t stop now. It’s bad enough that Ronan had to step in because I failed to take down Sean, and I’ll be damned if I fail at finding Cormac.
So, if that means I have to sit in this car for the next three hours, then so be it.
The silence is broken by the buzz of my phone against the leather seat.
I glance down to see three missed calls, all from Brennan. I ignore him, not because I don’t care, but because I need to focus.
The faint roar of an engine behind me makes me tense.
I glance in the rearview mirror as a sedan pulls up, and I catch Doyle’s eye. He’s been running the perimeter for me, but from the shake of his head, I know he’s coming up short too.
Where the hell is my brother?
“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” I mutter as I lift my binoculars to my eyes once more.
When I hit the three-hour mark, I know it’s time to move. I’ve been sitting still for too long and as much as I want to continue the search for my brother, I’m due at The Blackthorn for a meeting with our family accountant, and if I don’t go, Brennan will. And that’s a recipe for disaster.
However, the moment I start the engine, my phone buzzes again.
“Fuck’s sake, Brennan.” I glance down at the screen and immediately wish it was my brother calling, because the name flashing makes my heart sink.
Jace.
I told him only to call me if there was an issue, which means something has happened to Riley.
Swiping the phone, I answer at the same time I pull the car away from the curb. “What’s happened?”
“Boss, it’s Riley. She’s…gone.”
He might as well have shot a bullet right into my chest.
I slam my foot down on the accelerator, the tires screeching as I weave back onto the main street.
“What do you mean, she’s gone? You were meant to have eyes on her!”
“We did.”
“Then what the fuck happened?”
I don’t have it in me to hide the panic in my voice.
I knew I shouldn’t have let Riley convince me that Oscar has turned over a new leaf.
This has Sean O’Keefe written all over it, and if it turns out her snake of a brother has handed her over to him, he’s going to wish he was dead by the time I’m finished.
“I saw her go to the bathroom, but she never came out. When we went to check, the place was empty.”
“So, you’re trying to tell me she fucking teleported?” I white-knuckle the steering wheel.
When Jace doesn’t answer, I let out a string of curses as I weave through the traffic.
“There was a reason I sent three of you to keep tabs on Riley. So shit like this didn’t happen! What were you doing when she went to the bathroom?”
Jace is silent for a beat before he answers. “Talking with Oscar.”
The words have me blacking out with rage.
Horns blare, and I quickly yank on the steering wheel to avoid colliding head long with a cab, but the sudden surge of adrenaline is enough to sharpen my focus.
“I didn’t realize I paid you to have fucking tea parties! Were any of Sean’s men sighted?”
Even just speaking the words out loud has me feeling sick to my stomach.
If Sean is behind this, there’s no way he’s hanging around, waiting to use Riley as bait. He would have slit her throat by now just to make sure I get the message.
“No, the entire perimeter was clear.”
I barely hear him over the roaring in my head. “Is Oscar still there?”
“Yes, boss.”
“You better keep it that way until I get there. Otherwise, I’m going to slice off your dick and make you choke on it, am I clear?”
“Crystal.”
I end the call, grinding my teeth so hard it hurts.
I’m not far from the bistro where Riley and Oscar were meeting, but each second that passes could take Riley further away from me.
For all I know, she could already be dead.
I dial her number over and over as I drive, but each time, it goes straight to voicemail.
“Fuck!” I slam my hand against the steering wheel.
I’m driving well over twice the limit, but a speeding ticket is the least of my worries.
It doesn’t take long for the bistro to come into view, so I slam my foot on the brakes and slide up to the curb.
As I climb out of the car, Leo and Wesley instantly appear at my sides, matching my pace as I stalk toward the entrance to the bistro where Jace is waiting.
“She’s not outside, sir. I don’t know—”
“I don’t care.” I stride past him.
The moment I step inside the packed bistro, my eyes lock on Oscar sitting at a table by the window and then the abandoned mug opposite him, which must have been Riley’s.
The sight of it has me seeing red.
“Kieran—” Oscar holds up his hands, as I stalk toward him, but I don’t give him the chance to finish whatever piss poor excuse he’s going to offer me.
I grab him by the collar and haul him to his feet before slamming him against the wall.
The impact has the pictures on the walls threatening to fall, and a few patrons gasp nearby, but I ignore them.
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t put a bullet between your eyes?”
“What the fuck is wrong with you—”
“Where the hell is my wife?” I tighten my grip on Oscar’s collar.
“S-she’s fine! Calm down.” Oscar’s eyes are wide as his airway starts to close off.
I press him harder against the wall. “Calm down? I trusted you to keep her safe, and you failed. I swear to God, if Sean has his hands on her, you’ll meet the same fate as your dear old dad.
Though, I won’t be as merciful as Ronan.
I’ll make sure to drag it out until you’re begging for death, and even then, I won’t let you die. ”
“She’s literally next door, you psycho,” Oscar chokes. “She has an appointment. That’s it, I swear.”
I let out a humorless laugh as Oscar struggles to catch his breath.
“An appointment? You really think I’m going to believe that?”
Oscar opens his mouth to speak, but I cut him off. “I told her it was a bad idea to trust you, but Riley promised you had changed. But once a snake, always a snake, huh, Walsh?”
“She’s safe,” Oscar gasps.
“Safe doesn’t exist when she’s out of my sight, Oscar.”
“She’s literally…next door at a doctor's appointment… You’re freaking out for nothing.”
I drop my hands and step back, and Oscar clutches at his neck, gasping for air.
My hands are trembling slightly as my heart hammers in my chest.
I want nothing more than to beat the living daylights out of him, but with all of the witnesses currently watching us, I know it’s only a matter of time before the cops show up.
Not that it would stop me. Most of them are on my payroll and would happily turn a blind eye.
Riley, on the other hand, would not, and that’s not something I’m willing to risk.
“Why the hell would Riley need a doctor's appointment?”
Oscar collapses back into his seat and reaches for his water, looking pale.
Watching him choke it back is a pathetic sight, but he’ll look a hell of a lot more pathetic if he doesn’t start talking.
I slam my hand down on the table. “I asked you a question. So, if you don’t start talking, I’m going to cave your face in with my fist, understand?”
“It’s on OBGYN clinic, okay? Are you happy now?”
I stumble backwards a step.
“What?” My voice sounds like I’m underwater.
Did he just say an OBGYN clinic? Why on earth would Riley have an appointment there?
Unless…
Oscar’s eyes harden as he must see the realization dawn on my face.
“Riley’s pregnant, you blind fuck. So, if anyone is getting their face caved in, it should be you, for knocking up my sister.”
“Riley’s pregnant,” I whisper.
It’s not a question, but Oscar nods, and I feel as if the floor gives out beneath me.
I hold onto the edge of the table to keep myself steady. “How the fuck did this happen?”
“Don’t play dumb with me, Sullivan. You and I both know you did this on purpose. Marrying my sister wasn’t enough, you had to go and make sure she would carry your child, your heir."
My nails dig into the wood of the table as I glare at Oscar.
“You breathe a word of this to anyone, and you’re dead.”
“Murder and fatherhood run hand in hand in your family, huh?”
“You tell me.”
Oscar glares at me with those green eyes that are almost identical to Riley’s.
As much as I hate to admit it, he is part of my family now, so I won’t kill him. At least not today.
“We’re done here,” I state before straightening. “If I find out you’ve told Sean about this little detail, I’ll—”
“Kill me? Yeah, I know the drill.”
When I step outside, Leo and Wesley instantly straighten from where they were leaning against the SUV.
Jace finishes up a call before pocketing his phone and stepping up to my side.
“Boss.”
“She’s next door, you bunch of useless fucks. How the hell did you miss her?”
Leo and Wesley stare blankly at me, but at least Jace has the decency to look guilty.
“I had hoped Allister’s fuck up was a fluke, but after this little stunt, I’m start to rethink who I keep on the payroll.”
“We were watching the whole time—” Leo starts, but I hold up a hand.
“Don’t waste my time with bullshit excuses. You had one job, and you failed. The only thing keeping your balls attached to your body is the fact that Riley is only next door.”
Wesley’s throat bobs as he sees the unspoken warning in my eyes.
Riley might only be a few hundred yards away, but that means jack shit in my world. For all I know, Sean could have planted men in the waiting room to ambush Riley the second she walked through the doors.
Leo squares his shoulders. “What do you need us to do?”
“Make sure Oscar doesn’t leave. Unless you think that’s too difficult a job?”
Wesley nods. “We’re on it, boss.”
“You better be. Otherwise, I’ll be spending my evening digging a mass grave,” I growl. “Jace, you’re coming with me.”
We leave Leo and Wesley outside the bistro and sprint next door and up the steps of the OBGYN clinic.
This was the last place I expected to be, and I feel completely out of my depth. I felt less nervous walking into a shootout than I do right now.
A baby.
I knew something was bothering Riley, but this is not what I expected.
A baby changes everything, and not necessarily for the better.
It makes the stakes even bigger.
If Sean touches her now, he touches our child too.