27. Chapter Twenty-Seven Tristan
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Tristan
T he weight of the world seemed to evaporate as soon as the door to the Boston apartment clicked shut behind us. Our bags hit the floor with a thud that echoed off the walls, followed by an almost synchronized collapse onto the couch. Adriana sank into the cushion next to me, her sigh mingling with mine in a silent chorus of relief.
The babies were miraculously still asleep in their carriers. I couldn't believe our luck. Adriana and I exchanged a weary but triumphant glance.
"We made it," I whispered, not daring to speak any louder.
She nodded, her eyes heavy with exhaustion. "For now."
“Let’s put them in their nursery,” I said.
gently lifted the carriers, careful not to disturb the sleeping twins and put them on my lap. Adriana followed close behind as we made our way to the nursery. The room was bathed in soft moonlight filtering through the curtains.
We placed the babies in their cribs, holding our breath as we eased them out of the carriers. They stirred slightly but didn't wake. I felt a rush of relief wash over me.
"They're really here," Adriana whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "Safe."
Yeah. For now.
I thought it, but I didn’t say it. I knew Adriana was freaking out…I didn’t want to make it worse.
We stood there for a moment, watching the twins' peaceful slumber. The reality of our situation began to settle in. We weren't out of danger yet.
“Let’s go back to the living room. I don’t want to wake them.”
She nodded, and we made our way to my living room. “It feels like we haven’t been here for so long,” she said.
“We haven’t.”
"God, I needed this," she breathed out, running a hand through her short, dark hair—disheveled from the day's haste.
"Same here," I agreed, feeling the tension drain from my broad shoulders. The safety of this space was a balm for the soul, a brief respite from the chaos that had become our normal.
Adriana shifted, pulling her phone from the pocket of her jeans with a determined look. "I should call them now." She always was the one to face things head-on.
"Your parents?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.
"Who else?" She shot me a wry smile before dialing, her gaze holding mine until the line connected. I watched her, admiration stirring in my chest for her ability to craft words like a master, even under stress.
"Hey, Mom, it's Ade... Yes, we're safe, we're at Tristan's place in Boston." Her voice held a steady warmth, but I could hear the undertone of urgency as she spoke. "No, no, nothing's wrong. We just needed some quiet, you know? With the twins and all..."
She paused, listening to her mother's response, then glanced at me with a faint grin. "Tristan is beat. The drive up here took more out of him than he'll admit."
It was half-true; the fatigue was real enough, but it wasn't just the drive. It was everything—the unending tug-of-war between duty and desire, the constant need to protect what was mine. Adriana knew it as well as I did.
Killing the Millers, dismembering the Millers, throwing the Millers in the ocean…I was also exhausted from that.
“No, he’s doing a lot better,” Adriana said. “He’ll be walking in no time. But that’s a long trip, Mom. Yeah, the accident was really scary. No, we’ll be okay. Seriously. You’ll see the little ones again soon!”
Her words were carefully chosen, a subtle dance around the truth that would keep her parents from worrying too much while still conveying the gravity of our situation. The Orsini intuition was a thing of beauty, and right now, it was our best defense.
"Thanks, Mom. We'll come visit when things settle down. Love you." She ended the call and set the phone aside, leaning back against the couch with a long exhale.
"Masterfully done," I commended.
"Comes with the territory," she quipped."When your life is a web of secrets and survival, you learn to weave well."
"Speaking of which..." I hesitated for just a moment, the weight of what came next pressing down on me. "There's something we need to discuss. About our future—and the kids."
Adriana turned to me, her keen eyes searching mine. "I'm listening."
"Let's just take a minute first. To breathe." I gestured vaguely around the room, the late afternoon sun casting long shadows across the floor. "One quiet moment before we dive back in."
"Deal," she agreed, and together we sat in silence, taking solace in the calm before forging ahead into whatever storm lay waiting.
It didn’t last very long.
The wails broke through the stillness of the room, shrill and demanding. I moved to stand, but Adriana was already on her feet, her dark hair swinging as she turned towards the sound.
"Let me just—" She paused at the doorway, tossing a glance over her shoulder that was all maternal fierceness and Orsini composure. "You coming?"
"Give me two minutes." My voice was a low promise as I reached for my phone. "Need to make a call."
"Okay." Adriana disappeared down the hall, her footsteps swift.
I dialed Kieran's number, pressing the phone hard against my ear as if that would help bridge the distance faster. The line clicked, and I tensed, ready to unload the burden of our predicament onto his shoulders.
"Kieran," I said without preamble, my tone pitched to convey urgency, "Bellamy's been sniffing around Orsini territory. We had to move Adriana and the twins out fast."
A pause thickened on the other end of the line. "How close did he get?" Kieran's question was sharp, cutting straight to the heart of the matter.
"Too damn close." I gripped the armrest of my wheelchair, feeling the cool metal beneath my fingers. "If he finds out that the kids are alive and his hitmen are dead..."
He didn't need me to finish. In our world, family was leverage; babies were pawns. And Adriana—she was a queen on a chessboard full of thugs and thieves. I'd do anything to keep them safe, even if it meant reaching out when every instinct screamed to handle things alone.
“He doesn’t know you’re on my side, does he?”
"No. And he won’t until you kill him. Tristan, listen to me," Kieran's voice sliced through the fear gnawing at my gut. "We've got eyes on him. You focus on keeping your family safe. We'll handle Bellamy."
"Thanks," I muttered, relief threading through the tension. Trust wasn’t given easily in our line of work, but with Kieran, it was as close to a sure thing as you could get. Even with everything that had happened.
“Honestly, I don’t…know what to do. We can’t just stay up here but I can’t go showing my face to Uncle Bellamy yet. I mean, I can’t even walk for long distances.”
“You’re still the scariest motherfucker I know.”
I laughed. “Yeah, but that’s not enough, is it? They’re so little, Kieran. I ran a hand through my hair, frustration seeping into my voice. "I need to be more than just scary. I need to be untouchable."
Kieran was quiet for a moment, and I could almost hear the gears turning in his mind. "Maybe it's time we made some bold moves," he said finally.
"What do you have in mind?" I asked, leaning forward in my wheelchair.
"Two things," Kieran replied, his tone serious. "First, we need to prove your Callahan lineage beyond a shadow of a doubt. A DNA test."
I felt my breath catch. "And if it doesn't match?"
"Then we make it match," he said simply. "I've got connections that can ensure the results come out in our favor."
“You would do that for me?”
“Tristan, you’re my brother,” he said. “Malachy and Bellamy be damned.”
I let out a slow breath, feeling a mix of gratitude and unease. "Alright. What's the second thing?"
"You need to marry Adriana," Kieran said bluntly. "Make it official. Create the Callahan-Orsini alliance everyone's been waiting for."
My heart skipped a beat. Marriage. It wasn't something we'd discussed, not with everything else going on. But the idea of making Adriana truly mine, of cementing our bond in the eyes of both families...
"You think that'll be enough?" I asked, my voice low.
"It's a start," Kieran replied. "Combined with the DNA test, it'll solidify your position. Make you harder to touch."
“Well, I don’t know how much she’ll want to do that. I’ve…changed my mind on it a lot.”
I could hear the soft rustling of Adriana tending to the twins in the other room. The thought of proposing marriage now, in the midst of all this chaos, felt both terrifying and exhilarating.
"She loves you, Tristan," Kieran said, his voice gentler than usual. "And she's smart. She'll understand the strategic value."
I sighed, rubbing my temples. "You're right, but... it's complicated. Adriana and I, we've been through a lot. You know I've jerked her around on the marriage thing before."
"This isn't about romance, Tristan," Kieran's voice was firm. "It's about survival. For you, for her, for those kids."
His words hit home. I knew he was right, but the thought of pressuring Adriana into marriage for strategic reasons…after everything we’d been through…it made my stomach churn.
“I’m not saying you have to get married today. But just talk to her, would you?”
I closed my eyes, letting Kieran's words sink in. "Yeah, I'll talk to her. Thanks, lad."
"Anytime. Stay safe, brother."
I knew he was right. I just…had no idea how I was going to approach her.
And that scared the shit out of me.