Chapter 1 #2
Lor took the chaise with a book in his hands, his head down, giving me a perfect view of his black strands with the magnificent white stripe.
He was a real Pepé Le Pew. His knees were bent toward his chest as he burrowed in on himself.
He made a sound of acknowledgement toward Vail again, and I wasn’t sure if Vail noticed.
Vail was the type who didn’t expect answers to anything he said, and the buzz of solo conversation kept my mind serene. His voice was soothing. Lor sent me a look here and there, brown eyes gentle, almost like he was checking in on me. I winked at him to let him know I was okay.
I wasn’t okay, though.
But their company was appreciated, and I sent them a smile of thanks.
A knock startled me and I straightened as Vail fell silent. “Come in.”
The door opened and Ronan popped his head inside. “Sir, the boss just arrived home.”
I was out of my seat before he’d finished his sentence.
Rushing past him, I gave him a nod in appreciation as I ran down the hallway leading toward the foyer.
Sloan was sliding off his jacket but turned in time to catch me as I flew at him.
I curled my arms around his neck and buried my face into his shoulder, inhaling like it was the last time I’d ever get to smell him.
“Well hello to you, too.” He chuckled, and I sighed.
“You’re safe.” I gripped him tighter. “And you’re here.”
He wrapped his arms around my back and dragged me closer until we were flush against one another. He kissed my cheek, then nuzzled along my jaw. “I’m sorry I had to make you stay at the house, Pet. I couldn’t risk it.”
I finally stepped away and took in the sight of him.
The man who stood in front of me wasn’t the boss I was used to seeing.
Besides the blue scrubs he wore that he obviously borrowed from a doctor, his shoulders slouched slightly and the dark rings beneath his eyes were more pronounced.
He could barely stand straight and struggled to stay on his feet.
His bottom lip was cut and a bruise was beginning to bloom on his jaw.
I grasped his hands, a growing heaviness settling in my chest. “You need rest.”
“No. No rest.” He smirked and leaned down for a kiss.
I cupped his face and pressed into him as much as I could, tasting his mouth and reveling in the feel of his tongue against mine.
A throat cleared behind me, and Sloan broke away to stare over my shoulder. “Yes, Mr. Hopper?”
I turned to glance at our butler. Mr. Hopper had to at least be in his eighties, and I’d learned when I’d first arrived that he’d been here since Sloan was a kid.
His gauntness had grown in the last eight years and his gray hair had receded farther, but he always looked pristine—not a hair out of place.
Sloan had offered him a generous retirement package numerous times, but Mr. Hopper refused, stating that he’d rather die here, doing what he’d always done.
Mr. Hopper stepped forward, wobbling a little, and straightened as much as his elderly back would allow.
“You had a few calls while you were away, sir. From Mr. Folliero and Mr. Sidorov, which Mr. Morrissey has handled, but Mr. Folliero has called again. Rumors are flying around the city already, and while Mr. Morrissey has made arrangements for a meeting . . . .” He inclined his head toward me. “They have questions.”
Sloan grunted. “Tell them both that either me or Conall will call them when we have information to share.”
Mr. Hopper bowed his head and left us alone.
I watched Sloan’s face, taking in the way his eyes flickered in irritation and his shoulders tensed.
I touched my hand to his chest, and he smiled down at me.
It was rare for anyone other than me and Fionn to see this softer side of Sloan, even while he was bruised and hurting in more ways than one.
“Fionn’s out of surgery and in the ICU. He’s semi awake and doing well, so they’re talking about moving him to a room.” He lowered his head and the corner of his mouth twitched.
I smoothed my hand across his chest and rested it above his heart, feeling the thump under my palm. He was alive. Here. Things could’ve turned out very different. “So, he’s going to be okay. That’s good. Really good.”
Sloan shook his head and took a step back. He turned to march down the hallway toward his office, and I followed at his heels, aware of how fast his mood changed when he was angry. Sloan’s spine tensed as he shoved open his door and paused when he saw Vail and Lor in there.
Lor jumped to his feet, eyes wide. “Sloan, you’re home.”
As if he didn’t already know. But it was cute to see his happiness anyway.
Vail was still in the zone, muttering while not being aware of anyone else’s presence, and it took Lor closing the distance between them and nudging his shoulder for Vail to snap out of it. He blinked around like a confused zombie before his gaze landed on Sloan.
He stood quickly, his hand knocking some of his books onto the floor. “My guys? Fallon and Rowen. Are they okay? What’s happening? No one is telling me anything.”
I walked around Sloan so Vail could see me. “You know we can’t tell you what’s going on yet. It’s too dangerous.”
Sloan hummed in agreement. “Rowen and Fallon are safe. They weren’t hurt, but you need to stay here until they come to get you. This is the best place you can be right now.”
Vail’s expression dropped and he pressed his lips together, nearly pouting at the lack of answer.
He eyed Sloan’s cut bottom lip carefully, a little unsure.
“Right, because I tried to call them, and they haven’t answered.
I hate not knowing anything.” The words came out in a rush and he still wasn’t done. “It reminds me of this time when—”
“Dr. Mifflin.” Lor laid his hand on Vail’s shoulder, distracting him. “Just breathe. They’re fine. Sloan says so, and he wouldn’t lie about it.”
“No, I wouldn’t.” Sloan exhaled and pinched the bridge of his nose. “And your boys in Miami are healthy.”
I’d forgotten about the task we’d sent some of our best soldiers to Miami for. Reyes had a cousin there who was causing trouble. Cillian, Aspen, Jamie, and his right-hand man, Corbin were handling it. If you call bombs and escaped tigers dealing with the situation.
Vail offered him a small smile. “I’ll pack up my stuff and get out of your way. We just wanted to keep Conall company.”
Sloan held up his hand. “Don’t. You can stay here. I need to have a minute with Conall, but I’ll take him somewhere more private.”
Vail smiled sadly, the corners of his eyes crinkling. He wrung his hands and rocked a little on his feet. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“You have four boyfriends, so I guess that gives us a lot of wiggle room,” I teased, and it was enough to have all of us chuckling despite the shitty night and early morning. The sun was up, but it felt like one continuous day, especially as we’d barely slept at all.
“Don’t go anywhere, Vail. Stay here.” Sloan gave him a pointed stare before he turned and slipped his hand into mine, guiding me back out of the office.
We didn’t speak as he led me down the hallway, up the split staircase, and through the maze of halls until we reached our room.
I kept my eyes on Sloan’s back the entire way, taking in the anxious tension of his muscles under the blue scrubs.
I was tempted to tell him the color brought out his eyes, but I kept my mouth shut.
Sloan obviously had something on his mind that he needed to talk to me about.
We finally managed to get into the bedroom, and he shut the door firmly behind us. He stayed there, palm pressed flat against the wood while staring at the door, and I frowned. This was more than stress.
I hesitantly took a step toward him, then another, and he didn’t move. His head bowed forward, and I shot to him, the need to comfort him urging me to press my chest to his back and wrap my arms around him tight. I laid my cheek in the middle of his shoulders as I strengthened my grip on him.
“Sloan?”
He inhaled through his nose but stayed silent. The eeriness of the quiet made my stomach churn. This wasn’t my partner and boss I was holding. He was a shell.
“Talk to me? I can help.”
He laughed grimly and patted my hand against his stomach. “There’s nothing you can do, Pet. This was my fault.”
“Fionn?” I kissed the skin above the collar of the scrubs and squeezed him, even though it wasn’t possible to hold him any tighter. “No.”
“You don’t know what happened,” he growled out, angry.
He tensed farther. “Reyes baited me, and I took it like a fucking child being needled by a bully. He wanted an old-school fight in the alley, and I accepted his challenge. Look what happened. Fionn was shot. Three times in the chest. Trying to stand up for me. This was my fault. I let him get the better of me when I should’ve been thinking clearly. ”
“Sloan—”
“Pet, I don’t need you to make me feel better.”
I flinched, the cutting tone slicing through me. I shoved aside my feelings, though, because beneath his words lay a shadow of despair that ripped through my soul and tormented my heart. Sloan, my confident partner, was hurting. Bleeding emotionally. And I was the only one who could heal him.
“I lecture Fionn on being a good leader, and I failed. I put my nephew . . . .” He slammed his palm against the wooden door. “My son in the hospital. He survived, but it could’ve just as easily gone the other way. I could’ve lost him.”
“But you didn’t.”
I’d had enough of this self-pity. I released my hold on him and spun him around, which took a bit of maneuvering because he was bigger and stronger than me. I poked him in the chest as he frowned down at me.