Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
KIERAN
"Fuck!" The word bursts out of me the second I shut my office door.
Of all the ways that conversation could have gone, I picked the worst goddamn one.
I can still see Riley’s face in my mind, the way her eyes welled up as she tried to keep herself from crumbling.
She thinks I wouldn’t have touched her if I knew she was a virgin, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
If I had known, I would have made a whole event out of it. Candles. Music. A bed. I would have given her a night she would want to remember, because losing your virginity is meant to be special.
Instead, I gave her a quick fuck on the edge of a pool deck in Vegas.
What the hell was she thinking, letting me do that? But more importantly, what the hell was I thinking? Regardless of her virginity, I should have at least taken her back to the room before getting my cock out, but I was so blinded by need that all I could think about was burying myself inside her.
I collapse into the chair behind my desk and run my fingers through my hair as I’m hit with a realization that knocks the wind out of me.
I'm not just into Riley. This isn't just a fling or some lust-driven distraction.
I'm falling in love with her.
That truth hits me like a wrecking ball, considering the fact that I’ve probably just ruined every chance I had with her.
The way she looked at me before I left… She’s never looked at me like that before, like she hated me.
I rub a hand over my face, dragging it down my jaw. I need to fix this and soon, before I lose her for good.
My phone buzzes in my pocket with another incoming call from Ronan, and I close my eyes for a second and inhale deeply before answering.
"Yeah?"
"What the fuck, Kieran? I would appreciate it if you answered the damn phone.”
"At least I’m easier to get hold of than Cormac. But hey, you don’t seem to have a problem with that.”
"Now is not the time to talk about Cormac. We’ve got bigger problems."
“Oh, yeah?” I mutter, only half-interested.
"Sean sent a crew to the estate and tried to get through the west perimeter.”
I straighten as my stomach turns to lead.
“Riley and I barely left your estate two hours ago.”
“I’m well aware. Clearly, Sean knew she was there and decided to send a message. He’s not just after you anymore, Kieran. He’s coming for all of us."
My jaw clenches. "Was anyone hurt?”
My thoughts immediately go to Ciara.
“No, thank fuck. The threat was contained before they could get anywhere near the main house.”
I exhale a slow breath, trying to rein in the fury simmering beneath my skin.
"We need to fight back, Ronan. We can’t afford to let Sean think he can walk all over us.
Clearly, my little run-in with his men wasn’t enough of a deterrent to keep him away and next time, we might not be so lucky.
" My blood runs cold at the thought of Sean’s men being so close to both Riley and Ciara.
How the hell did he know where she was? "Give me another shot at Finn.”
“He won’t talk to you, Kieran.”
“He might if Lorcan is there. Wasn’t his flight getting in today?”
“Yes, but—”
“Have him meet me at the warehouse.”
"Are you sure about that? You know how Lorcan feels about—"
"We still need him. He’s our best shot.”
Ronan sighs through the phone. "All right, I’ll set it up. But be prepared for Lorcan to be either royally pissed or heartbroken. Most likely both. He still doesn’t know that Finn is in our possession and when he learns we’ve had him all this time…”
“I know, brother. But we need to keep our priorities straight. And as hard as that might be, Lorcan’s feelings are not our priority right now.”
“They should be. Lorcan is a part of our family. So was Finn, once upon a time. Lorcan will be torn between helping us and wanting Finn free. He’s the closest thing Lorcan ever had to a son.”
“I know, but the kid turned on us. I’m sure our uncle can see past his pain to understand what’s at stake.”
I wait for my brother to shut me down like he normally does. But to my surprise, he gives me the green light.
“Just…don’t fuck this up, Kieran. Finn might be the only leverage we have against Sean.”
"Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
Ronan hangs up without another word, and I shove my phone into my pocket.
If Sean had the balls to send men to Ronan’s estate, there’s a good chance he’s got someone watching mine too, waiting for me to slip up.
I’m not stupid enough to think I’m untouchable, no matter how well this penthouse is protected, so I pull open the bottom drawer of my desk and grab my backup Glock, a blade, and a spare magazine, just in case. But I’m not just preparing for Sean’s crew to ambush me.
Lorcan’s a wildcard, and Ronan’s right. He’ll likely be pissed at us when he finds out we’ve had Finn locked away this whole time.
And to be honest, I can’t blame him. This is our last chance.
We need to know what Finn knows, and if pain doesn’t make him talk, maybe his connection to Lorcan will do the trick.
Once I’m fully stocked, I head out of my office and down the hall.
As expected, Riley is nowhere in sight, and I stand in the middle of the lounge, fighting the urge to go and find her.
We were almost making progress. Hell, I was starting to believe we might actually have a chance until I opened my big mouth and threw it all in her face.
She probably thinks I regret touching her, but she couldn’t be more wrong.
But before I can give in to my own selfish desires, I start moving toward the elevator. I need to get my head straight before I face her again and start trying to fix and fight for something I’m not even sure I deserve to have, but want more than I thought I ever would.
By the time I pull up outside the warehouse, Lorcan is already waiting for me.
Despite just coming off a long flight, he’s impeccably dressed in his usual three-piece suit, with not a graying hair out of place.
His expression is one of cold fury as he watches me climb out of the car and walk toward him.
“Uncle—”
“You’ve had him locked up for weeks, and no one thought to mention it?”
“It was Ronan’s call.”
“I had a right to know.” He steps toward me until our noses are almost touching.
I take a step back. His pain and anger are more than expected, and he has every right to feel like this, and I don’t need to escalate anything by being my hotheaded self.
“You are right. But again, it wasn’t my call to make. That being said, we really do need your help here. Will you help me get some answers?”
Lorcan’s nostrils flare as he glares at me. But then he loses a breath, almost deflating, and tucks his hands into his pockets.
“Fine. But let me take the lead. Finn won’t talk to you if he feels cornered.”
“I’m aware. We’ve barely gotten a word out of him in weeks.”
“Maybe you should have brought me in sooner.”
Maybe. Or maybe that wouldn’t have made any difference. I doubt the kid is going to be thrilled to see you either. He probably thinks you wrote him off.”
“I didn’t. I looked for him for months, but he fucking disappeared. We all thought he was dead.”
“Let’s just hope he knows that, then.” I slap him on the shoulder before heading inside.
Somehow, Finn looks even worse than the last time I saw him.
His face looks gaunt, and his nose has set crookedly, which makes him look like a character out of a horror movie.
His skin is ghostly pale and stretches taut over his cheekbones, and it’s clear his muscles are starting to atrophy from lack of use.
When Lorcan walks in, he noticeably gags at the stench.
Finn’s eyes lock with Lorcan and for a second, the two men stare at each other, until Finn’s lips pull back over his teeth in a wicked snarl.
“Look who finally decided I was worth the time.”
Lorcan flinches at the coldness in Finn’s words.
I stay back in the shadows, crossing my arms over my chest as I observe the reunion.
“I can’t believe you’re alive.”
“Barely. No thanks to you.”
“It wasn’t like that—”
“Really? Because I’ve been locked in this fucking cell for weeks, and I’m supposed to believe no one breathed a word about me to you? Sounds pretty intentional if you ask me.”
“I just got back from Ireland. If I’d known—”
“But you didn’t, that’s the problem. I was gone for years, Lorcan, and yet you never found me. I’m betting you didn’t even look.”
Lorcan stiffens. “I did look. For months. But you disappeared without a trace. There were no leads. Everyone assumed—”
“Don’t say it. Don’t fucking tell me you thought I was dead. I know you. You don’t stop until you get answers. Unless it’s me, right? Unless it’s the stepson who didn’t fit the Sullivan mold.”
“That’s not fair.”
“No. What’s not fair is being chained to a chair for months while Ronan plays puppet master, and you pretend you still give a shit.”
The mention of Ronan has me stepping forward and pulling out my gun.
The click of the safety coming off echoes around the concrete room, but Finn doesn’t even blink.
“Watch your mouth. If you did as we asked, my brother wouldn’t have had to resort to such…measures.”
Finn huffs a laugh as his eyes flick to me. Any brightness that might have lingered there has long since vanished.
A shiver runs down my spine as I realize I might as well be staring into the eyes of a corpse.
“You Sullivans and your empty promises.”
“There’s one promise that I can assure you isn’t empty.” My finger hovers over the trigger of my Glock.
“Don’t.” Lorcan holds up a hand while his eyes stay locked on Finn. “You’re angry, and you’ve got every right to be. But Sean is moving in, and we need to know what you know.”
Finn’s lips pull up into a smile as he looks between me and Lorcan.
“What I know is that you’re all scrambling now because Sean is ten steps ahead.
” He looks at me directly. “You really think dragging in old ghosts is going to make me crack? Because I can tell you one thing. I stopped giving a shit about your uncle the moment I realized he wasn’t coming to save me. ”
Lorcan flinches, and I catch a flicker of pain in his eyes as I glance at him.
I feel sorry for the guy.
“This is bigger than the past, Finn. This is about family—”
“Family? You buried me.”
“I mourned you. You weren’t just some kid I happened to raise for a few years. You were family, my family, and I grieved like I’d lost a son.”
Finn’s jaw tightens, but he says nothing.
“But you’re alive, which means we get another shot at fixing this.”
Silence stretches between them until finally, Finn speaks, his voice low and laced with bitterness.
“You’re wasting your time, so you might as well just kill me because I’m not giving you a damn thing. I don’t owe any of you shit.”
Lorcan is hurting, so I grip him by the shoulder and jerk my head toward the exit.
My uncle hesitates, giving Finn one last look before turning and stalking from the cell without another word.
Out in the hall, Lorcan lets out a long, shaky breath as he rubs his jaw.
“He’s gone. The kid I knew…he’s not in there anymore.”
“He’s broken. And he’s useless.”
Lorcan's expression is one of pure devastation, and it kills me, but we need to take care of the situation.
This is business, and if Finn is now considered a liability rather than an asset, I need to let Ronan know.
I pull out my phone and give my brother a call as Lorcan and I walk back outside to where our cars are waiting.
“He’s not talking,” I say the second Ronan answers. “Lorcan tried. The kid is just too far gone, so I think it’s time.”
“Don’t kill him,” Ronan says sharply.
“Seriously? Why not? He’s a dead end.”
“I’ve got one more thing I want to try, so just hold off from blowing his brains out just yet.”
“You wanted me to step up, and I have. But the second I want to make a call, you shut me down. What the hell do you want from me, Ronan?”
“I’m not shutting you down. But timing matters, Kieran.”
I bite down my frustration as the familiar surge of resentment rears its ugly head.
“I’ll call you tomorrow.” I end the call and look over at Lorcan, who hovers beside his Jaguar. “I suggest you go home. Ronan will call you later with his plan.”
Climbing into my car, I start it and drive away, leaving him standing in the cloud of dust.
We’re running out of time, and I don’t want to waste any more of it arguing with Ronan. Not when I need to make things right with Riley.
I refuse to spend another night without Riley in my bed, especially when I don’t know how many nights we have left together.
But when I arrive back at the penthouse, the place is deathly quiet.
I head straight upstairs to Riley’s room, wondering if she’s still pretending to be asleep, but when I knock, there’s no answer.
“Riley?” I rap my knuckles against the door once more. “Open the door, Riley.”
Silence.
Frowning, I pull my phone out. I stare in horror at my security system alerts.
The stream of silenced notifications coming through on the screen now that I’m connected to the Wi-Fi tells me all I need to know.
Riley left.
“Fuck!” I slam my fist against the door so hard it opens.
The sight of her empty bed makes my stomach sink.
I specifically warned her about the risks of leaving this apartment, and yet she disobeyed me. And for what? Because we had an argument? If we can even call it that.
I scan the rest of the room and notice the few personal belongings that had been scattered on the dresser and the pile of clothes that she liked to keep on the floor by the end of the bed are no longer there. It’s all gone except for a scrap of paper that I spot on her pillow.
As I cross the room in three strides, my chest tightens when I notice my name written on it.
I quickly unfold the note and scan the contents, trying not to panic as I read the words written in Riley’s delicate scrawl.
Kieran,
Thank you for everything, but it’s time to put us both out of our misery. So, I did us both a favor and left.
Riley
"Fuck."
She wouldn’t… She couldn’t be this reckless.
Not now.
Not with everything going on.
But the panic is already kicking in, and my mind is racing through every possible outcome now that Riley is fair game to Sean if he learns she is unprotected.
What the hell was she thinking, leaving like that?
I pull out my phone and open the tracker app. Thank fuck I had the foresight to install one on Riley’s phone back when we were in Vegas.
Her location blinks on the screen, and I curse under my breath as I see she’s at a hotel on the other side of the city.
I stuff the note in my pocket and head right out, praying I’m not too late to fix this.