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Ronan
I didn’t want to leave, but the look on her face, the tone in her voice when she told me to get out, told me she wasn’t messing.
Being so close to her is like a slice of heaven and a form of torture all rolled into one.
She brings me the peace I so desperately crave, but its peace that I do not deserve.
I’m pacing my apartment as I dial Maxim. He took off to deal with another damn missing shipment. We thought when Liam disappeared that we’d seen the last of the issues with our supply, but it only seems to have increased.
He was told when he left to make sure Liv knew she had to wait for one of us to take her home, but she didn’t seem to know what I was talking about when I yelled that at her.
Damn it, I can’t believe I yelled at her, but when I realised she wasn’t in the club and we couldn’t find her, I panicked. And when we checked the security feeds and saw her take off, I was just so damn mad.
“Maxim, you need to call me the fuck back the moment you get this.” I cut the call after leaving the voicemail and throw my phone on the counter.
I reach for a bottle of whiskey, but just as I’m about to pour a glass, I change my mind. I need to keep a clear head.
Changing out of my suit and into a pair of loose black shorts, black T-shirt and my trainers, I head down to the building’s gym on the ground floor.
With every hit I make on the bag, I see her face––the look of pain, tiredness and frustration. I increase my movements, hit faster and harder in the hopes I’ll stop seeing her face, but my brain just can’t stop picturing her, and the harder I work the bag, the worse I feel.
Something is eating away at her, tearing her down. I don’t know what it is, but in the quiet of the gym, I resolve to find out.
It’s in that moment I realise that I can no longer stand back and watch as her and Maxim get closer. I won’t lose her to him. I may not deserve the peace that she brings me, but I am too fucking selfish to let someone else have her. Whatever I have to do to make her mine, I will.
* * *
My brothers and I are sitting in the office at the club. It’s early on a Sunday morning. We got here at ten a.m. after Andre called and asked us to meet. He said he had information on our weapons.
I sit back on the sofa, my arms raised, covering the span of the back rest, listening to Andre as he informs us he recovered the shipment, but confirms Liam is still in play, however, it appears he is no longer pulling the strings. It seems that Vincenzo and Anjelica are calling the shots, and Liam is just feeding them the information they need to take us down.
Family or not, I’m going to kill him. I’ll make sure he suffers first. I’ll tear this fucker limb from limb for letting his piece of shit right-hand hurt his woman, for taking part in the abuse she suffered, and for betraying his own blood, I’ll make sure I spill every last drop of his.
I haven’t taken my eyes off Maxim since he arrived. He messaged Liv two days ago to say he was back, turning up at her apartment that very afternoon, and he hasn’t left her side since.
Since my revelation in the gym the other night, I haven’t seen her. Eight days she has made a point of avoiding me, and it’s starting to piss me off.
I need to talk to her, but I need to talk to Maxim first.
We all spend another hour discussing our next moves, and the plan for the next shipment. It’s agreed that Maxim, Killian and I will be the ones to do the collection and drop off, the time and place to be agreed no more than ninety minutes beforehand, and nobody outside of this room is to be aware.
“We need to know how these fuckers are getting their information, but for now, we’ll just work on securing the next shipment. We can ID the mole next time, are we all agreed?” Connor looks around at each of us, waiting on confirmation we’re all happy with the plan. He doesn’t need to check with us, he knows as his brothers we’ll stand by him, but we give him the nod anyway. Andre and Maxim give the nod without hesitation.
“I’ll be right back,” I tell my brothers as I follow Andre and Maxim out the back exit.
Just as they reach the car, I stop them.
“Mind if I have a minute with Maxim, please, Andre?”
He glances at me, pulling his phone out. With a slight shake of his head, he states, “Not at all,” as he climbs into the back of the car.
“Ronan.”
“You were told to tell Liv to wait for one of us last week. You didn’t––”
He cuts me off before I have a chance to finish. “Look, I know, I’m sorry. Things escalated quickly and I didn’t get a chance. I thought she would just wait.”
I exhale, trying to give myself a moment to calm my demon. “Yeah, well, she didn’t. She walked home.”
