17. Mila
17
MILA
It wasn’t long before we finally arrived at the fancy restaurant located in the heart of downtown Chicago.
Despite it being a weekday and not even seven o’clock in the evening, the street was bustling with life and activity.
Marcus—the driver and bodyguard, whose name I was able to recall—pulled to a stop, and Maverick opened the door, getting out first. I watched as he stood in front, taking in his surroundings before he leaned back down and reached in for me.
I let him pull me out until I was standing in front of him. I tilted my head back to take him in. There was something about the look of him that had my heart racing.
He pressed his thumb down on my lips, and before I knew what was happening, he pressed a hard kiss on me.
I melted.
That was the only way to describe it. I simply melted into him until nothing and no one existed for me at that moment.
And then a voice cleared from somewhere in the distance, penetrating through my brief little shield from reality, and I pulled away.
Maverick glared at the man standing by the front door of the restaurant, causing the smaller man to stumble back a step before he could right himself.
He wrung his hands together nervously, his face blanching as Silas and Killian came out of the car as well. The three of them, standing close together, made quite a formidable image. I felt small being surrounded by them—small and safe.
It was that feeling of safety that I clung to the most.
I looked up behind the man, who was still nervously playing with his hands, at the Elysium sign above the restaurant.
I blinked.
Maverick spoke to the man, though I wasn’t really paying attention.
“It’s Greek. It means a place of ideal happiness,” Silas whispered in my ear. I hadn’t realized he was standing so close by. I looked up at him briefly before turning back to the sign. “Some people believe that place only exists in a fictitious world. Or in your imagination.”
“And you’re trying to say it exists in… this restaurant?”
It was a nice restaurant, but as in ideal happiness?
Silas’ chest shook as he laughed. “No, angel. This is just a business after all. I didn’t think such a place existed. At least… I hadn’t.”
Slowly, I turned back to look at him. His eyes were on me, and I had the distinct feeling that he had never looked away from me, not even for a moment. My breath caught.
“Do I make you happy?” I asked, my voice set in a whisper.
“You make me feel so many things. Everything had been dull and monochromatic for so long. And now, it’s like a burst of colors surrounding me, leaving me to feel… overwhelmed.”
I scrunched my nose up at the word, and he gently tapped it, showcasing a small smile.
“In the best way possible, angel. You are an explosion of light and fire that lit up even the darkest of nights for me.”
Tears built in my eyes, and I blinked rapidly to keep them from falling. I couldn’t say anything. I couldn’t, not when there was a lump lodged in my throat.
“So if you’re asking if you make me happy. Yes.”
He frowned a little when a stray tear fell, and he wiped it away quickly. I nodded. No one had ever told me I made them happy before. I’d always thought I was nothing more than a burden to my parents. Which probably explained why Mom couldn’t wait to leave, and Dad… I wasn’t fucking sure why he had kept me around for so long, why he couldn’t just let me leave the club and leave him behind, even when he had always looked at me with nothing but contempt and resentment.
But I made Silas happy, and I was beginning to understand that this was also the case with Maverick and Killian.
I looked around for the two other men, but they were nowhere to be found.
I turned back to Silas.
“They headed inside to give us a moment,” he explained.
“Oh.”
His lips twitched. “Yes, so let's go inside before they get impatient. And knowing Killian, he’ll probably come out and carry you back in himself.”
I let out a laugh at that, and Silas smiled, hooking my arm around his and leading me toward the entrance of the restaurant.
Maverick and Killian were standing by the entrance on the inside of the softly lit restaurant.
Silas pulled away from me as soon as we got close, and Maverick was there, taking hold of my hand and bringing it up to his lips, kissing the back of it.
“Okay?” he asked me, his eyes roaming over my face.
I nodded and smiled. “Yes.”
“Good.” He pulled me in closer to him. “You stay next to me, okay?”
Seemed like a normal request, but there was something about his voice that made me pause. It was my turn to take in his face, but Maverick had always been good at hiding his thoughts and emotions behind a mask.
“Okay,” I said softly.
He leaned down and kissed the top of my head just as the same man who had greeted us when we first pulled up to the restaurant came by. He stopped a good distance away, as if he was afraid the brothers might grab him if he got any closer. “Your table is ready, sir. If you would follow me.”
The man hesitated for a beat before he turned his back to us and led us to the table. I didn’t blame him. I wouldn’t want to show my back to the three savages either… had I not known just how soft they were with me.
We were silent when we followed the man to the table in the back. It was a huge circular table covered in a pristine white tablecloth and was tucked away in a corner, facing the entire restaurant. And though this was better than being in the middle of the restaurant, I still felt on display. Everywhere we went—or more specifically, where the brothers went—eyes followed.
A group of women nearby were already whispering among themselves, and even if I couldn’t hear, I got the feeling they were talking about us.
I resisted the urge to squirm on my feet when Maverick walked up and pulled out a chair for me. “Little monster?”
I blinked, getting out of my stupor and walking over to the chair. I let him push it in for me before he took a seat close to my side. Silas and Killian surrounded us, Killian on my other side and Silas next to Maverick. The table wasn’t big, but it was more than enough for the four of us, yet the brothers sat close by, and I noticed that none of them sat with their backs to the restaurant. I was sure that was on purpose.
They were all so… cautious. I wondered how I had missed this back in New Orleans when I didn’t know their true identities.
The man placed menus down in front of us. I took in all the names that I had never heard of before in my life, only recognizing a few because they had the words beef, chicken, or salmon. There was even a steak tartare, which I knew what it was, but that was all. I scrunched up my nose. I wasn’t going to try anything raw.
Someone placed a glass of water down in front of each of us before they quietly moved away. Even the glass looked fancy. A small, square-shaped glass with some sort of intricate design. I held it up, and the light reflected against it. It looked brand new, though I knew that probably wasn’t the case.
We barely settled in when a waitress came up to us. She was a little older than me, with sleek brown hair tied in a high ponytail that did a slight swish, swish motion when she walked. Her frame was petite but tall, as her legs seemed to go on for miles. An insecure part of me reared its ugly head as I took in our waitress. She was beautiful and sophisticated. She looked like she should belong on Maverick's arm, especially if he needed to go to future functions as the head of the Tiernan family.
I looked down at the white tablecloth in front of me, running my fingers over the fabric gently, trying not to let my emotions show on my face. It took me a moment to realize the entire table had gotten really quiet. Too quiet.
I looked up, surprised, to see four sets of eyes aimed my way. Killian was frowning slightly, while Silas looked at me with concern, and Maverick… well, he didn’t look to be anything, but that intensity in his gaze was back, making me squirm in my seat.
I turned to the waitress. Her smile was kind and soft, and she looked at me with understanding—in the most professional way.
“Gila was asking what you’d like to eat,” Silas said softly.
Our waitress—Gila—nodded encouragingly. Her kindness only made me feel worse. I could feel my face getting red as I glanced down at the menu and picked the first thing I saw that I knew. She came close to me, and I pointed at the menu, not even daring to pronounce the second word that accompanied the word salmon.
If she was put off by it or judging me for it, she didn’t show. In fact, the smile never faltered when she said, “I’ll have it all out soon.”
And then she was gone.
I avoided the gaze of the brothers, not knowing what to say without feeling like I might just burst out in tears. Fuck the pregnancy hormones.
“Mila—” Silas started.
I stood up so fast I was lucky the chair didn’t tumble over. I internally cringed and looked around at the table. “I have to go to the bathroom.”
No one said anything for half a second, and then Maverick stood up. “I can show you.”
I shook my head. “I can find it.”
I turned around and walked away before any of them could say anything. Either Killian or Silas was trying to follow me because I could hear Maverick say softly, “Let her.”
I let out a small sigh of relief when I didn’t hear their footsteps behind me. At least there was this small reprieve. I was sure if any of them came up and asked me what was wrong, I’d lose it. Gila saw me walking and must have known what I wanted by the look on my face because she pointed to my left. I looked over and saw the sign for the bathroom. Shooting her a grateful smile, I headed there. The bathroom was empty when I got in, and I leaned my weight against the sink, taking in my reflection in the mirror.
I supposed the makeup had done its job because, on the surface, I looked like someone who could belong in their arms, but I didn’t always look like this, and what was more, I didn’t want to have to always look like this, just to be in the brothers’ arms.
I hated this feeling.
The feeling that I didn’t exactly belong in this world and that I didn’t belong with them, no matter how possessive they sounded over me. Them bringing me here, to a place they own, proved that, didn’t it?
I shook my head. I didn’t know anymore.
I closed my eyes and tried to control my breathing.
When I felt like I wasn’t going to completely lose it over the slightest trigger, I walked to one of the three stalls and went to the bathroom. I quickly did my business, washed my hands while avoiding my own gaze, and walked back out to the restaurant, taking in a deep breath of air. I slowly walked back to the table, wondering how I could possibly explain away my sudden mood. Moments later, it didn’t even matter because as soon as our table came into view, my men were still there, with the addition of two women standing nearby.
If I remembered correctly, they had been sitting at the table nearby, whispering among themselves when they saw us.
The only thing keeping me from breaking down completely was the fact that none of the brothers seemed receptive toward the women. In fact, they seemed annoyed, though Maverick was better at hiding his emotions, and while Silas looked irritated, Killian looked downright hostile. Which probably explained why the two women were primarily focused on Maverick and Silas.
One woman said something to Silas that had him frowning before anger quickly morphed on his face.
“No,” he said. He didn’t yell it, but still, his voice carried throughout the restaurant, causing the woman’s cheeks to turn bright red. He faced away from her before she could say anything else to it.
I couldn’t even get satisfaction from that because the other woman had taken it upon herself to sit down in my seat and run her pointed fingernail down Maverick’s chest. My gaze turned as red as the polish on her nails, and I quickly walked over to them. I tapped her shoulder just as Maverick said, “You better leave now before you annoy me enough to ban you.”
She ignored my finger tap and let out a high-pitched giggle, as if he had been joking. Maverick’s eyes moved up and met mine, softening marginally, just as I tapped on the woman’s shoulder again, harder this time.
“What?” she asked, turning around to glare at me.
“You're in my seat.”
She flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Well, perhaps you should have guarded it better.”
“Is this bitch serious?” Killian asked, his eyes on Silas. I didn’t look away from the woman. She clearly heard what Killian said because her expression faltered.
I opened my mouth to tell her to leave again, but Maverick beat me to it.
“She doesn’t need to guard what clearly belongs to her already. I’ve asked politely once. Now you don’t get another chance.” Maverick signaled to someone behind me. Silas gently directed me out of the way as two huge men stopped by.
“They are banned for life,” Killian said just as the men escorted the women out.
“Yes, sir,” one of the men answered. I barely looked their way when they walked past me.
Silas pulled me down onto his lap and pressed his lips against my cheek. “Are you okay, angel?”
I didn’t answer him. I just looked down at my lap. Fucking hell, but I was stronger than this, wasn’t I? There had been a point in my life when I could have handled this situation, any situation, and not felt like I was breaking apart. So why was I feeling so… vulnerable right now?
“Angel, look at me,” Silas softly commanded. I turned my face to him, trying to imitate Maverick and look as if I wasn’t feeling anything.
I didn't know how much I succeeded because he was frowning.
I looked away from him and out to the restaurant. We were garnering some attention from the nearby patrons. I was sure it didn’t help that I was sitting on Silas’ lap. I got off him and took a step back when it looked like he was going to grab me.
“I don’t want to eat here,” I said softly.
“Baby, don’t let other people ruin our night,” Silas said, standing up. I noticed more people looking our way. One man in particular caught my attention. I didn’t know why that was. He was at the table furthest away from us. He was also by himself. Perhaps it was because he was by himself when everyone here was with at least one other person.
And the man was staring intently at me and no one else. It was like there was something he wanted to say to me. I took half a step back before I thought about it and turned back to the brothers. Both Maverick and Silas were looking at me, but Killian had his gaze directed toward the man. His expression thundered, and he stood up. I flinched at the sudden movement.
“Killian,” Silas said, a warning in his voice.
Killian shook his head. “We’re leaving.”
Silas looked like he wanted to say something to that, but Maverick stopped him with a small noise in the back of his throat, his eyes already on the man.
Finally, Silas turned to the man—the same expression on Killian’s face was now mirrored on his own. They knew the man, I realized.
Silas looked at me, his eyes softening somewhat. “Alright, baby. Let's go somewhere else to eat.”
His voice was so soft I could feel my lips trembling. He frowned a little at me before wrapping his arm around my shoulders and hauling me into his arms. We walked out of there just as Gila came by with the food.
“We’ll take care of this,” Maverick said smoothly. “Why don’t you take Mila to the car?”
But Silas was already leading me out. I didn’t look around at anyone else in the restaurant. I burrowed closer to his side, my cheek touching the fabric of his shirt as Silas tightened his arms around me.