Chapter 31
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
ADA
C ristiano and his men have always moved like a perfect unit. In the background of my vision, they do the same now, swinging the target of their guns in unison toward the body moving into the space from the left of my body.
Patrick’s a much older man than I would have presumed and on the two floors above us I can hear the thunder of footsteps as countless of his men all take their places. The lighting is too bad to know just how many weapons are pointed at Kieran, my brother, and his men.
All of the movement is background to the body standing in front of me, knuckles ruined and fists swollen. Clothed in all black and yet still so impossibly handsome that he takes my breath away. My heart flutters in my chest as tears well in my eyes at the sight of him.
He’s alive.
He came for me.
Kieran doesn’t take his eyes off mine for a single second as the older man moves into our space. Even from the corner of my eye I can see the overly self-satisfied grin that he’s wearing as he moves with arrogant steps into the room. He lingers in the corners of my spotlight, a place that I’m sure he’s been his whole life in one capacity or another.
Subtly, Kieran starts to put his body between mine and the man’s. He’s blocking me from view as if he’s not in just as much danger as I am. I can’t seem to find the words to tell them all to run. I could lose every man that’s important to me tonight. In one fell swoop I could lose all of them.
There’s so much that I still need to tell Kieran…
Things that I need to tell all of them.
“I wondered which of you was going to get here first. Personally, I had rather hoped that you might meet outside and kill each other before I even had to bother with you.” Patrick laughs softly, amused with himself. “I would have put bets on it. But now my men will have the pleasure of ending you themselves. I can tell you, they are very excited to get rid of you, Kieran. They don’t appreciate you turning on them.”
Kieran’s eye twitches. Clearly there’s more story to this. I wish I was untied so that I could take his hand. I’m useless in a fight but at least I could do that. My chest aches with how much I missed him.
“You’re mistaken, Patrick. Someone will die today, but it won’t be us.” Cristiano taunts.
I bet he’s also got far more men here than I can even properly fathom. It never frightened me to see the rage on Cristiano’s face. No matter what, he’s always going to be my brother. I know the job he does. Same as father always did. This world is mine too. But Kieran? I’m happy I’m not on the other end of his icy fury. His hands tremble at his sides and I know that it’s got nothing to do with fear. It’s bloodlust.
“What a perfect chance to end some old feuds, isn’t that right?” Patrick sneers, his voice mirthful.
“What the fuck do you want, Patrick.” Kieran spits, his voice unlike anything I’ve ever heard.
Hard to imagine that the same tongue that brings me such pleasure, can sound like that when he’s speaking.
“Well, you’re both here to avenge your fathers, are you not? Cristiano, you’re out for blood given Kieran’s father’s, my brother’s, involvement in the death of your father. And Kieran, you want to kill Cristiano because he killed your father. Is that not correct?”
“There’s more to it.” Kieran grits through his teeth.
Did he truly have something to do with my father’s death? Why did I not know that? What else is being hidden from me?
“Oh, right, of course. Do forgive me, nephew. He also wanted you dead for stealing his fiancé, isn’t that right? I believe you married her… So, he was going to ruin your sister to get back at you.” Patrick laughed, full of condescension.
Maeve and Kieran?
The mere thought of it makes me sick. Is that true?
Before I can speak, or ask a single question, Alberto lunges. He’s the first one to move.
“Stand down!” Cristiano bellows, his voice echoing through the otherwise empty warehouse walls. Alberto moves straight for Kieran. Kieran could have shot him, but he drops his gun intentionally and allows himself to be tackled. Why did he do that? What’s happening? Alberto’s fist collides with Kieran’s face and I snap. The tears and confusion well inside me too strongly. I pull at my bonds, my heart breaking seeing my best friend, a man like a brother to me, hurting the man that I love.
“Stop! Don’t hurt him! Stop!” I cry out.
Kieran doesn’t even try to defend himself. He tries to stop Alberto, but Alberto is more lethal than anyone gives him credit for.
“Enough!” Cristiano’s voice cuts through the chaos, commanding attention.
Alberto shoves Kieran to the ground forcefully one final time before slowly pulling away from him, his eyes burning with anger. I’ve never seen him in such a state.
“Enough indeed, as amusing as all of this is…” Patrick pulls a knife from his belt and slowly closes the distance between him and Cristiano. “I’ve invited you here to offer up my nephew's pathetic life in reparations for what he’s done to your family. For peace.”
I watch in horror as Patrick presses the knife into my brother’s hand. On the ground by my feet, Kieran is struggling to get back up, still wanting to put himself between me and anybody that looks at me the wrong way. He’s chosen this hill and I’m scared that he intends to die on it.
“Once he’s out of the way, we will be free to force an alliance between our two powerful families.” Patrick continues.
“Alliance?” Cristiano asks, staring at me.
“Yes, of my son Liam, and your lovely sister Ada.”
What?! Absolutely not!
“No!” I scream, pulling at my bonds anew. “Don’t you dare!”
This is not an instance in which I’m going to allow my brother to speak for me. I’m not some pig to be auctioned off at the market. My skin crawls at the very idea of anybody but Kieran touching me ever again.
Cristiano can’t seriously be considering this, can he? And yet, he is quiet for a moment. A moment that is way too long. There’s no fucking way. He wouldn’t dare… would he?
Rage and heartbreak threaten to make me lash at my brother for daring to speak for me. He doesn’t get to take my choices away.
Only Liam beats me to it. He comes jogging into the warehouse at the exact right moment, face swollen and clearly out of breath.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Kieran tense. It’s like I can feel him calculating the best course of action and how he’s going to get out of this with me. I know that he’s not going to allow me to be married off to the highest bidder, no matter who he has to kill to make it happen.
“That offer is bullshit.” He pants. “I won’t marry her.” He turns to look at me, that damned smirk coming back into place. He winks his good eye at me for good measure. “Sorry, Ada dear.”
Kieran’s whole body relaxes, but he doesn’t lower his guard.
Patrick’s face twists in fury as he rounds on his son. “Clearly you’ve hit your head, son .” He snaps his fingers. “Take him away.”
Patrick’s men don’t move.
The silence that follows is deafening.
The smirk on Liam’s face grows into an outright grin. “Your men don’t obey you anymore, Father.” His tone is positively dripping in satisfaction. The power shift in the room is palpable. Every man on the upper floors shifts their aim to Patrick instead of Cristiano. Patrick’s rage turns to desperation as he realizes that his control has been ripped from him. “Leading with fear will only get you so far. It was easier than I expected to get them all on my side. Seems that they are rather tired of your ruthless leadership. I have to say that I agree.”
Liam holds his hand up in front of his father’s face, and snaps. A gesture that I’m sure his father used against him in a demeaning fashion countless times in his life. Liam’s men come forward to take Patrick away.
“You will pay for this!” Patrick barks. “I will tear you apart, son , mark my words. This is not over, and you will regret this!” screaming and kicking with furious shouts that echo through the whole warehouse as he’s forced out. I have no idea what Liam plans to do with him, and I have no intention of asking either.
“Kieran… my hands…” I say softly, and Kieran stands down. His shoulders slump from the defensive posture dropping as he bends with painful gentleness to loosen my hands. He pauses, just for a second, before setting me free. The implications aren’t lost on me. The ropes fall to the floor and Liam moves toward my brother.
“We have a chance here to make things right. I want an alliance, too. Not through marriage, but I’m willing to share my trade routes,” Liam offers calmly, his tone gentle.
Cristiano studies Liam for a long moment, the tension in the space thickening again. Finally, he nods. “I’ll consider it.”
A flicker, an ember of hope sparks in my chest. Cristiano lowers his gun, and the atmosphere in the warehouse shifts from confrontational into what feels like a very fragile sort of peace. Liam usurped his father’s position, and now, there’s a chance for a new beginning there.
My eyes slide to Kieran’s, who meets my gaze with a wary expression… relief and… determination?
“Ada–” he begins to speak, then hesitates. He has never hesitated before, not with me.
He looks like he’s afraid to touch me… as if he doesn’t know if he’s allowed to or not.
Slowly, I turn my ring back around on my finger, the stone glinting even in this low light. Kieran’s face melts, his shoulders slump and I throw myself at him.
I forget everybody around us. Each and every gun and other body in this room is nothing but background haze to me as I kiss him with everything that I have in me.