It would be risky… If anyone overheard me,especiallyCormac, I might as well carve my name into a bullet.
But maybe if he sees what I’m willing to risk in order to help bring Scout back, he can finally start to forgive me.
I stare down at my half-empty mug, going back and forth on what to do because anything is better than this endless waiting.
The only problem is, if I reach out to Lorcan and I’m wrong about his involvement, I would be freely handing over information to Lorcan that he could use against Cormac?—
“Can we get you anything?”
I jump at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. I look up to see two young maids, not much younger than me, hovering near the door, carrying baskets of dirty laundry. I don’t recognize them, but then again, the Sullivans have a never-ending rotation of staff.
It’s likely Ronan brought them in to help out while we all focus on bringing Scout home.
My throat is too thick to speak, so I settle for shaking my head.
They both offer me sympathetic smiles, which only makes me feel worse, before they disappear into the laundry room.
For a moment, I listen to the muffled sound of their voices, grateful to have something to focus on other than my own thoughts. That is, until I hear them mention Scout.
“It’s so sad what happened to that little boy…”
I freeze.
Do they know something?
My pulse spikes as I creep a little closer, straining to hear their conversation.
I know it’s wrong to eavesdrop. I should have learned that lesson after I overheard Cormac and his brothers talking about having a spy in their inner circle.
But as of right now, these two gossiping maids are my only source of information, seeing as Cormac isn’t bothering to give me any updates.
It’s like he thinks I never cared about Scout at all. At this point, it’s been over twelve hours, so any news is good news.
“Is there any sign of him?” one of the girls asks.
The other maid replies, “No, but apparently, they’ve tracked down the person who took him.”
My coffee cup almost slips out of my hand.
They have?
The first maid asks the question I’m most eager to ask. “Who?”
“I heard Ronan mention the name Adrian.”
I don’t know whether I feel relief at finally having some information or terror. I might not know much about Adrian Smirnov, but I do know that he’s been dealing with Lorcan for years. Maybe Lorcan is involved in this, after all…
The stakes only seem to be getting bigger. Even if Cormac can bring Scout home, it’s not going to be an easy fight.
I don’t want to listen anymore.
My stomach churns as I pad over to the kitchen table to take a seat because I don’t trust my legs not to give out on me.
I’m exhausted. I’m pretty sure no one in this house got any sleep last night, not even Aubrey or the twins, and I think it’s going to be a while until we do. I tried to lie down on the couch for a few minutes, but every time I closed my eyes, images ofScout being tortured flashed behind them, and I woke in a cold sweat.
I’m at the point where I might just call Lorcan and demand that he take me instead, though I doubt I’ll be of much value to this Adrian guy. Still, anything is better than sitting around in this enormous house with maids and a never-ending supply of food, ruminating over whether Scout is even still alive…
My cheeks feel raw from crying, but I can’t seem to stop. It doesn’t help that being around Riley, Ciara, and the kids only makes me feel worse. Any single one of them could have been hurt tonight too, and that realization has me running to the sink and throwing up.
