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“That’ll do it.” Dare’s lips twitched into the beginnings of a smile as he pushed from the frame, nodding as he did. “I’ll have everyone gear up and meet in the conference room.”
I didn’t respond. Just watched him leave, hating that he and Maverick could so easily play me. Taunt me into getting amped up for a battle or twist confessions from me that I’d planned on keeping to myself. It didn’t inspire confidence that I was making the right move by trusting Autumn.
But again, it felt like that was our only path.
Well, that or the blood bath.
“Diggs...” Dare stepped back into the room, looking more somber than he had just a second before. “For what it’s worth, I didn’t keep us here to torture you and make Willow think we’d abandoned her. I stand by my reasoning,” he added with a lifted hand as if he’d expected me to argue. “But on top of that, we didn’t know how serious Willow’s injuries were, so getting her too soon could’ve been more harmful to her than helpful. Not to mention...Kieran.”
An amused breath tumbled free as I tossed out my hand, gesturing past him. “What about Kieran? All he can think about is slaughtering every last one of them.”
“Including Willow,” Dare said grimly, stunning me into a horrified silence. “Conor’s been keeping him in place and talking to him. But we needed to wait until Kieran was thinking clearly again because, in his mind, Jess would be alive if it weren’t for Willow.”
I stammered for a few seconds before a curse ripped from my lungs. Dragging my hands through my hair, I staggered back a step when it felt like the room was closing in around me. “You’re telling me that now? After I said I was bringing Willow back here? Jesus—”
“He’s better.”
A harsh laugh bled from me. “Fuck off. You’re gonna tell me Kieran—fucking Nightshade—is better, like that’s a possibility after what just happened to him? You think that’ll placate me when I know Willow’s on his list?”
“Was,” Dare corrected. “I wouldn’t consider letting him come if I didn’t trust him on this. Conor wouldn’t leave his side if he doubted it either.”
“It’s Kieran,” I nearly shouted as if Dare was somehow missing that. “When he’s in that mindset, there’s no stopping him.”
“We failed the other night in an irreparable way,” Dare said gravely. “We’ve gotten too complacent these last few years, and none of us did our jobs the way we should’ve. None of us will make that mistake again—I won’t make that mistake again. So, trust me when I say Willow is no longer in danger from Kieran.”
When I stared helplessly at him, wanting so damn badly to argue, he tipped his head at me and said, “Finish getting ready, then head to the conference room. Be ready to tell us the plan.”
I hesitated for a while longer after he left before reaching for my boots again, and had just finished getting the second on when my phone began ringing.
Pulling it out of my pocket, I scrambled to tap the green button when I saw Autumn’s name on the screen.
But it felt like I was moving in slow motion and suddenly couldn’t breathe because she’d just called before I’d started getting ready. She shouldn’t be calling again...not this soon.
“Yeah?” I said in way of answering, voice strained.
“He’s in the room with her,” came Autumn’s hushed reply before the call ended, and my body nearly gave out before I was sprinting out of the bedroom, ready to demand we leave now rather than soon.
Because Lachlan Keane was in a room with my entire world.
But I’d only reached the first corner of the upstairs hallway when I nearly ran right into Kieran.
I stumbled a little in my attempt to dodge him and the rest of the group gathered there—a handful of people I hadn’t even registered as I’d been racing down the hall because that call had scrambled every thought and sense.
“Shit. Shit, sorry,” I mumbled as I sidestepped Conor and Sutton as well.
“We’re going?” Kieran asked in confirmation, voice a soft rumble that drew my attention back to him.
To the rage and pain in his eyes. The loss and brokenness etched within the vengeance on his face. The determined set of his jaw.
Shit.
“Kieran...”
“Dare said we were meeting downstairs,” he added as if that was all he needed to know.
I shared a quick look with Conor before glancing at where Jentry and Aurora were leaning against one of the walls, expressions withdrawn and somber. It was easy enough to see the cop wouldn’t be joining us. Apparently he drew the line at being on the offensive.
Not that I cared. I still didn’t think he should even be here.
