26. Maverick
26
MAVERICK
I sat behind my desk and stared at the computer screen.
Silas and Killian burst in. Killian was wearing his usual scowl, and even though Silas was trying hard to present his usual laid-back expression, there was a shadow in his eyes that was noticeable to those who knew him well.
A week had passed since Mila saw what she wasn’t supposed to see, and it seemed she was determined to keep away from us.
More than that.
My fists clenched as I focused my attention back on the screen.
She was trying to find an escape route.
I had been watching her through the cameras, and though it hadn’t been obvious at first, it was now.
She was planning on running away from us.
Like hell.
“What’s up?” Killian asked curiously.
I indicated the computer screen, and both of my brothers came forward. It took them a moment to realize what was happening.
Silas was the first to break the silence. “She’s trying to leave us?”
It was only with years of practice that Silas had been able to contain the fury in his voice.
I leaned back in my chair, not saying anything.
I hated her history with her dad and all she’d had to suffer under Hayes’ rule, but I had thought one good thing came from it.
She wouldn’t try to run.
It seemed I was wrong.
Did that mean she feared her dad more than us because we had been too lenient with her, or was it because she feared us too much to bear the thought of being here?
“I won’t fucking let her leave,” Silas declared. I grabbed the back of his shirt when he went for the door.
He turned his scowl on me and yanked away from my hold.
I leveled him with a stare. “Wait.”
“For what? Don’t tell me you’re willing to let her go.”
I didn’t answer him right away, but my face told him my answer.
He nodded. “Of course not. What the hell are we going to do?”
Something I hadn’t wanted to do. Something I wasn’t sure she would forgive us for.
“We track her,” I said. Silas’ eyes told me he liked the idea as much as I did, which was not at all.
“Track her?” he asked slowly.
I grunted.
“She’ll hate us,” he said softly. “More than she already does.”
“Yes,” I agreed. “Do you have a better idea?”
He looked away from me. The only other option was keeping her locked up, restricting more of her freedom than we already had, and still, shit happened all the time. There was no saying she wouldn’t successfully escape us in the future.
“I’ll do it,” Killian said gruffly.
Both Silas and I turned to him. His face was expressionless, but I could make out the tightness in his eyes.
“She already hates me. What’s another mark against me in her book going to do?”
I frowned. I was sure Mila felt a lot of things when it came to Killian, but for the first time, I wasn’t sure hate was one of them.
“Let me do it,” he said. “I can ensure I won’t hurt her any more than necessary during the procedure. And this way, we can be sure she won’t leave.”
The last part was said quietly. Silas seemed to want to say something about it, but I halted him with a look.
I turned to Killian. “Are you sure?”
He nodded.
Then, without a word, he walked away. Silas and I stared after him.
“It seems he doesn’t want her to leave as much as us,” Silas commented.
I didn’t say anything, though I agreed. Despite his history with Lilliana, it appeared Killian couldn’t do anything about Mila burrowing under his skin and staying there.
I just didn’t know if this was something she’d forgive him for.