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Despite my earlier request to talk to my friends alone, Tiero doesn’t seem in a hurry to leave. He was fine with Rhia because she’s a girl. But Aiden … that’s a whole other story.
But I don’t want Tiero around when Ade wakes up. That would put him on the defensive. Given what I have to tell him, I want to make it as painless as possible. And Tiero in his face wouldn’t help.
“Please, Tiero, I need to speak with Aiden… alone.”
I can see it in his face, he wants to argue with me about it. But this is our first exercise in trust, showing me he’s serious about changing his ways.
My eyebrows rise in challenge. His jaw clenches, his teeth grinding together. The tension is visible in his body.
“You have nothing to worry about,” I assure him. “Nothing has changed.”
This is testing him. He’s not used to having to compromise. We’re all lucky he hasn’t put a bullet through Aiden’s head already.
“Fine,” he grits out as he heads for the door. “Just don’t let him try anything.”
“Anything like what?”
Tiero looks over his shoulder. “Just anything.” His gaze is zeroing in on me. He waits until I nod before he leaves.
Wow. I’m impressed he’s really keeping his word.
I get a bottle of water ready for when Ade wakes up and find a packet of ibuprofen. Ade is sure to have a monster headache after being sedated twice.
I untie his wrist and ankles, rubbing the irritated skin soothingly.
“I’m so sorry, Ade,” I whisper.
Adjusting the blanket over his body, I sit on a cushion on the floor in front of the sofa. Taking his hand into mine, I rest my head against his forearm.
Even with him asleep and out to the world, his mere presence fills me with so much warmth.
I should use this time to rehearse what I’m going to say, but my mind is blank. Spontaneous is better anyway, right?
Closing my eyes, I wait.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Aiden
There’sasteadythrummingin my head, the kind you get after you’ve drunk too much and listened to loud music for too long.
Did I get drunk last night? My memory seems wiped.
Where the hell am I?
I try to move, but my entire body is sore and uncooperative.
“Ade?” Ella’s soft voice calls to me from somewhere far away.
I force my eyelids open, her beautiful face coming into view. She’s holding my hand, an expression of worry clouding her gorgeous eyes.
I sit up, my body protesting the movement. While Ella stuffs cushions behind my back, I glance around.
“This isn’t our cabin,” I say, my voice croaky as if I haven’t used it in years. Fuck, my throat is dry.
As if reading my mind, Ella hands me some water. “Here, drink this. You’ll feel better afterward.” I gulp down the entire bottle.
Slowly my brain is coming back online, and the events from last night play out in technicolor in my mind.
