Chapter 14
KIERAN
Fourteen months before Eden went missing…
I roll up my sleeves as I head for the garage, my hair still dripping wet from the shower. Lochlan managed to drag me into a meeting with Miles today, which nearly made me late. Jude will be here any minute.
Over the last month, Eden and I have fallen into a pattern.
I send Jude to pick her up from her place in the city at least twice a week, and we spend the night out on the patio, eating and fucking.
Most of the time, I can convince her to spend nights with me, and while I’ve never been particularly interested in sharing my bed with anyone before, there is something about having Eden there that I really enjoy.
Mika has also started to encroach on my time with Eden. Of course, Jude doesn't have it in him to tell his wife no, which means I have a hard time prying her away from my girl.
I round the corner, nearly dressed and hoping that Eden isn’t here yet. I can’t give Mika the chance to swoop in?—
“Kieran.”
Only years of practice keep me from jolting at the sound of my name. I turn slowly, my brows pulling together when I find Lochlan standing in my home. “What are you doing here?”
“We were in the middle of a conversation when you left.” His gaze sweeps over me, and I don’t know what he’s looking for. “What happened?”
“Miles is a dumb cunt, and I was finished listening.” It’s mostly the truth.
His brow quirks. “And me? I’m not worth listening to, either?”
I fight back a sigh. “No, Lo. I wasn’t ignoring you.”
He steps closer. “Kier?—“
“Why are all your guards outside?” Rohan calls as he walks in, and I bite back a curse. Neither of them is supposed to be here.
“They are guarding my home,” I snap.
I can feel Lochlan’s gaze boring into the side of my face, but I need to get them out of here.
Eden will be here soon, and despite how much Jude has been pestering me—and it’s been a lot—I haven’t told Lochlan or Rohan about her.
I have stayed out of the cage fights like Rohan requested, but they’ve still been very suspicious of me.
Mostly because I’ve never tried to avoid them like I have been.
“And they can’t do that inside?” Rohan reaches us as he asks the question.
This time, I do huff. “Is that really why you’re here? To pester me about where my staff’s posts are?”
He’s clearly surprised by my aggressive reaction, but all I can focus on is that I’m running out of time. “No, it’s not.” His eyes scan down my frame. “But now, I think I need to know the answer.”
“Does it have to do with why you rushed out of our meeting?” Lochlan’s question makes me grind my teeth.
“Can the two of you kindly fuck off?” I start toward the side door that leads out to the pathways to their homes. “I’m in no mood.”
When I don’t hear the footsteps behind me, I turn to find neither of them has moved. My nostrils flare. Why are they being so daft today?
“What crawled up your arse?” Rohan frowns, and I have no doubt it was the same question Lochlan was going to ask me. One I don’t want to bother with.
“Besides being questioned in my own home?” I cross my arms, tension lining my muscles. I’m annoyed at my night being disrupted, and fuck, I’m pissed at myself for letting this lie build up like this.
It’s not even that I want to hide Eden. At first, I did so because I knew that Rohan would berate me about how stupid it was to let someone this close.
Lochlan would be more liable to make unbearable jokes since he has no problem finding a warm body at night—though he never goes anywhere private with them.
A guard is always nearby in case, and then he’ll come home alone.
But now, I don’t know how she will react to them or if she wants anyone to know she’s here. She’s handled Mika well, but what if she views Rohan and Lochlan as threats? What if they view her as one?
It is a fucking mess that I don’t want to deal with, so I haven’t been. Only, it’s about to turn into a complete disaster if I don’t find a way to get the two of them out of here.
Fighting to keep my temper under control, I try again. Rohan and Lochlan have just been staring at me, clearly tired of my shite.
“You know Miles puts me in a foul mood.” It’s a decent excuse because it’s true. “I was after a few glasses of whiskey and didn’t expect you two to show up.”
They share a look, and I already know that something isn’t adding up to them. Probably because I’ve never cared when they barge into my home. I always pour them a glass, too.
It’s obvious that there is something wrong, and I don’t know how the fuck to fix it.
“He thinks we’re fucking stupid,” Rohan mutters, and Lochlan nods along. It’s then I know I’m screwed.
And what finalizes it is the sound of the garage door opening and Mika’s voice. I’m tempted to shove the two of them out the door by force when I hear Eden’s laughter.
Jude rounds the corner, stride pausing as he takes in Rohan and Lochlan standing before me. He looks at Rohan’s frown and Lochlan’s pinched brow and, for the first time ever, fucks me over. “You told them?”
My eyes widen. But I don’t have time to tell him to shut up because Mika and Eden appear behind him, arm in arm. Their heads are tilted together as they talk, and I’m certain that Mika rode with Jude to pick Eden up—a habit she’s been developing.
They fall quiet as they take in the scene before them. The air is thick with tension, and I notice Jude shifting closer to Mika.
Before I can find any words, Rohan’s gun is out and trained on Eden. I instinctively step in front of him, and his eyes narrow. “Who the fuck is she?”
“Put the gun down,” I growl, ready to put a bullet in him myself if it would keep her safe. I’ve never felt anything like this surge of protectiveness flooding my system.
“You heard him, dog.” Eden’s voice is sharp from behind me as I hear a click. I glance back to see that she’s pulled out her own firearm and has her aim on Lochlan. “Follow your orders, and drop it .”
I’m not sure whether to groan or laugh. I’ve seen Rohan kill people for less, but I also love the way Eden never backs down from anything.
But then I see Lochlan’s hand shift. He’s got blades everywhere, and he’s deadly with his aim. I know that he’ll disarm Eden with one flick, and I refuse to let her get hurt.
“Stop it,” I snarl, shoving her arm down. My gaze lands on Rohan, who has trained his gun just over my shoulder. I step closer, blocking him. “Put it away.”
“There is a stranger in our compound?—“
“She is a guest in my home ?—“
“You don’t have guests.”
“You don’t know a fucking thing.”
We are both fuming, chests heaving, and that fucking gun is still pointed at me. The fury coming off of him is so potent that I’m ready for him to snap and swing at me. And I have no problem settling this with blows.
But then Lochlan rips the gun from him and shoves between us. “Knock it the fuck off.” He jams the gun back into Rohan’s empty holster before turning on me. “You’re right. We don’t know a fucking thing, and that needs to change.”
Lochlan catches me off guard when he shoves me out of his way, his attention going to Eden.
She’s still got her gun pointed at the floor, but her muscles are tense and ready to launch into action.
I’ve memorized how her body looks when she’s preparing for a fight, and she’s more than ready to take Lochlan down.
It doesn’t escape my notice that Mika has disappeared. Jude has backed away, giving us space, but still close enough to intervene as necessary. I have no doubt he’s tucked his wife down the hallway behind him.
“Clearly, Kieran has no fucking manners.” Lochlan musters his charming smile as he steps toward Eden, who is watching him warily. “I’m Lochlan. That is Rohan.” He gestures over his shoulder, dropping his voice. “You’ll have to forgive him. He doesn’t like strangers.”
“Neither do I.” Eden adjusts her grip on her gun, eyeing Lochlan. But he just waits until she finally says, “I’m Eden.”
“It’s very nice to meet you, Eden. Why don’t we all put the weapons down and have a drink?” He looks between the three of us. “Maybe we can sort this out.”
Eden looks uncertain, eyes darting toward me, and I nod. It’s enough to get her to put her weapon away, and I realize, probably for the first time, that she truly trusts me. Enough to agree to join the three of us for a drink after Rohan pulled a gun on her.
Wanting to make sure she’s comfortable, I lead the four of us out to the patio. A little fresh air and whiskey will hopefully settle us.
Rohan waits until Lochlan has filled the glasses I set out, taking a long sip before nodding at me. “Explain.”
So I do. It’s a condensed version of events, but I tell them how I met Eden at the cages. How I have been going to the city to see her. How she has been spending nights here.
Rohan’s gaze only narrows as I talk, but Lochlan looks giddy. By the time I finish, I knock back the rest of my whiskey. Eden and I haven’t talked about our relationship this much, and I’m not so sure that we’ll have much of one after this.
“She’s the reason you were fighting then.” It’s the first thing Rohan says after I pause.
I nod. “And for the other reasons I said.”
He scoffs, lifting his glass to his mouth. Before he sips, he mutters, “I should have known it was a girl.”
“A legendary one.” Lochlan grins as he stares at Eden, though I note there’s no interest in his eyes. He just looks excited. “I’ve seen you fight. You are incredible.”
That seems to make Eden relax a little. Her lips quirk. “I do have a reputation.”
“I haven’t heard of you.” Rohan is still very irritated.
“Probably because you never leave the mountain,” I bite out.
”Because someone has to actually fucking think straight.”
Eden leans forward, her eyes glittering. “I could give you a personal demonstration.” I recognize the bloodlust on her face, and I know Rohan spots it, too. It’s what first drew me to her because it’s something that runs through my veins constantly. “If you are tired of living, that is.”
That curls Rohan’s lips, and he nods slowly. He takes another sip before saying, “I think I like you.”
Eden settles back in her seat, crossing her legs. “I’m an acquired taste, but you’ll get used to it.”
It’s enough to make all three of us chuckle, and I pull her into my side. I never doubted she could hold her own—I was more worried about bloodshed—but I should have known her ferocity and dry wit would only win my brothers over.
Now, I’m going to have to put up with Jude’s smugness because he was right. I should have told them long ago. My life just got real fucking complicated with my secret out in the open.
But it’ll be worth it. I’m starting to think Eden is worth anything.
Even the shite I’ll be receiving for the rest of my life.