Chapter 27 Fallon #2
Somehow, he knows me; he knows what I need. The rush, the danger, the safety, and the freedom. All of these conflicting parts of me find balance with him, with all of them.
Slow clapping sounds to my left and I turn my head to look in that direction without breaking physical contact with Matteo.
Heat floods my face when I see Akio and Declan standing there.
Akio’s mask is on the ground at his feet while he gives us the most dramatic slow applause I think I’ve ever witnessed, while Declan stands there, mask in hand, pinning me in place with a dirty fucking smirk.
Did they just watch? Embarrassment is at war with a thrill inside me at the thought. I bury my face back into Matteo’s chest, trying to hide the blush covering my skin.
“Come on, Siren. Let’s go back inside. We all need to talk.” When I take Akio’s hand he gives Matteo a pointed look. Intrigue has me willingly going back inside. I’ll have to find a way to contact Quinn later.
Declan hangs back to walk with Matteo while Akio has an arm around my shoulders. Their heated whispers follow behind me, but I can’t make out what they’re saying. I turn my head to Akio so I can read his expression. “What do we need to talk about?”
His features are locked down but his arm tightens around me ever so slightly.
“We all need to get on the same page with where to go from here.” He hesitates a moment, throwing what seems to be an involuntary glance over his shoulder.
“And we need to make sure we all have the same information moving forward. It’s going to get dangerous if we don’t. ”
I nod in response because that makes perfect sense, but I still feel like he’s holding something back. We climb the stairs and enter through the front door; the guys catch up to us once we hit the foyer.
As we step into the living room, a high-pitched voice greets us from the couch. “Welcome home!”
Akio and I come to an abrupt stop, causing Declan and Matteo to stumble into us. After the initial shock wears off, I squeal and dive onto Quinn, who has somehow found her way into the house.
Matteo
I attempt to muster some irritation at Quinn’s breaking into our house, but seeing Fallon so happy, and after that connection in the maze, all I find is contentment.
As we all gather in the living room, I mentally prepare for this conversation.
Hades sprawls at Fallon's feet after huffing when he couldn't squeeze onto the couch with her.
I’m aware my brothers won’t tolerate our secrecy much longer, especially where it concerns Fallon.
They care too much for her, and the truth is, I do too.
But fear has a hard grip on my stomach as I think about how, for the first time, both Fallon and I truly let our walls down.
If we tell her what we know and she runs, I don't know if any of us will recover.
“How did you even get in here?” Akio sits beside Fallon with Quinn on her other side.
Quinn scoffs a laugh. “Well, you left the fucking door open after chasing my best friend outside. It’s not like it was hard.”
“How do you know about that?” Declan’s eyes narrow on Quinn, but I already know the answer.
“You got past my latest firewalls didn’t you? Son of a bitch.” Akio flops back on the couch, looking defeated.
Quinn shrugs, and Fallon laughs as she leans into him. Her casual contact with him brings a smile to his lips, and he wraps an arm around her. His eyes meet mine and he nods for me to get on with it.
“Why are you here?” My tone is sharp as I pin Quinn with a stare.
“Ease up,” Fallon warns me before settling back against Akio.
I pinch the bridge of my nose and force back my exasperation as I try again with a much softer tone. “Can you please tell us why you’re here?” I meet Fallon's eyes with a look that says, Are you happy now? She gives me a wink, so I guess that was good enough.
“The three of you are taking too long,” Quinn says.
“She can’t be a captive forever.” Her words echo the argument that we have had for what feels like a thousand times.
“Clearly the four of you are working together now, so I have one question for you.” When did this mouthy blonde take control of this conversation?
I raise a brow, waiting for her to continue. “Do you care about her?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Fallon tense ever so slightly, her eyes darting between myself and my brothers. I know they catch the shift in her demeanor, as well. Our answer matters to Fallon.
“Yes.”
“Obviously.”
“Yeah.”
All three of our voices chime in at the same time, drawing a smile from both women.
“Well then,” Quinn says with amusement. “You’re stuck with me. We need to map out how to get Fallon back to work at Helix. I can’t do any more investigating without some assistance and help with distraction.”
“Damnit, Quinn. I told you not to do anything yet.” Fallon turns on her friend who doesn’t back down.
“I hear you, but when they started shifting roles in some departments, like security, IT, and public relations, I decided to pay close attention. That's it, just observing the pieces moving on the board. But I need to know what you know so that I don’t step on a land mine while I search through old files.”
She has a point, but trusting someone outside of our trio feels foreign to me. Fallon seems to think she’s trustworthy, but I still find myself hesitating.
Of all people, it’s Declan who takes the decision out of my hands.
Fucker. “We’ve created some files of confirmed players in all of this – like Clay for example.
We have dug into their lives looking for crime history and trying to find any connection that seems relevant.
We still need to uncover the rest of their legal connections that are helping them keep their operation under the radar.
O'Brian couldn’t have been the only one.
Ultimately, we’re after the head of the snake.
Everything we’ve found so far points to this starting before any of us knew anything; before Sebastian Helix even took over. ”
My teeth grind when he mentions the files. I can't do this, I can’t tell her.
“Great.” Quinn nods enthusiastically. “Let me see these files and we can go from there.”
“That's enough for today.” I stand and ignore the hostile looks being thrown my way. “I'm going to cook dinner and we will finish this tomorrow.” My tone allows for no argument, but my brothers follow me into the kitchen.
I’m lining ingredients for chicken parmesan on the counter when they start in on me.
“What the fuck, Teo? We agreed to tell her,” Akio hisses while glancing over his shoulder to make sure Quinn and Fallon are still distracted with their own conversation.
“Not in front of Quinn. This needs to be between us.” I know I’m grasping at straws for any excuse, and I know my brothers see it too.
“The longer we wait, the worse this is going to go. How can you not see that?” Declan stands opposite me with his arms braced on the breakfast bar. Tension radiates through his body.
“I know, I know. Fuck.” I shake my head, staring down at the counter. I have never felt this lost or uncertain about what to do next in a situation.
“One day,” I raise my head to meet Akio’s severe stare, his tone steely. “You have one day to sort your shit out and tell her, or we’re taking this out of your hands and telling her ourselves.”
I look back at the ingredients in front of me, but I am not really seeing them. I jerk my head in understanding, and their footsteps fade as they leave the kitchen to join the girls.
For the next hour, I try to lose myself to my process in the kitchen, but for once, that doesn’t work. My mind keeps wandering back to Fallon, what she means to all of us, and the risk that comes with the truth.