Chapter Twenty-five
River
W atching Aaliyah run from the kitchen breaks my heart, but as much as I want to follow her, I need to find out everything I can about the three names she just gave us.
Glancing at the others, I gesture toward the door. “Should one of us?”
“I’ve got it.” Archer pushes to his feet. “She’s always had problems when it comes to dealing with her parents. Just hearing their names has set her off before. This is going to end up messy as hell.”
The five of us sit and watch him follow her out the door, all of us having similar thoughts, I’m sure. She looked devastated when she took off for the door. While she told us the basics about her parents, it had been clear she didn’t enjoy talking about them, so we hadn’t pushed.
Maybe we should have.
“Dinner’s not going to cook itself,” Hayes says, snapping our attention away from the door and the pain our girl is likely feeling. “Let’s get this finished so it’s ready when she and Archer come back.”
Reid nods, glancing at the door one last time before going back to chopping vegetables. Noami stays but gets back to whatever she was working on.
“Aren’t you going to look up those names, princess?” Tyson asks, making me smile. He doesn’t often use the nickname he gave me the day we first met, but it never fails to put a smile on my face.
I shrug, glancing at the tablet sitting dark on the counter. “I know I should, but I can’t help thinking I could help Aaliyah in other ways besides being the research bitch.”
“One of the research bitches,” Reid calls over his shoulder, causing Hayes to snort.
“Yeah, okay, Reid.” Rolling my eyes at Tyson, he fights back a laugh. “I’m the best at cheering people up. Shouldn’t I be the one out there talking to her?”
Tyson hums as he picks up the stool Aaliyah knocked over before dropping into the one beside me. “I don’t think that Aaliyah needs cheering up just yet. I think she needs to vent and let out some of the feelings she’s been burying. She wouldn’t want to blow up on you, so she’d end up keeping them buried. She’s lived a very long time and besides Archer, she’s never had anyone on her side. I think he might be the best one in this instance, but she’ll definitely need to be cheered up once he’s done talking to her.
“For now, why don’t you see what you can find out about the three of them? It needs to be done, and I’m sure she’ll appreciate anything you find. Now that we have names, we’ll have to come up with a plan to kill them and rescue Cecelia. I can’t wait until you guys can finally meet her. She’s going to love you.”
I nod, feeling better now that I have a plan. “Yes, I definitely need to meet your little sister. We’ll be the best of friends. I’ll see what I can find out, and when Aaliyah comes back, I’ll cuddle her until she feels better.”
“Or maybe you’re the one who needs the cuddles, bunny?”
I glance up to find four sets of eyes on me. Feeling uncomfortable, I drop them back to my tablet as I type in the three names Aaliyah gave us and shrug. “I’m not the one who just had their world blow up. Why would I be the one who needs cuddles?”
“Because you have the biggest heart, and you hurt when one of us hurts.” Tyson picks me up, setting me on his lap. It’s harder than you think it would be since he’s sitting on a stool. I wiggle around, trying to get comfortable, but it’s not working.
When I try to climb out of his lap, he doesn’t let go of me. “Hayes or Reid, can one of you grab a chair for us to sit in?”
“They don’t have to—“
“Of course, we don’t, sweetheart, but we want to.” Reid kisses my forehead as he passes by. He’s not gone for long before he’s dragging in one of the oversized armchairs. He pulls it over so it’s not in the way while they’re cooking but will allow me and Tyson to watch them.
Tyson stands, not even faltering with me in his arms, and moves over to the chair. As soon as he’s sitting, I cuddle into him, my head on his chest, and as much as I hate to admit it, I feel much better.
I don’t want to make Aaliyah’s pain be about me, but I don’t like seeing the people I love hurt.
Love?
Am I really there with Aaliyah already? We’ve known each other for such a short period of time, but if anyone knows that time means nothing, it’s me. Within days of meeting my mates, I knew they were the ones for me. Archer, Aaliyah, and Naomi might not be my mates yet, but they will be. And I love them.
That brings a smile to my face as I focus back on my tablet. It’s time for me to shine. I won’t leave any stone unturned as I seek out information on the last three names on our list. This is really it. With three more deaths, we can end it all.
At least, I hope we can. I know it’s killing Tyson to know that his sister is still trapped years after he escaped. I don’t think Aaliyah will be able to rest until she kills her parents. This really can be the end of one chapter and the beginning of a new one for all of us.
I just need to see what I can find. It would be easier if I knew what information Aaliyah had been provided, but at least I can get a start without her.
I don’t know how her bosses do it, but I’m super jealous of how they can just send information directly to their assassin. Do you know how helpful that would be? There are so many ways I would put that to use if I knew how they did it. I wonder if Aaliyah can ask them?
It has to be some kind of magic, right? There’s no other way for it to happen. Is it a spell? A magic item? Can it be replicated?
“Your fingers aren’t moving, pretty girl,” Noami says, and when I lift my head, I find her kneeling beside us. “Not to mention, you’re staring off into space. You’re not worrying about Aaliyah, are you?”
I flush, shaking my head. “No. I was actually wondering how Aaliyah’s bosses are able to send information to her mind directly. It would come in handy if it was something I could replicate. Or if there was a way for her to send it to the computer. It would make things so much more efficient. With her illusion magic, at least she’s able to show us what she’s seen, but—“
I’m cut off by Naomi’s fingers on my lips. “Oh, sweet girl. I don’t think that’s something we’re going to be able to do anything about right now.”
“Yeah, I guess not.” I shrug. “Sometimes my mind just goes on tangents.”
“You’ll get used to it. It’s one of my favorite things about her,” Reid says with a grin.
I return his smile. It might sound like he’s making fun of me, but I know he’s not. He truly does love the way my brain works.
Naomi leans forward to press a kiss to my lips. “I’m sure I will. I’ll leave you to it then.”
Now that I’ve been distracted from my tangent, I focus on the task at hand. Let me see what I can find out about these asshole parents of Aaliyah’s. Because who in their right mind would abandon someone as amazing as her?
Certainly not me or my mates.
With a smile on my lips, I find it easy to get lost in my work.
Because Aaliyah is ours forever.