Chapter Ten – Fang #4
“I think so. I thought it would be a perfect distraction, given everything that’s going on, but then I get a call saying she got kidnapped again and managed to escape on her own. She’s going to need a bigger distraction than a masked chase in the woods.”
“A masked chase in the woods might be just what she needs,” I told him, and I didn’t think he expected me to say that, because he whipped his head in my direction and gave me a questioning look.
“What? I know she’s been holding herself back from you.
Coming to terms with you being her devil wasn’t easy.
She spent two years thinking you were untouchable. ”
Kieran’s shoulders slumped as we rounded the final landing. “Believe it or not, things weren’t supposed to turn out like this. If Tessa would’ve just let her be… we’d all be in very different places right now.”
“Alas, your sister could not let her be, and, as you’ll hear from her, she’s already got a hired gun at her beck and call, someone who’s been watching Laina for a while. It means he’s patient, not your typical goon from a wannabe gang. This guy… I don’t know what to make of him yet.”
We reached the door that opened up into my top-floor abode, but before Kieran could grab hold of the door handle and pull it open, I set a hand on his shoulder and stopped him.
“You should also be aware Laina is…” Oh, how should I put this? “Intrigued by this guy.” As I said it, I could see his expression hardening. He was jealous that Mike and I were with her, but now? This current envy put that to shame in the blink of an eye.
“Intrigued?” Kieran echoed with a frown. “By the guy who kidnapped her?”
“Yes, strange, isn’t it? She’s never fallen for someone like that before.”
He rolled his eyes and shrugged my hand off him. “Great. Just great news. Thanks for that. As if I didn’t already have enough to worry about.”
“You shouldn’t worry about any of it. We’ll get through this together, I’m sure of it.” My words were meant to be comforting, but he clearly did not want to listen to me. I watched as he grabbed the handle and flung it open, stepping inside without so much as acknowledging my comment.
I walked in seconds behind him, and Kieran went straight for the bed, sitting on the side not currently taken over by Mike—who had woken up and was now sitting, bare chested, watching the approach. Laina, on the other hand, was still asleep, though when Kieran sat on the bed, she stirred.
Her eyelids peeked open, and she spotted him looming over her. “Kieran,” she mumbled with a yawn. She sat up, let the sheets fall and expose her top half, and threw her arms around his neck.
Even though he was agitated by what I’d warned him of, I noted the way his shoulders relaxed when she hugged him, how he seemed to melt in her grip as he hugged her in return.
The man might pretend to be icy all around, but when it came to her, he was just as weak as Mike and me. She had that way about her.
Only when the hug ended did she pull away from him and ask, “Where were you?”
I meandered to the other side of the bed and sat near Mike’s feet, giving them a bit of space, as Kieran answered her, “I was a few hours away. I spent all last night checking out a few spots I thought might be good for… for a particular hunt.”
You’d have to be blind to not see how Laina perked up at hearing that.
“I had the night off, and I thought with everything, it’d be a nice distraction for you.
For both of us. What I did not think was I’d come back to find out you were kidnapped, managed to get out on your own, and that you’re intrigued by the asshole who kidnapped you. I thought we had something special.”
She grinned and playfully swatted at him when he said that last part, causing a smirk to tug at his lips. “Shut up,” she hissed out. “It’s… it’s not like that. Not really.”
“Okay, well, tell me about this guy,” he said. “Do we know who we’re looking for? If we can find him before he tries to make another move on you, maybe we can get ahead of this whole thing and beat Tessa at her own game.”
Laina blushed somewhat as she began to relay the man’s description: “He’s older.
A full head of gray hair. Dark eyes. He’s pretty tall, too, at least six foot.
Oh, and he’s covered in tattoos. His right arm is a sleeve of all these different designs, but his left and his neck are all black.
I’ve never seen a tattoo like that. I can’t imagine how long that took. ”
The more she described the man, the more Kieran’s face changed. Yes, he started out jealous, but as the seconds ticked by, some other emotion took its place, only I couldn’t discern what that emotion was.
“His name is Jason, but we don’t have a last name yet,” she continued to rattle off.
“He acted like he was some kind of fixer, a problem-solver, and he wanted to know the whole picture.” She paused, clearly remembering something.
“You know, it was kind of weird. Tessa must have coached him or something, because he asked me how I lured you away from her. I don’t see why a random fixer would give a crap—”
Kieran stood. “I have to go.”
Laina gave him a weird look. “What? But you just got here.”
He hurried to the door, muttering, “I’m sorry. I—I just have to go. There’s something I need to do.” He did not wait for her to say anything more; he was out the door right after that.
Mike grumbled, “What the hell was up with him?”
Laina leaned back and pulled the sheets up to her chest. “That was weird. It was almost like…”
I said what she was thinking: “Almost like he knew the man who kidnapped you.”
This Jason guy. If Kieran knew him… things were definitely more complicated than they were before. None of us should be surprised at that, but it did surprise me that Kieran simply left without explaining himself or what had him so spooked.
Hmm. Hopefully the man just needed a bit of time and he’d come around soon enough.