Chapter Thirty-Six Isla
F or the fifth night in a row, I couldn’t sleep. Although I was exhausted, I tossed and turned, tangling myself in the sheets. Finally, I huffed in frustration and conceded I wasn’t going to fall asleep anytime soon. Since there was no point in staying in bed, I got up.
After peeking in on Henry, who thankfully was sleeping like an angel, I headed downstairs. Normally, I would’ve taken something, but since I was babysitting Henry, I couldn’t be completely knocked out. I’d pressured Brooke to go out with friends because I was tired of hearing her yell at me to get out of the house. If she was gone, I could wallow in peace.
I headed downstairs to the kitchen. After I prepared the cliched warm milk and downed half a glass, I then curled up on the couch. With the The Golden Girls for background noise, I snuggled into a blanket.
I was floating in that area between wakefulness and sleep when I heard a noise. Straining my ears, I held my breath. I’d forgotten to bring the baby monitor with me, and I hoped it wasn’t Henry waking up early.
When I didn’t hear it again, I started slipping back asleep. But then a bang came from the kitchen, and I bolted upright on the couch.
With my heart beating like a brass band in my chest, I peered around the room dimly lit by the television.
“Fuck,” a man’s voice whispered.
My hand flew to my mouth. Oh God, there was a man in the house. Fear momentarily choked off my breathing, and I shuddered. Was it one of Mikita’s men who’d come back to settle the score despite the fact Quinn and I were no longer together?
I was too far away from the security panel to set off the silent alarm. Instead, I would have to rely on myself. Inching up the couch, I leaned over the arm to open the end table drawer. After grabbing my gun, I eased off the safety.
Slowly, I pulled myself to my feet. I tiptoed across the rug, hoping and praying for the floorboards not to creak out a tune. I continued my snail’s pace down to the kitchen.
Peeking around the corner, I bit down on my lip to keep my shriek from echoing through the kitchen. Not only was there a man in my kitchen, but he was naked. His bare ass glowed in the moonlight as he was bent over inside the fridge.
With the revelation, I realized I could mark Bratva off the list of suspects. If they’d come to kill or kidnap me, I doubted they would’ve stopped to get undressed and have a snack.
Great. Some tweaker had broken into my house and was now raiding my fridge. Once again, I couldn’t help feeling like Quinn had failed me since the security system hadn’t stopped him. It was me and only me left to handle it.
“Put your hands on your head and slowly turn around!” I growled in my best badass voice.
The man froze. “I’m happy to turn around, but I think it’s in both of our best interests if my hands keep me covered.”
Disbelief ricocheted through me as I recognized the voice. “Kellan?” I shrieked.
“Yeah, it’s me.”
I jerked the gun down to my side. “What the hell are you doing in my kitchen naked?”
Slowly, he turned around, his hands cupping his crotch. From the way he barely covered himself, I could see being well endowed ran in the Kavanaugh family.
With a sheepish grin, he replied, “Uh, I was looking for something to drink.”
With shock still radiating through me, I repeated, “Why are you naked in my kitchen?”
Even in the dim light, I could see his crimson colored cheeks. “Well, you see, I, uh–”
Immediately I feared Kellan had experienced some psychotic break. What else could explain why he was naked in my kitchen and rifling through my fridge? I desperately needed my phone from the living room, so I could call 911. While I didn’t think he would ever hurt me, it was clear he’d completely lost his mind.
At a noise behind me, I whirled around. To my utter horror, Brooke appeared in the doorway with wild bed hair and outfitted in only a man’s white dress shirt with the buttons haphazardly done. In her hands, she held a towel.
When the realization hit me of what had transpired, my hand flew to my mouth. “Oh my God.”
Kellan momentarily held up a hand before realizing his junk wasn’t adequately covered. “Isla, it’s not what you think.”
“What else could it possibly be?” I screeched.
“Shh, you’ll wake up Henry,” Brooke admonished.
“Oh, now , you’re thinking of Henry? Not when you just fucked some random guy in our house.”
Brooke snorted as she bypassed me to stand beside Kellan. She handed him the towel, which he quickly draped around his waist. Smiling up at him, Brooke argued, “Kellan isn’t a random guy. He’s practically family.”
Feeling lightheaded, I leaned back against the table. “I can’t believe this.” Shaking my head at Kellan, I said, “After everything we went through, you repay me by taking advantage of my sister?”
“I swear, I didn’t!” Kellan protested.
With a roll of her eyes, Brooke replied, “As much time as you spent with him, can you honestly stand there and believe he would do that?”
Although I hated to admit it, Brooke was right. After what had transpired with Maeve, Kellan would never take advantage of a woman.
I turned my wrath from Kellan back to Brooke. “With what I told you today, how could you involve yourself with him? What if it brought you know who back around?”
Kellan glanced between the two of us. “Who are you guys talking about?”
“No one,” Brooke and I echoed at the same time.
Brooke held her hands up. “I get what you’re saying. At the same time, I didn’t know anything about that when I first started talking to Kellan.”
“You still brought a Kavanaugh into our house after everything I sacrificed to keep you and Henry safe!”
Giving me a knowing look, Brooke countered, “I’m sorry. I truly didn’t think it was an issue considering the deal was about Quinn. Nothing was mentioned about any other Kavanaugh, right?”
As much as I hated to admit it, she was right. Mikita wanted his revenge on Quinn specifically, and he hadn’t mentioned any of the other Kavanaugh’s. I sighed. “Fine. Forgetting everything else, help me understand the two of you sleeping together.”
With a hesitant smile, Kellan turned to stare at Brooke. “Your kind, beautiful sister helped me overcome my…problem.”
My anger momentarily faded. “That’s what this was about?”
He bobbed his head. “During your abduction, we were thrown together. I found I could talk to her as easily as I could to you. After telling her about how I’d been talking to you about my problem, she wanted to help me. Physically. And she did.” He once again smiled at Brooke. “I can never thank you enough.”
She grinned at him. “I’m the one who should be thanking you. I mean, you’re amazing. Like a complete and total sex god.”
“Brooke!” I admonished.
At the same time Kellan’s cheeks reddened, a cocky little smirk curved on his lips. “Thank you. If I’m a god, then you’re a goddess.”
“Enough!” I blared. Turning to Brooke, I asked, “Was this just about you scratching a postpartum itch?”
“In a way. I mean, I kinda lost myself in the last six months being Henry’s mom. I just wanted to be young and carefree for a minute. With Kellan, I knew I would be safe.”
My heart softened. Sometimes I forgot how much adulthood had been thrown at her at such a young age. “I get it.” At her look of surprise, I added, “I can get it, but that doesn’t mean I like it.”
She laughed. “There was also a part of me that was kinda obsessed with my post-Henry body, and I wanted to make sure everything worked like it once had before I got into a relationship down the road.”
Although I shouldn’t have, I couldn’t help asking, “And I assume everything is fine?”
She shot a coy grin at Kellan. “I think even better than before.”
While he ducked his head, I rolled my eyes. “I’m glad to hear that. So, what now? Are the two of you dating?”
“No,” Kellan and Brooke said in unison.
I swept my hands to my hips. “Why not?”
“Because it’s not like that between us,” Brooke argued as Kellan nodded.
“Then you’re like friends with benefits or something?”
While Brooke shrugged, a sheepish look came over Kellan’s face. “Actually, now that my problem is gone, I was thinking about seeing if Mabry was still interested.”
To my utter shock, Brooke nodded enthusiastically. “Oh my God! Yes, you have to talk to her.”
I glanced between the two of them. “You know about Mabry?” I asked Brooke.
She rolled her eyes. “Seriously, Isla, we told you we were friends, and don’t friends talk about everything?”
“I suppose so.”
“Well, I know. I think Kellan knows as much about our parents and Henry’s dad as you do.”
At the mention of Henry, a thought popped in my head. “Please tell me the two of you were safe.”
“Double safe with my IUD and condoms.”
“Uh, good. I’m glad to hear it.”
Kellan smiled at Brooke. “As amazing as Henry is, I wouldn’t ever put Brooke in a situation where she has to be a single mom again.”
I wanted to argue that nothing was one hundred percent effective except abstinence, but I decided to let them continue in their happy little fantasy world. The same world I’d once traipsed blindly around in with Quinn.
At the thought of my former happiness I’d experienced with him, my chest constricted. It pulled even tighter when Kellan took Brooke’s hand in his. “We better get back to sleep, or we won’t have the energy to take Henry to the zoo tomorrow.”
“Oh, you’re going together?” I asked.
Brooke nodded. “I think Henry’s old enough now to really enjoy it.”
“He is.” After we stood there for a moment, I said, “Right, well, I better get back to bed myself. Now that I know you can get Henry if he wakes, I think I’ll take a sleeping pill. I haven’t been sleeping well lately.”
Kellan’s brows furrowed. “Isla–”
I waved my hand dismissively. “But that’s nothing you need to concern yourself with. You just need to be young and carefree and…” I swallowed hard. “Happy.”
Even though I felt the heat of Kellan and Brooke’s gazes, I refused to look at them. “Well, anyway, I’m really happy for the both of you.” Before I could choke down the sob, it erupted from my lips. The next thing I knew I was sinking to my knees on the hardwood floor as my chest shuddered in harsh sobs.
Both Kellan and Brooke rushed to my side. “Oh Isla, I’m so sorry,” Brooke murmured as she wrapped her arms around me.
I tried to push her away. “Just leave me. I don’t want to bring you down.”
“You could never do that, silly.”
My cries must’ve subconsciously woken Henry because his wails could be heard above me. Brooke pulled away from me to rise to her feet. “I’ll go get him.”
Kellan shook his head. “Let me, and you can stay with Isla.”
“No, no. It’s fine. He’s not used to a male voice in the middle of the night.”
After Brooke rushed out of the kitchen and started pounding up the stairs, I gave Kellan a sad smile. “I’m sorry,” I said.
Kellan’s hand came to cup my cheek. “Don’t apologize, especially to me. You’ve seen me at my worst. Let me be here for you.”
Although I knew I shouldn’t, there was one question I had to ask. “How is he?” I whispered.
“Not good.”
With a mirthless laugh, I replied, “I know the feeling.”
“He left for Belfast two weeks ago.”
My mouth dropped open in surprise. “Did he have business to attend to there?”
Kellan shook his head. “He said he couldn’t bear to be in the city anymore.”
“I know the feeling,” I murmured.
“He loves you,” Kellan said earnestly.
“And I love him.”
“He loves you so much he wants out of the life.”
I gasped. “But he can’t leave you guys.”
“No. He can’t. Once you take the oath, you only leave in a box.”
My heartbeat accelerated at his words. “He won’t do that , will he?” I couldn’t bear the thought of Quinn leaving the life and forcing Callum’s hand. Or worse for him to do something reckless to have someone else take his life.
With a shake of his head, Kellan replied, “Quinn isn’t a quitter. Regardless of the hell he’s been through and currently finds himself.”
Tears pooled in my eyes at the thought that I was the cause of so much of his pain. At the same time, rage filled me that Mikita was forcing me to hurt Quinn. His revenge was affecting my life as well as Quinn’s.
I thought about my conversation with Brooke earlier. Was it possible to find a way out of this mess and still keep everyone safe? My paranoia fueled me to rise off the floor and go over to one of the kitchen drawers.
“Isla?” Kellan questioned.
“I’m fine.”
After pulling out a piece of paper, I turned on the kitchen light. I then began to scribble down everything that had happened with Mikita. When I finished, I handed it to Kellan. Then like I had with Brooke, I put my finger over my lips.
His brows creased in confusion before his gaze dipped down to the sheet of paper. When he was done, he jerked his head up to stare at me in shock. “We can fix this.”
To keep the conversation as generic as possible in case someone was listening in, I replied, “Are you sure we can fix this without anyone getting hurt?”
“We’ll find a way.”
Kellan then went over to the counter to grab my pen. He scribbled something down before handing it back to me.
I’m going to go get dressed and tell Brooke goodbye. I need to speak to Callum and Dare as well as Caterina’s brothers. Mikita will not fuck up Quinn’s life and yours. I promise you that.”
When I glanced up at him, I nodded. Then I leaned up and kissed his cheek. With my lips next to his ear, I whispered, “Thank you.”
“I owe you more than you can ever know, Isla. I intend to pay you back by fixing this.”
Without another word, he started back upstairs. For the first time in weeks, I felt hope.