And rings.
And rings.
I call again. But it does the same thing.
Kerry waits as I call over and over. I pace back and forth between the giant windows overlooking the city. I feel clammy and sick as time goes on. Lily would never willingly ignore me like this. We’re best friends. We have each other’s backs no matter what.
Tears burn my eyes and my chest feels tight with panic when Kerry finally gets up and wraps an arm around my shoulder, gently prying the phone from my grip. “Take a deep breath for me.”
His hand rubs my back as I take deep, gulping breaths, trying to calm myself. Kerry sits me down on the couch and gets me a glass of water. Only when I’m much calmer does Kerry get out his phone and make a call. “De Matteis. I’ve got something else I need your help with…” His jaw is clenched, his brow pulled tightly together, and his tone is filled with a level of disdain. I wonder if this is harder for him to ask than he’s letting on.
I look down at my phone as I listen to their back and forth, mostly of Kerry providing information on my best friend. The device has been strangely quiet these past few days, which makes sense if Lily is…well, I don’t want to think about what she is.
But my mom hasn’t tried to contact me since that awful phone call, either, when I told her about being in an arranged marriage. Why? She acted so worried. Why would she not bug me more about it, like she’s always done? Why go silent all of the sudden? It doesn’t make any sense.
Does my family not care for me as much as I thought they did? Which is saying something, considering I hadn’t held high standards for that as it is. No one’s checked in on me throughout all of this.
I just feel absolutely ill.
I don’t even hear Kerry finishing the call, lost in my own thoughts. I’m jolted out of them by him kneeling before me, fingers sliding through my hair. “It’s being handled, leannán. I’ll let you know what I hear as soon as I find it out, all right?”
“Okay,” I say quietly, feeling a cold sweat across my whole body.
Kerry stands and brings me some juice, but I struggle to drink it. I stare at my phone like it’s the one who’s betrayed me. And, as if sensing my displeasure, it dings.
I share a look with Kerry as I unlock it and open the text. It’s not from Lily, much to my heartache, but it’s from my grandmother.
We know you have her in the warehouse. Return her to us at a location of our choosing or a hit will be placed on your head.
I gawk at my phone, causing Kerry to look over my shoulder and read the text. “Feckin’ hell, they followed me from the warehouse? And assume it’syouI have in there? What a bunch of dopes.”
I turn to look at him with furrowed brows. “Warehouse?”
Kerry sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. “That’s where I went earlier. One of my…competitor’s men was following me. Jack and Liam brought him to that warehouse for questioning and I went to hear what they’d discovered. They can’t believe that I’d do anything but treat you like shite, hm?”
I give a small shrug. “It’s projection?”
Kerry clenches his jaw. “I think so. Which pisses me the feck off.” It’s his turn to pace now. “But this is good news. It means they don’t know that you’re important to me, so they won’t even try to use you against me. And they won’t look for you at the hotel.”
I raise my eyebrows. “But how long is that going to last?”
Kerry snaps his fingers. “That’s exactly the question, leannán. It’s not going to last long. They’re going to expect you back, and I can’t have that. If they figure out where you are before we even arrange a meeting…I can’t protect you well enough here. Not as much as I’d like. I need to get you out of here and to safety.”
Ireland had been a lovely thought before. But now?
Now it’s a necessity.
I take a deep breath. “Okay. Then we’re going to Ireland?” I feel the deep ache of leaving the country without knowing if Lily is okay or not settle in my chest, but I know that if I stayed here when it’s not safe because of her, she’d kill me. She’d want me to be safe and away from the callousness of my grandparents.
Kerry turns to look at me with an intense expression, searching my face for my thoughts, and then nods.
Ireland, here I come. Ready or not.
6
Kerry
Amy’s clutching her passport to her chest like it’s going to save her. The wind blows her hair back as we stand on the airport tarmac, preparing to board my jet. It’s going to take her a while to reset her nervous system after all of this, and I’m already making plans to help her once we get to my home. I run a hand up and down her back, which seems to calm her, making something bright and hot burn in my chest. The fact that she’s comforted by me is a miracle.
