Page 132 of Override

Every feed from the Gallagher estate goes black.

The tapping stops. For exactly one heartbeat.

Then I throw my phone onto the table hard enough that it skids into the wall.

"Matt." I don't recognize my own voice. "They know."

Chapter 27

Maeve

"You know..." I shake my head, smiling toward the camera tucked into the corner of the room. "You're a terrible influence."

"Who are you talking to?" The words slide through the room so quietly they barely sound real.

My smile falls away. Every muscle in my body locks. Slowly, I turn.

Ronan stands only a few feet behind me, one hand still tucked into the pocket of his slacks as if he'd been standing there for several seconds, simply... watching.

I hadn't heard the front door. I hadn't heard his footsteps. I hadn't heard anything.

The music keeps playing. It suddenly sounds too loud. Too cheerful. Too alive.

"I..." My mouth goes dry. "No one, I was listening to music."

His eyes stay on mine. "You were talking."

Not accusing. Not questioning. Simply stating what he'd heard.

"I didn't know you were home. How was your day?”

Ronan takes another step. "Give me your phone."

I freeze. "What?"

"Your phone."

"Ronan—"

"Now." He isn't angry. Anger I know how to navigate. This… This feels different.

He extends his hand toward me. "Your phone."

I instinctively tighten my grip around it again. Why? I don't know. Maybe because it's mine. Maybe because it's the only thing that still feels like mine.

"Ronan..."

"Your phone." Not louder. Not harsher. Just... final.

I look down at the screen. The conversation with Taibhse is still open. His last message sitting there. Waiting. I think about locking it. Deleting it. Doing something. Anything.

I don't move. Not because I'm refusing. Because somehow my feet have forgotten how. Ronan watches me for one long heartbeat. Then he closes the distance between us. His hand wraps around my upper arm. Hard enough that my breath catches.

"Maeve." My eyes snap to his. "Your phone."

He isn't squeezing. He doesn't need to. The pressure is steady. Certain. A reminder. My fingers loosen around the phone almost immediately.

Before I can move, Ronan quietly says, "It doesn't matter what's on it."