32. Chapter 32
TIERNEY
Ahren paced the length of the room. Even without the heavy boots, his aggressive footsteps spoke volumes about the war raging in his mind.
Zeus and Apollo laid under Connor's bed with only their front paws and noses sticking out, following their master as he completed each lap.
He muttered something about needing a walk to clear his head, even though that didn't work out so well for him last time. The lunatic's note had really rattled him and I got the feeling that he wasn't the kind to be rattled.
My eyes flicked between them. I had been alone for years, happily so, and now, I had—friends. Two of them. My eyes swung back to Ahren—maybe more than a friend .
Lost in my thoughts, I didn't realize he had changed course and was coming for me until he scooped me up from the chair and sat down, cradling me in his arms.
"I fucking need this," he murmured, his breath hot against my hair.
I melted into his touch, allowing his strong arms to soothe the nervous energy that simmered just beneath my skin.
The note set us both on edge and while Ahren paced; I sat still, collecting fury until I imploded like a dying star.
Different coping mechanisms, same end result. When the clock struck zero—BOOM.
He placed a kiss against my temple and raised my chin until our eyes met. "I won't let her hurt you," he vowed.
"Her?" I asked, my brain so lost in those honeyed depths it took an extra minute to realize he said her.
He nodded. "I got so distracted between finding Connor in such a state, and the messages, I forgot to tell you. Sorry, it's been an odd day."
"That's fine. So, tell me now."
He told me about the woman's voice, her taunting, and the camera he found. His story reminded him to snap a few pictures of the camera and send them to Jax to see if he could identify the camera. By the end of his story, I could hear a whisper of fear creeping into the edges of his voice.
I feathered my fingers through his hair and pressed my lips to his. "We'll figure it out." I lied. With our future shrouded in uncertainty, it was foolish to make such promises.
Rising from his lap, I pulled on his hand. "Go get cleaned up. I'll sit watch and you can take over when you're finished. That way, she's not alone."
He smiled a crooked half smile, his hand sliding up to cup the side of my face. "Thank you," he whispered, before pressing his lips to mine. He pushed his tongue into my mouth, caressing my tongue and exploring my mouth. I clung to him, my core clenching as I matched every slide of his tongue.
His fingers tangled in my hair, pulling me impossibly closer before pulling away.
My skin heated under his hungry gaze. An unspoken yearning, passing between us.
He pressed a lingering kiss on my lips, dragging his tongue across my jaw and down my throat, nipping at the sensitive flesh. His fingers dug into my flesh, and I knew my skin would bear reminders of this kiss tomorrow. A deep groan rumbled in his chest, and he pulled himself away.
His fingers ghosted across my collarbone, sliding up to briefly encircle my throat, the look in his eyes unreadable.
My fingers curled in his shirt, desperate to keep from dropping to the floor as my knees threatened to give way.
"Shower." he rasped, nodding his head. Slowly at first, then shaking as if shaking off our passionate moment.
He stepped away, my body immediately colder from the loss of him. "Hopefully soon you’ll be joining me for that shower."
My head bobbed in time with my racing heart.
I wanted that too. But even though he knew how to liquefy my insides with the barest hint of a smile, I was still nervous about everything that came next.
And though disappointment clawed at my insides, I was grateful he was being so considerate of my feelings.
I returned to the chair, pulling my phone from my pocket and scrolling the news sites. After a few minutes of scrolling through boring headlines about city council meetings and new chain restaurant openings, I pushed it back into my pocket.
My head dropped back to rest on the wooden chair back. Damn, this thing was so fucking uncomfortable. Another crack in the ' Ahren Rossdale is a monster' theory. He'd sat in this stylish torture device for days, waiting for me to wake up.
"Tierney." A soft, hoarse voice whispered.
My head snapped up, landing on Larissa's half-lidded gaze.
"Hey." I cooed, doing my best to mimic the gentle yet placating voice she used the first time we met.
"Almost thought you two weren't coming." She murmured.
My eyes watered. "You bet your ass we'll come for you."
She offered a soft smile. Then again, I'm not sure she was capable of a wider one at the moment, but she was awake, so I would take it.
"Ahren's in the shower. He'll be back in a few..." I rambled, trying to fill the empty space, but only succeeding in tripping over my words.
She nodded lazily.
"Do you want something to drink?" I asked, feeling stupid for not asking immediately.
"Yes." she rasped, her voice thick as if her words had been dragged over gravel.
I pulled one of the small disposable cups from the cabinet over the small sink and filled it with water.
Her hand shook uncontrollably as she raised it to her lips.
"I got it." I said softly. Tipping the cup slightly so the cool liquid trickled between her lips.
She finished off most of the cup before her head dropped to the bed behind her. "Thank you." She whispered, folding my hand in hers. Her grip was strong, despite the muscle tremors.
"You and Ahren saved my life. I know what you probably think—actually, I don't. I would assume you think because I kill people for money, that I'm heartless—fuck, maybe I am," I rambled, not quite sure what I was trying to say.
"But you know Ahren. Better than I do. Anyway, what I'm trying to get to is—I owe you my life.
Probably more than once." I laughed. "From now on, know that you have two assassins who will come for you. "
"He cares for you, too."
My cheeks heated and my eyes widened as she gave voice to one of my deepest questions.
“He was beside himself that first night.” Her voice was hoarse, harsh breaths punctuating every few words. But determination lit her eyes—clearly, these words were important to her.
“It wasn't just the pure rage I saw on those rare occasions when things didn’t go his way. He was worried you wouldn't make it. He paced like a caged tiger for hours. It was the only time I ever worried about failing him.”
"He wouldn't have hurt you." I scoffed, waving off her comment.
She swallowed hard. "Any other time, I would have agreed. But that night was different. He was—feral—almost unhinged. He would not have handled your death well."
I nodded, not sure at all what to do with that information.
"I confess, I don't understand your relationship with him. Were you two—lovers?"
She laughed, wincing as the slices in her skin stretched with the movement. "No. Nothing like that. Ahren and I, we're—friends. As close as Ahren comes to having friends, anyway."
"I don't have any friends at all. Never really saw the point. Everyone betrays you eventually." I retorted, whispering the last bit. Feeling naked baring that truth to her.
"Well, now you have me—and Ahren. Neither of us will betray you. You are right, though. Before meeting Ahren, I had a pretty low opinion on people who played with guns."
"What changed your mind?" I asked.
"Ahren did!" she said, a wide smile breaking across her face. Apparently, the drugs were slowly lifting .
I returned her smile, settling on the edge of her bed. "Now this, I gotta hear."
"I used to threaten to quit all the time, complaining, telling him that what he did was vile and violent—and so was he. He just let me rage. I think I did actually quit twice."
I laughed. Shocked to imagine Ahren willingly listening to her berate him.
"The second time I quit, he told me I was a hypocrite.
" She smiled, shaking her head softly. "He said we both worked for people who played God, deciding who lived and who died.
He just wasn't ashamed to make a profit from it.
I was so fucking pissed. Until I realized he was basically right.
Ahren and I were both worker bees. He was just paid better. "
I snorted. "Never thought of it that way. Good argument, I guess."
She nodded. "By that time, I had gotten to know Ahren a bit.
I'd seen him care for the dogs. Heard him take meetings by phone while he was recovering.
Knowing hundreds of people depended on him to feed their families.
I realized that it was on me to work out whether someone could be both an assassin and a good man.
I never judged you, Tierney. Ahren taught me better. "
My eyes watered and I nodded, "thank you."