Chapter 25
KIERAN
Eight months before Eden went missing…
R ohan runs a hand along the bottles of his very extensive whiskey collection in his home. He’s worse than I am, keeping several bottles of everything we have made on hand at all times.
There is nothing he takes more seriously than his whiskey.
Finally selecting one, he turns back to where Lochlan and I are lounging. He quickly fills our glasses before taking one of the two empty seats.
It’s a testament to how far Miles pushed the three of us during today’s meeting as we sip in silence. Even Lochlan’s jaw is tight with annoyance as he finishes off his glass.
It takes another pour before anyone is ready to speak, and I’m surprised that it’s Rohan that breaks the silence. “That prick loves the sound of his own voice.”
Lochlan nods, taking another sip from his glass. “I think he’s reveling in my misery.”
“And they call us sadistic,” I muse.
Miles has been insufferable over the last few weeks. The unrest in the lower class and classless has mostly been handled with increased patrols and whatever the hell Miles does to make people happy. But the rebel activity has only increased.
What has been odd is that their methods have changed. For years, they’ve attacked the buildings closest to the valley, occasionally our cars or the guards when they manage to track the rotations. We’ve known where they were and could send them retreating when necessary.
But something is different. And it seems that it’s all centered around Parker taking control of the rebels. He’s changed the game.
Every targeted attack has been better planned, and oddly, in the city itself.
They have gone after the supply chains, the factories, the parts that keep our community going.
Not the food or medicine, but areas that will draw attention and irritate the fuck out of the upper class—and to some extent, me.
What’s worse is that every plan we have to stop them has fallen apart.
More guards on patrol haven’t caught them.
Their camp seems to be moving on a rotation, one we can’t determine, so I can’t just kill them all and be done with it.
It feels like they know every move we are going to make, and it is frustrating the fuck out of me.
Mostly because Miles won’t shut up about it. He wants us to plan, to solve the problem .
I want to shoot him and set the forest on fire so that this fucking headache is over.
“Remind me why I haven’t put a bullet through his skull.” Rohan drains his glass and fills it again, topping Lochlan and me off.
“Because if anyone gets to kill the fucker, it’s me.” Lochlan shoots him a glare. “I deserve to rip his throat out with my bare hands for wasting so much of my life dealing with him.”
I chuckle. “Can I watch?”
His eyes light up. “Can we go right now?”
Taking a sip, I shake my head. “None of us are very good at the public relations side of managing the city. He is a necessary evil.”
“Can I threaten him?” Lochlan leans forward, looking too excited. “What if I rough him up a bit? Remind him who he works for?”
“We annoyingly need him on our side.” I sigh. Normally, I’d be more than happy to give this to Lochlan, but I have no doubt it would only make a bigger mess. “I have a feeling that one of us killing the prick that is supposed to be helping the city would only make matters worse.”
Lochlan slumps back, knowing I’m right. “We could replace him,” he mutters.
Rohan snorts. “With who? Conor?”
I chuckle, and even Lochlan’s lips twitch with a smile. Miles’s little helper is even more annoying than he is.
I nudge Lochlan’s foot with mine. “The second he’s no longer useful to us—that we finally get rid of our rebel problem—I’ll let you do whatever you want to him. Deal?”
He makes a big show of thinking about it before sighing like I’m causing him great strife. Bastard. “Deal,” he concedes.
I shake my head at him and glance at the clock. Eden should be home soon.
Swiping my gloves from the table beside me, I stand and tuck them in my back pocket. “Not that you two miserable arseholes aren’t excellent company, but I’m going home now.”
I drain the rest of my glass and set it on the table beside Rohan and stalk toward the side door that leads out to the short path to my house. But I don’t quite get there before a question stops me in my tracks.
“Are you going to marry her?”
I turn slowly, shock filtering through my system as I find Rohan’s dark eyes locked on me. It’s a very uncharacteristic question coming from him. “What?”
Rohan takes a slow sip. “You heard me. Are you going to marry her?”
I would be lying if I said it wasn’t a thought that had crossed my mind. It was never something the three of us had talked about, having to start our own families.
Carefully, I answer, “I don’t know if Eden is the marrying type.”
That much is the truth. My girl is wild, and it took me long enough to get her into my bed permanently. I’m not sure she would ever want to be a wife, even if the idea is very appealing to me.
“It’s something we’ll all need to do.” He says it far too conversationally for the glint in his eye. “Find wives. Have kids.”
“When you do marry her, we could make it a big thing in the city!” Lochlan leans forward, and I already hate how I can see his mind running with the idea. “A huge party!”
“Absolutely not.” I cut him a glare before glancing back at Rohan. He’s still staring at me in a way that I can’t decipher. “I’m not going to force Eden to marry me.”
He smirks. “I doubt you’ll have to.”
I narrow my eyes. I don’t understand where this is coming from—especially from him . But I’m not going to push it right now.
The truth is, I’d marry Eden today. I always knew I’d have to take a wife, but I thought it would be more out of obligation than anything. Lochlan’s parents had a luxury that mine and Rohan’s did not.
But seeing Mika and Jude together all these years must have made me soften toward the idea. I’d never dare try to cage Eden, but I’d love to make her mine. To make everyone know that this fierce and incredible woman wants me .
“It could put her in danger.” It’s the only concern I’ve had as I’ve toyed with the idea. “Especially with the increase in attacks lately.”
Lochlan is the one who laughs at that. “Eden has been broadcasted killing every one of her opponents on the mat. Do you think she is a stranger to having enemies?”
“Or that she couldn’t handle anyone that came at her?” Rohan arches a brow.
They both have good points. I know that Eden is a force to be feared. It’s why I have her training my men. I trust that she can handle herself.
Which means I have to admit that the only reason I’m even hesitant at the idea is because I couldn’t handle her rejection. Not now.
At first, it didn’t bother me. And throughout our entire relationship, I’ve loved how she makes me work for every inch she gives me. I wouldn’t change that given the chance.
But I know that no one would ever come close to Eden, and if she decided I wasn’t enough for her…I’d rather her put one of those blades right through my chest than her say that.
“I know she can.” I turn away before Rohan’s gaze can pick me apart any further. “I’ll give it some thought.”
I leave his house before Rohan can accuse me of having already given it too much thought. I’m not about to confess that I actually might have a beating heart in my chest to them.
The cool evening air is enough to clear my head before I’m pushing open my door and slipping inside. I waver on which direction to head—until I hear footsteps.
Turning, Jude rounds the corner, his head cocking when he sees me. “She’s outside. Be careful how you approach her.” My brows furrow, but he just shakes his head as he passes.
Feeling a little uncertain, I start toward the patio. Most days, Eden goes straight to the pool when she gets home, letting the hot water loosen her tired muscles until I join her so we can fuck and eat.
That’s exactly where I find her, back to me as she stares at the setting sun over the mountain ridge. She loves this time of day, especially in the heated pool, watching as the stars twinkle to life above her.
But there’s tension lining her body right now that only speaks to Jude’s warning. One I might need to heed. Especially because I’m certain she hears me, but she doesn’t turn as I start to undress.
Regardless of how many swimsuits I buy her, Eden insists on swimming naked. My solution has been to have the guards scatter from this area as soon as she gets home because no one will be seeing her naked body but me.
I slip into the water, surprised when she still doesn’t turn.
Carefully, I come up behind her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her body back into me.
I drop a kiss to her shoulder, brushing the curls I love so much out of the way.
She doesn’t sink into me the way she normally does, though.
“I love coming home and finding you here,” I murmur against her skin, kissing a little higher.
“Do you?” There’s an edge to her voice that tells me I’m definitely in some kind of trouble. Fuck. “Do you love it?”
I might be the worst person on this mountain when it comes to reading and understanding emotions, even if I’ve gotten pretty good at it with Eden. And she is no better than I am when it comes to expressing herself.
Which means I have no fucking clue why she seems so pissed at me right now.
“I…do,” I say slowly, daring another kiss at the base of her neck.
She just huffs and tries to pull out of my grasp, not that I let her.
Instead, I spin her, pinning her against the wall as I force her to face me.
I’m annoyed when she doesn’t wrap her legs around my waist. Gripping her arse, I lift her up, but she just glares at me, refusing to give me what I want.
Now I ’m getting a little pissed off.
“Are you angry with me?” I ask, though there’s more bite to my tone than there probably should be.
Her nostrils flare. “Maybe I am.”
I grit my teeth. Not a damn thing with this woman is ever easy.
“Want to tell me why?”