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I frowned at him, and had we not had company, I’d have asked him if he was well.
At his harsh tone, Aela changed. It was like something from a movie about witches. Ice overtook her. Freezing her in place. She turned brittle, enough that she looked like she could snap.
I wanted to smack Declan for that, but instead, I glowered at him. His stern expression didn’t give me any mercy though. Eoghan’s second squeeze had me peering up at him, but what I saw there told me to back off.
Aela and Declan evidently had a history together, and that was crystal clear.
“Look, this reunion is great and all, but we need to move. Fuck knows how much longer Ink has.”
The youngest guy in the room started jangling a set of keys as he snarled the words at us. He definitely had brass balls, because I wouldn’t have interrupted that conversation, not when Declan was throwing visual knives at Aela.
“He’s right,” Eoghan agreed calmly.
Dec growled, “Finn’s on his way with Aoife. Should be five minutes, then we can head off. Brennan is already down at the docks, and he has two lieutenants and five soldiers on their way. We should be rendezvousing in the next forty minutes.”
The young woman bit her lip, and because I felt for her, I reached out and soothed, “Don’t worry. Eoghan never lets people down.”
Our eyes caught and held. “I hope that’s true.”
“He’s never disappointed me.” Guilt rammed me in the gut when I thought about how her man was suffering because of me, because of how Eoghan hadn’t let me down.
“I’m Amaryllis,” she whispered. “He’s Keys, and that’s Saint.”
“I’m Inessa.” I met the weary gazes of the men, too, as I said, “Pleasure to meet you—I just wish it was under different circumstances.”
“You and me both, Inessa.” She blew out a breath and began to rub her hands up and down her arms. “I’m not even sure if he’s still alive.”
The pain in her voice hurt me on a visceral level, but the kid jangling the keys squeezed his arm around her, mimicking Eoghan’s hold on me. “Ink’s a tough son of a bitch, Ama. You know that, babe.”
“I do, Keys, but he’s already been through so much.” She nibbled her bottom lip, and I knew she was seconds away from tears.
Clearing my throat, I muttered, “Come on, let’s take a seat. I think it’s going to be a long night.”
I had no idea how true that would be.
Within ten minutes, Aoife, Jacob, and Finn were shuffling into the apartment, a yawning Conor after them. The second Aoife and Jacob were deposited safely in the living room, the guys started to get together to leave.
Before they could, I grabbed Eoghan, who’d gone into the bedroom to get some boots, and the moment the bedroom door closed, I hauled my arms around his waist and squeezed tightly.
“Hey, what’s this?” he rumbled, even as he squeezed me back.
I didn’t have the guts to say it out loud. Didn’t have the guts to say another word, so I just squeezed him, and as I muttered, “Stay safe. For me,” I silently added,I think I love you.
Please.
Don’t leave me.
He tensed a little, but he pressed a kiss to my temple. “I probably won’t be going into the warehouse,” he said softly. “My place is usually on a rooftop somewhere.”
“I gathered. Still…take care. For me.”
“I will.”
Not wanting to cling or embarrass him, I let go of him, and before he could say another word, I whirled away and returned to the living room.
Aoife was nursing a fussing Jacob and staring daggers at Finn, who had hunched shoulders.
“What the fuck are you and Conor going to be able to do out there?” she snapped. “You’re not soldiers anymore. You fire computers up, not guns.”
