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He lets out a deep sigh and runs a hand through his hair in frustration before turning to face me fully.
“I know that, Tinks. And I appreciate it more than you can imagine,” he says, his voice softening. “But I need you to promise me something.”
“Anything,” I reply immediately.
“Promise me you’ll be careful. That you’ll always think about your own safety first, no matter what’s going on around you,” Ciarán says firmly. “I can’t lose you, Tinks. Not after everything we’ve been through.”
I nod solemnly, my heart heavy with the weight of his words. “I promise, Ciarán. I’ll always be careful.”
He looks at me for a long moment before nodding as well and turning back to the coffeepot. We finish our breakfast in silence, lost in our own thoughts and fears.
We’re not out of danger yet. Not by a long shot.
But it is what it is now. There’s no going back.
5
CATHAL
The room swims into focus as I force my eyes open. My body aches, and it feels like someone’s repeatedly slammed the butt of a gun into my skull. Groaning, I push myself up into a sitting position, wincing at the pain that shoots through my ribs.
“Easy there,” Ciarán’s voice is cautious, and I notice him sitting on the edge of my bed, watching me with concern. “You’ve been out for a full day.”
“Fuck,” I mutter, rubbing my face.
The memory of the explosion makes my head thump. I was lucky to make it out alive. But I’m not safe yet – far from it. I glance at Ciarán, his jaw set in resolve. He’s ready to get back to work, too.
“Listen, Ciarán,” I say, my voice rough. “We have work to do. We need to start merging the gangs, find out who’s responsible for the fucking car bomb. If they’re bold enough to try and take me out in broad daylight with a car bomb in your patch, they won’t hesitate to try again.”
Ciarán narrows his eyes, nodding in agreement. “I know. My guys are on it. So far, it’s not going well. The authorities are all over it, and they want to speak to you.”
“Of course they do,” I mutter, pissed off.
“I told my guy that you’d fucked off after we brought you back from the hospital, and I don’t know where you are.”
“Well, it’s a start. Won’t hold them for long.”
“Long enough.”
“Then let’s get to it,” I say, swinging my legs over the side of the bed and gritting my teeth against the pain.
Ciarán stands up and offers me a hand. “Let’s get you cleaned up, and then we’ll start making plans.”
Grunting as I’m forced to stand in a shower that feels like it’s made from shards of glass, eventually, the hell is deemed over by Ciarán, and I stagger out, prepared to kill myself by not allowing him to dry me.
Giving him a filthy glare, I snatch the towel and march back into the bedroom, deciding how gross it would feel if I wasn’t completely dry when I put my clothes on. I can’t bend. Hell, I can barely stand, but eventually, I’m in some fit shape to get dressed.
As I pull on a clean shirt, Ciarán hesitates by the door, a troubled look crossing his face. “I’m worried about Summer.”
“I know. She stays here.”
“Most of me agrees with that, but the rest, my gut, is telling me to take her with us. She will be safer with us. Plus, she’s going through something. She’s barely said a word since the explosion.”
“She’s scared. This isn’t the life she is used to. I hate that we have to do this to her. But she’s inexperienced – she could slow us down or worse, get herself killed.”
“True,” Ciarán concedes, biting his lip. “But I just can’t ignore the warning in my head telling me it’s a bad idea to leave her alone.”
“Yeah, I hear you. We bring her with us. But she stays close, and she follows our orders. No exceptions.”
