12. Cian
Cian
S kylar was everything I knew she’d be—and more.
Her mouth was sweet underneath mine, her breath warm against my skin, and her touch gentle.
I yanked her tight to my chest, giving in to the desire that had been raging inside me for days.
I caressed her skin, reveled in her taste, and fisted her thick hair, keeping her close.
She wrapped her legs around my hips, buried her hand in my hair, tugging gently as I worked her mouth.
The want and need I had for this little woman were overpowering, and all too soon, I had to pull away before things got out of hand.
We stared at each other, our chests heaving.
Skylar’s eyes were wide, her cheeks flushed, her lips swollen and bee-stung from mine.
She was beautiful.
“You’re not sleeping in the other room,” I informed her firmly. “You’re staying here, with me.”
She nodded.
“I need you beside me.”
“I need you too,” she whispered.
That was all I wanted to hear. Slipping my hands under her legs, I carried her into my room, laying her on my bed.
“You sleep here from now on.”
She lifted her chin, and her eyes narrowed. “I don’t take orders from you, fuckwit.”
My feisty girl was back.
I grinned at her. “Really.” I kneeled down on the bed, hovering over her, caging her in between my arms. “Is that a fact, Kitten?”
She slipped her hand up my arm, trailing it over my shoulder and around my neck, caressing the ends of my hair. I shivered at her light touch.
“I’m my own boss,” she whispered. “I call the shots.”
“And what’s your decision, Skylar?” I murmured, running my nose along her jawline and up to her ear, teasing the lobe with my teeth. “Will you stay here with me?” I licked the curve of her ear, smiling at her quiet whimper. “In my bed?”
She pulled me to her mouth.
“Yes.”
S kylar curled around me, her head resting on my chest. I ran my fingers through her hair, loving how soft it felt on my skin.
“What’s your plan, Cian?”
I sighed quietly, knowing I had to tell her the truth.
“Now that I’ve gotten Orson to trust me, I know he’s going to offer me a place in his organization. I’m going to accept it, and then I’m going to take him down. It’ll take some time, but I’ll get it done.”
“How?”
“Sean will be able to get into his files, then we’ll take his connections and destroy them. Shipments will go missing, people will start disappearing, money evaporating.”
“Won’t you be an obvious source—being so new?”
“Nope. I’ll be beside Orson the whole time.
I’ll take out enough of the problems, he’ll never suspect me.
” I drew in a deep breath. “Above all else, Orson has an ego the size of Texas, Skylar. It’s one of his downfalls.
He thinks he picked me. His opinion will be biased because he won’t be able to admit he was wrong—until it’s too late. ”
She bit her lip, fussing with my shirt. Slipping my fingers under her chin, I lifted her head. “What? Something is bothering you.”
“How do you know he doesn’t know who you and Sean are? That he doesn’t remember your dad?”
I shook my head. “It was too long ago for him, Skylar. My dad was small-time. And with Sean’s private life, he’s safe. I’m just a lowly detective—I’m not known at all. We, ah, took precautions as well.”
“Precautions?”
“When this all came to light and I knew I wanted to do this, an…accident was arranged.”
“Accident?” she whispered, her fingers tightening on my shirt.
“Sean, Julia, and I were involved in a fatal car accident one weekend. There was an article about it in the paper, and our obituaries were listed. Technically, none of us exists anymore—although we kept our first names. But even if my last name had twigged Orson’s memory, he thinks the son of the man he had killed years ago is dead as well. ”
“How long is this going to take?”
“Not long. Sean and I plan on moving fast. With his expertise and my front, we want it done. We can’t let it drag on and risk exposure.
We’ll start breaking him down right away, and once it begins, it’ll be like dominoes.
Sean will dismantle his empire, while I destroy his life.
All we need is the right time for Sean to get access to his computer and start the process.
” I exhaled heavily. “And I’m going to get in that godforsaken room and take all his fucking trophies.
I’ll make damn sure all those families get closure and he pays for what he stole. ”
“You sound so positive.”
“I am. We have it all planned, plus the fact that I know someone else close to him is disloyal. I’m going to find out who it is and use them to help us.
His trusted crew is small—that’s one reason he’s been so good at never being caught.
But the ranks are breaking down, and I’m going to use that advantage. His time is over.”
“If Tony was so elusive, how did Orson find you?”
“Harper was planted months ago, as well as another agent. Sean’s been working on small interruptions and problems, and the other agent pointed the finger in the direction of Harper.
He also happened to have my contact information and brought me in, with Orson’s blessing.
We worked it from there.” I snorted. “Orson hates for others to take credit he thinks should be his. And landing Tony Malone was something he wanted to take credit for.”
“Where is the other agent?”
“I killed him.”
Skylar gasped softly.
“I had to do it to prove to Orson I was for real. He baited me in front of Orson and tried to take credit for bringing me in. I took out my gun and shot him.” I pressed a kiss to her forehead.
“It was another setup, Kitten. He fell off the cliff he was standing close to, and his body was swallowed up in the darkness. A few days later, a body washed up and was identified as being his. A local criminal well-known to the authorities—not a great deal of energy was expended to follow up on how he died. Orson found it rather…amusing…when I gave him the gold pen the man always carried.”
She shivered.
I rolled over so we were face-to-face. “Skylar, I’m going to see him—Orson—tomorrow. The storm has passed, and I have no more excuses. He’s already impatient.”
“Will he be angry?”
“No. I’m still useful, and he wants me with him.
So my indifference to him is a challenge.
But it’s time to make my next move.” I tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
“I need you to listen to me. I’m going to be gone for periods of time.
It might be hours, days…even longer. Sean will be as well. We have to.”
Her eyes got wide. “And me?”
“You have to stay here. I have to know you’re safe.” Wrapping my arm around her, I drew her close. “You have to promise me you won’t run. I’ll come back to you, I promise.”
“Will you lock me in my room?”
“No, MacGyver. I think those days are over.” I frowned. “Aren’t they?”
She nodded. “I was only running because of how I felt about you, Cian. I won’t run anymore.”
Brushing my lips across her forehead, I smiled. “Good. There’ll be lots of food and books in the house. I’ll leave a burner cell in case. You only use it for emergencies, you understand?”
“Yes.”
“You won’t be alone all the time. Sean will come and go, and I’ll get back as often as I can. One of us will get a message to you every day. It’ll be short, but you’ll know we’re okay. But I need you to promise me something.”
“Anything.”
“If you don’t hear from either of us at any time in a forty-eight-hour period, there will be a number on the phone labeled J. You call that number and say Tony is in trouble. Someone will come and get you.”
“What about you?”
“They’ll know what to do. But you have to swear to me you’ll stay here and do exactly what I say.”
A shudder ran through her. “I will.”
“Everything is going to be okay.”
“Don’t make me promises you can’t keep, Cian.”
I pulled her closer. “I will keep this one. I just found you, Skylar. I’m not losing you now. I’ll keep you safe, and I’ll take care of that fucking bastard. Then we’ll start.”
“Start?”
“A life together.”
“Where?”
“Wherever we decide.”
“Will you still be, ah, doing this? Being undercover? Catching bad guys?”
“No. I want to do something else. Maybe work with Sean and open a new business. Something with fewer guns.” I paused and cleared my throat. “I’m tired of blood.”
She glanced up at me, worrying her lip.
“Ask me,” I pleaded. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“Do you do that…a lot?”
“Do what?”
Her voice was barely a whisper. “Kill people?”
I shifted uncomfortably. This was the part I didn’t want her to know. I could barely live with it myself. I wasn’t sure she could forgive me. “I’ve had to prove myself to Orson, Skylar. Show he can trust me.”
“Did you know when you went in you’d have to do that?”
“Yes.”
“Were they bad people?”
“Yeah, they were.” I shut my eyes. “It doesn’t make it easier, though. I thought it would. But taking someone’s life—it stays with you. No matter what.”
“Will you be in trouble after?”
“No. There was an agreement. Sean made me get it in writing. I’m safe. Once this is done, I’m free. There’ll be no repercussions.”
“Can you?” she whispered. “Can you leave this behind?”
My response was firm. “Yes.”
She still looked worried, and I understood her fears. She’d already had so much loss in her life. Now, she was afraid of losing me.
“I want a life, Skylar. I want a house and kids. I want to come home every night and be around every weekend. Go on family trips and have friends over for a barbecue on holidays. I want normal. I want what Sean tried so hard to give me.” I kissed her forehead. “I want that with you, Kitten.”
“How can you be so sure?”
I didn’t know how to tell her. How to explain to her that it was something I knew instinctively. The moment I pulled her out of that fort made from cardboard boxes and looked into her eyes. I had to be the one who cared for her and protected her—no matter what.
“I just am.” I rubbed her back in long, slow strokes. “Do you think that maybe you could feel the same way?” I drew in a deep breath. “I want to take care of you, Skylar. I’d be good to you—we’d have a great life together. I promise you.”
“I want to take care of you too.”
“That doesn’t include any more drugged soup, does it?”
“Only when you piss me off.”
I brushed my lips over hers. “I’ll hire a taste taster, then. I have a feeling I’m gonna piss you off a lot.”
She pulled my mouth back to hers.
“I hope so.”
T he kitchen was dark as I sat at the table, sipping a cup of coffee. The only light was the dim bulb over the stove, which threw more shadows than actual light. Hearing heavy footsteps, I looked up to see Sean in the doorway.
“Hey.”
With a grunt, he pushed off the frame, grabbing a cup and sitting beside me. He swallowed the strong brew with a grimace.
“Jesus, Cian. I taught you how to make proper coffee when you were thirteen. This is like fucking tar.”
“I thought we might need it today.”
“You heading in?”
I nodded. “As long as you’re okay. You, ah, recovered?”
He frowned. “Bit of a headache, but I’m good. Tell me you got all her drugs.”
“I did.”
“Good. She is far too clever for her own good. I plan on having a talk with her later.”
The news didn’t surprise me, but my protective feelings were simmering very close to the surface. “Take it easy on her, okay? This was all because of me. I should have told her.”
“Which makes me…” he prompted.
I rolled my eyes. “It makes you right, old man, okay? Just don’t yell at her.”
He smirked. “Hearing you admit I was right might be worth this headache.” He clapped me on the shoulder. “I won’t yell. I’m just gonna talk to her. I promise. Now, you want me with you when you go?”
“Not today. I’ll go see Orson. I want you to stock up this place.” I met his eyes. “Fill it. Get her everything she might need for the next while. She knows we’ll be gone a lot.”
“Did you tell her everything?”
“Yes.”
“How did she take it?”
“She handled it well. She told her story, I told mine.”
He arched his eyebrow at me, and I quietly shared Skylar’s history. He frowned as he listened, shaking his head when I was done.
“Rough.”
I nodded.
“Does she know how you feel about her?”
“I think we’re both pretty clear on that subject.”
“I guess she was meant to meet you.”
I smirked at him. “You believe in fate now?”
He shrugged. “I think things happen for a reason.” He poured himself another coffee. “Maybe we should send her to Julia, Cian. Get her away from this, from us entirely, until it’s done. She’d be safe, and you wouldn’t be distracted.”
My hand tightened on my mug. I had thought of that, and I knew it would be for the best. Still, I shook my head. “I can’t, Sean. Not yet. I…I need her close right now. Even if I can only see her once in a while—I need her close. She has Julia’s number in the phone.”
“And if things escalate?”
“You get her to Julia.”
“I may take that decision away from you.”
I swallowed hard, knowing he was right. He might have to.
I glanced down the hall where I knew Skylar was asleep. Safe and tucked into a warm bed—my bed—and resting, knowing she was protected and cared for. She trusted me to do both.
“You do what you have to do when the time comes,” I rasped out through my suddenly dry throat.
He regarded me shrewdly and nodded.
We were both silent as the sun began to rise, signaling the start of a new day.
A day that would begin the downfall of Orson Valenti.
And he’d never see it coming.