Chapter Three
Rowan
“There he is!” Noah, one of the twins, announces when I step into Dale’s.
He’s about the same height as me, but ridiculous when it comes to his hair and looks.
Long brown hair that falls to his shoulders is neatly styled and swept back from his pretty-boy face.
He’s the lankier of the two, but just as strong as his twin in every way.
They’re a lethal duo.
Which is why I'm surprised when I don't see the quiet and curt twin, Simon, lingering around.
“He’s out on a job,” Noah smiles brightly before attempting to wrap his arms around me. I stand still as he pats my back affectionately. “Boss man! Good to see you again!”
“Simon didn't communicate that he was taking a hit.” I’m not thinking about Addison. I’m not.
Noah only smirks. “Because he took a job with a construction company. Believe it or not, but my brother is in love. Since your rule change, he found himself a girlfriend in New York.”
Fuck.
“Who?” The question comes out quick and defensive before I can stop myself.
The assassin blinks. “Uh, her name is Mavie. She’s a real sweetheart. I'm sure he’ll send in the paperwork to move her onto the compound if he decides to come back.”
I release the breath I was holding and try to banish the thoughts of brown hair and sun-kissed skin. This isn't the place for that. I have a lot to catch up on, and already, Addison has taken over the forefront of my mind in every way. “I’m sorry. I need a fucking drink.”
Noah’s eyes crease, “We have just the thing for you.”
He leads me over to the table where Connor sits with his arm wrapped around Alana’s shoulders.
He’s already two beers deep and peers intently at his significant other as if he can't get enough of her.
Alana has to feel his stare boring into the side of her face, but doesn't comment on it as she talks to Thalia.
I do a double-take, once again surprised when I see my sister sitting on the other side of the table. Her eyes, a few shades lighter than mine, shift to me, and she lifts a brow. “What?”
“You’re back?” I take the seat next to her.
She intertwines her fingers and rests her elbows on the table, giving me a scheming smirk. “Losing your memory, Old Man? Or are you just distracted?”
“I’m not old.”
“Thirty is old. If you’re anything like Dad, that's middle-aged.” Thalia shrugs.
I try not to flinch at the mention of our father. All these years, and I still can't shake the trauma response that comes with hearing mention of him. “You didn't turn in your report—”
“I did first thing this morning, Row.” My sister rolls her eyes. “Can you not be a stickler, for once? Let me tell you how I killed this guy.”
She did? How do I not remember this?
Right. Addison.
“Thalia,” I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose before rubbing a hand over my face, “this is a job. I’ll see it in your report.”
“Come on, Thal,” Noah plops down on the other seat beside her. “He’s supposed to be unwinding. Something’s up his ass.” The assassin raises a hand, catching Dale’s attention. “Rounds until someone has to drag us out of here!”
The elder bartender scowls at him. “I know what Rowan is like when he’s drunk. That’s a hard no.”
I rub a hand across my eyes. “I can't get drunk. I have work to do—”
“Hey,” Alana taps the table, getting my attention. “We invited you out to get your mind away from work.” The whole time she speaks, Connor brushes her curls away from her face, safely tucking them behind her ear before kissing her neck in a sickly sweet gesture.
“You’re so fucking beautiful,” he murmurs.
Her lips tug upward as she scolds me, and her boyfriend continues his affection. “Loosen up. Drink a few beers. You don't have to get drunk, but you need a break.”
For once, I envy the couple. I imagine myself in their place, my hand brushing soft brown hair away from a familiar face I can't seem to stop thinking about. Something twinges in my chest, and I grit my teeth. “You’re right. I need a break.” I raise my hand to Dale. “Two beers.”
The older man lifts a thick, white brow at me. “Rowan, son, my body isn't what it used to be. I can't carry you out of here.”
Thalia’s eyes shift to me as she takes a long sip of her whiskey. My sister may be certifiable, but she isn't stupid. She knows when something is up.
I ignore her as Noah rounds the table and slings an arm across my shoulders. “My man! We got him, Dale.”
The bartender side-eyes me as he grabs two beers from the cooler. “I’ll hold you to that.” He hands them off to Noah before returning to the patrons at the counter.
I know I’m going to regret this in the morning, but I need something to make the image of Addison Bright fade. I pop the top of my beer and let the cold, bitter taste slide down my throat in a gulp. “Now, someone has information on Theo?”
“Seriously?” Thalia throws her hands up. “No one wants to know how I killed the CEO?”
Alana leans forward, breaking the connection where Connor was practically sucking on her neck. “I want to hear it! No one ever lets me in on field work.”
Her boyfriend frowns before settling with scooting her chair closer to his. “I tell you about my hits all the time, Professor. You don't like my stories?”
She pats his cheek affectionately, giving him a sweet look. “You leave out too many details, sweetheart. I want the gore.”
Connor’s head rolls back against his shoulders. “You are a horror fanatic, my love.”
The intel expert gives him a matter-of-fact upturn of her nose. “With Halloween quickly approaching, it’s time for my horror-flick-a-day ritual. I started without you last night.”
Her boyfriend lifts a brow. “What movie?”
“Thirteen Ghosts,” Thalia mumbles past her glass.
“You know I love that one!” Connor protests.
Alana narrows her eyes at my sister. “Are you still logged into my account?”
“Maybe,” Thalia smirks.
“I’m changing the passcodes,” Alana declares, slumping back in her chair. “That will stop your mooching.”
“That’s fine,” my sister says easily, placing her glass down on the table. “I’ll just break in later. You spend Thursdays at your parents' place, right?”
Connor points a finger at her. “You break into our house and I’ll stalk the kill catalogue and take every fucking hit you even think about, Thalia.”
I take another sip of my beer, realizing how much I’ve missed this.
We all grew up together, so the bickering is normal.
We used to do this all the time, but I’ve been so busy running this damn organization that I've forgotten to take the time to visit my found family. I’ve surrounded myself with mountains of paperwork so high that they blocked out what really mattered.
“Okay!” Noah announced over the ensuing argument. “I have some info on Theo!” Everyone quiets, and I continue to drown out my sorrows with alcohol. “He said he’s coming back. Dom doesn't know yet.”
“I knew he would come crawling back,” Thalia twirls her glass on the table. “Tell us something we don't know.”
“Yeah,” Alana agrees. “Like what caused them to split in the first place?”
“Now that's information I would pay for,” Connor agrees.
When I pop the top of my second beer, all eyes trail to me.
“Rowan,” Thalia warns.
“I’m fine.” I continue to drink, soaking in the light buzz that's forming in my head. I’m the most relaxed I've felt in weeks, and I’m not thinking of Addison.
Not at all.
Nope.
“I’m still not sure what caused him to go rogue,” Noah shrugs. “Getting information out of Dom is like trying to pry a brick from a house.”
I know the reason, but I’m not inclined to spill my friend’s secrets. If Dom wanted everyone to know, he would tell them. I’m sitting on vital information, but betraying one’s trust isn't something I would do.
That seems to dampen the mood of the group until Alana nudges Connor’s side. “Maybe Rowan will tell us about the brunette he’s keeping pictures of in his office.”
I choke on my drink, coughing as I set my beer down on the table. I recover quickly, only to notice Thalia’s raised brow.
“A brunette, huh?” Her lips tug up in that sinister fucking look that tells me she's profiling.
Fuck.
“It was no one,” I quickly try to gloss over it. “Just some woman in a report.”
“I need details.” Thalia ignores me, focusing on Alana.
“Tall, about five-foot-six, lithe build, nice rack, Hazel eyes, and tan.” Alana rattles off Addison’s description so fast I barely have the time to blink.
My sister’s head tilts as her eyes shift to me. “Addison?”
“No,” I grit, lifting a hand to Dale. “Two more.” The man nods before retrieving two more beers and placing them on the bar for me.
“Drop it,” I command before stalking over to grab them.
With my back to the others, I take a few deep breaths to calm the roaring in my head.
This only happens when I feel like I'm on the brink of something I’ve tried to fight since I was a teenager.
It’s the same thing that dragged Thalia and Atlas down into the deepest fucking depths of insanity. I feel like a live wire, ready to destroy everything I’ve worked so hard for. No matter how hard I try, I can’t stop thinking of her.
I grip one of the beers like I'm trying to strangle someone and pop the top. I throw it back, chugging it until my stomach nearly rebels, but it’s what I need to bring me back to the present.
Don’t blow up, Rowan.
They’re just curious.
Still, it has my mind circling back again and again to those brown tresses. Hazel eyes blink at me before a smile so radiant graces her plump lips.
I want that.
I want to bottle whatever it is that makes her, her, and just keep it forever. Even if she would never have me, I want Addison Bright so badly that it’s eating away at what little sanity I have left.
I push off the bar and grab my drinks. I give myself one last chance to pull it the fuck together before I walk back to the table. When I sit down, no one brings Addison up again, and I’m grateful for the change of topic.
“Out of whisky,” Thalia says before standing.