“Kieran, you look tired. You should go back to bed.”
He shrugs, almost dismissively. “Finn’s finally ready to talk.”
“That’s good, right?”
“I thought so.” He stares down at his coffee. “But I had to make a deal to get the information, and not everyone’s happy about the way I handled it.”
“Ah… So, you mean Ronan?” I lean against the counter and cross my arms over my chest.
Kieran nods, sipping his coffee slowly. “He doesn’t agree with what I did. He thinks I overstepped.”
I can’t help but roll my eyes. “Kieran, he asked you to step up, and you did. Who cares if he doesn’t agree, so long as you feel it’s the right decision?”
His shoulders sag as he sighs heavily. “It’s not that simple.”
“Why not?”
“Ronan… He was always the brains, and I was the muscle. That’s how it’s always been. But now the dynamic has changed, and he makes me doubt my intuition.”
“You both don’t have to be one or the other anymore. You can be both.”
“Try telling that to Ronan…”
“I will if you want me to. He’s not as scary as he thinks he is.”
Kieran’s mouth twitches. “You’ve been spending too much time with Ciara.”
“I wouldn’t take what Ronan says to heart. From what I know of him, he’s a huge control freak, and right now, his life is out of control, what with Ciara about to give birth and everything. He’s scared, and it sounds like he’s taking it out on you.”
“Have you considered switching majors to psychology?” Kieran teases, but his eyes remain dark and cold.
“I’m being serious.” I reach into the cupboard for a mug to pour myself a coffee.
If I’m going to have to argue about Ronan, I’m going to need some caffeine in my system.
“So am I.”
“Why did you even tell Ronan? It’s not like you need his permission. He left you in charge, after all.”
“Because Finn’s information could be the key we’ve been looking for.”
“That still doesn’t answer my question.”
Kieran’s jaw clenches as he looks away.
I probably shouldn’t be pushing him on this, but he needs to see that he is capable of making the right decisions, with or without Ronan’s approval.
“If I’m wrong, and Finn walks…”
“Then you’ll know it was the wrong call.”
“You say that like it means nothing.”
“Does it?”
“What?”
“Mean nothing if he walks? It’s not like he can bring your father back.”
