Chapter 35
CHAPTER 35
K iera
When I walked into the back room, the weight of every gaze in the room fell on me like a physical force. The men sitting around the long table were a mix of ages, their faces hard, their postures rigid with tension.
And at the head of the table stood Ronan.
The moment his eyes landed on me, the air between us crackled. His jaw was tight, and though he said nothing at first, his displeasure was obvious. But beneath the frustration was something else, something that sent a shiver down my spine.
I was going to pay for this. Eventually.
“Gentlemen,” he said finally, his voice calm, but laced with an edge that silenced the room. “This is Kiera.”
He turned to me, his gaze locking with mine, dark and heavy.
“She’s mine.” He paused for a moment before clearing his throat. “She’s my woman.”
The declaration hung in the air, heavy and undeniable. My cheeks burned, but I held his gaze, refusing to look away. There was no use arguing. The way he said it left no room for discussion, no space for anyone to question my presence.
Ronan turned back to the table, his tone commanding as he continued. “She’s Leena’s best friend, which means she’s got as much reason to be here as any of you. If anyone’s got a problem with that, now’s the time to speak up.”
No one said a word. A few exchanged glances, but the hard edges of their faces told me that any reservations they might have had were being kept to themselves.
“Good,” Ronan said, his tone carrying a finality that left no room for debate. He motioned toward the men at the table, turning to me. “Now, she’s here to help. Listen to what she has to say.”
The tension between us was palpable, the heat of his frustration mingling with the possessiveness that radiated off him. He didn’t want me here—that much was obvious—but he wasn’t about to send me away, either.
One of the men, a grizzled older guy sitting near the middle of the table, raised an eyebrow. “She’s got guts, showing up here.”
“She’s got more than that,” Ronan said evenly, his gaze still locked on me. “Now shut up and let her speak.”
“First things first, tell me who’s who here,” I demanded as I took the empty seat next to Ronan.
He nodded to the man closest to us, a gray-haired figure with a thick beard and a steely gaze. “This is Seamus. My second. If I’m not around, you listen to him.”
Seamus gave me a small nod, his eyes sharp, but not unkind. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too,” I said, my voice steady despite the way his presence seemed to fill the room.
Ronan moved on, gesturing toward a younger man with a wiry frame and quick, restless eyes. “That’s Declan. He’s my tech genius. Anything digital, surveillance, or intel-related, he’s your guy.”
Declan offered me a quick smile, though his fingers never stopped flying over the keyboard of his laptop. “Nice to meet you,” he said, his tone light, but focused. “Glad to see someone who can keep up with the boss.”
I couldn’t help but smile faintly at that.
Ronan nodded to a man with a broad frame and a scar running along his jawline. “That’s Bradan. He handles logistics and heavy lifting. If we need to move fast, he makes it happen.”
Bradan gave me a curt nod, his gaze assessing. “Welcome to the table, lass.”
“Thanks,” I said again, my voice a little stronger this time. Ronan introduced several more people at the table and I nodded in greeting to each one of them. When he was done, he turned to me and lifted an eyebrow, almost like he was giving me leeway to take the lead.
I took it and ran with it.
“Now, tell me exactly what’s going on,” I said with a heavy sigh.
Bradan leaned forward, “Here’s what we’re looking at, Miss Kiera,” he began. “The Ivanovich family is holed up in a cabin about two hours north of the city. Remote, surrounded by dense forest, with limited access roads. It’s a fortress in its own way—lots of cover for them, but it also works for us if we’re smart about it. They’ve got at least a dozen men stationed around the perimeter, possibly more inside. Heavy firepower, too—these guys don’t play small. They’ve been quiet since the kidnapping, but that’s by design. They’re waiting for us to make a move.”
I was quiet for a moment, thinking.
Then I cleared my throat, my nerves buzzing as I stepped closer to the table. “If Leena’s being held in a cabin in the woods, then we need to use the terrain to our advantage. Woods mean cover, which means we can move quietly and get close without being seen.”
Declan, seated near the end of the table, nodded thoughtfully. “Exactly. We’ll need to map the area, figure out the best entry points.”
“And we should think about distractions,” I added, my voice gaining strength. “If we draw their attention to one side of the cabin, it’ll give us a better chance of getting in unnoticed.”
Seamus leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed as he studied me. “Not bad. What kind of distraction are we talking about?”
“Something loud,” I said. “Fireworks, maybe. Something that’ll make them think they’re under attack from the front while we come in from the back.”
The men exchanged glances, their expressions thoughtful. Even Ronan seemed to consider it, though his jaw was still tight with a mix of frustration and something that looked an awful lot like arousal.
“Declan, can you source something like that on short notice?” Ronan asked.
Declan grinned, typing away. “I can make it happen. Give me an hour.”
I glanced at Ronan, expecting him to push back, but instead, he gave me a small nod, the faintest hint of approval in his eyes.
“Keep going,” he said, his voice calm but firm. “What else?”
I hesitated for only a moment before speaking again. “You’ll need a team to secure the perimeter while the main group moves inside. If they realize it’s a diversion, they’ll try to circle back. Someone needs to make sure they can’t.”
Seamus nodded, his expression grim. “She’s right. We’ll need at least four men watching the perimeter.”
“Make it six,” Ronan said. “I’m not taking chances.”
“And once we’re inside?” one of the younger men asked.
I hesitated, glancing at Ronan. “That’s your expertise, not mine. But you’ll need to move fast. If they realize it’s a diversion, they’ll turn on you—and Leena.”
Ronan’s eyes softened slightly, his tension easing just a fraction as he gave me a small nod. “She’s right. The element of surprise is everything. Seamus, Declan, get the intel we need. Map the area, get eyes on their rotations, and start gathering what we’ll need for the distraction.”
The men nodded, the room buzzing with renewed purpose as they began discussing the details. I stepped back, my chest tight, but my resolve stronger than ever.
For the first time, I felt like I belonged at that table.
Like I was finally part of his world.
It was a heady feeling.
The rest of the room talked amongst themselves while Ronan moved toward me, his presence overwhelming as he leaned in close, his voice low enough that only I could hear.
“You didn’t need to come here,” he said quietly.
I looked up at him, my chin lifting slightly. “Yes, I did. She’s my best friend, Ronan. I’m not going to sit on the sidelines.”
His lips curved into the faintest smirk, though the tension in his eyes remained. “You did good, Kiera. But don’t think for a second that the two of us aren’t going to have a long discussion about this.”
I tilted my head slightly, meeting his gaze with a smirk of my own, refusing to back down. “Oh? And what’s that going to look like, sir ?”
He stepped even closer, his hand brushing lightly against my hip, the steel buckle of his belt glinting faintly in the low light. “It’s going to look like you bent over our bed with your bare ass in the air while I use this belt,” he said, his fingers ghosting over the leather at his waist. “And by the time I’m finished, you won’t be able to sit for a week.”
A rush of heat spread through me, and though my cheeks burned, I didn’t flinch. Instead, I let my smirk widen, raising an eyebrow as I tilted my chin up at him.
“Well, maybe I’ll like it,” I sassed.
Ronan’s eyes flashed with wicked arousal, his lips curling into a full grin that sent a shiver racing down my spine.
“Oh, you’ll enjoy some of it, naughty girl,” he said softly, his voice a low rumble that felt like it was wrapping around me. “But don’t think for a second I won’t leave you very sore and very sorry by the time I’m through with you.”
I swallowed hard, my pulse pounding in my ears, but I refused to look away. “Guess we’ll see about that, won’t we?”
He chuckled, the sound low and dangerous, before leaning back just enough to let the moment linger.
“Oh, we will,” he promised, his voice dripping with certainty.
My stomach tied up in knots at the same time my clit throbbed to life because I knew Ronan was the kind of man that always kept his promises.
And that was only one of the many things that I loved about him.