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“I would’ve been upfront from the start. About what I did, who I was. Not just as her secret admirer, but the type of person I was. The things I did, what I enjoyed. Doing it slowly just caught her by surprise, but I think ripping off the bandaid would’ve forced her to fall for me asme. I hid at first, which made her keep running off when she found out the truth,” Alex said with a wry smile, his arm squeezing Ames closer to his side.
“You liked chasing me though,” Ames answered with a grin, winking as Alex’s eyes narrowed on hers with heat in his gaze. She blushed as she turned back toward Callan, nodding her head. “I agree, though. I would’ve loved him either way. It might’ve been harder at the beginning, knowing everything, but he would’ve won me over easier. An uphill battle that leveled off rather than a constant two-steps-forward-one-step-back.”
Callan tapped his fingers on the table, a slightly manic look in his eyes as he processed their words, and I watched as a slow grin took over his face.
“Thanks,” he told them both, as if he’d been asking for advice rather than listening to their love story.
I suddenly recalled him mentioning a transfer student on one of our phone calls a few days before. He’d never been interested in anyone romantically before, and my thoughts had been so full of Dev and the wedding that I hadn’t thought much of the passing mention.
Thinking back, I remembered the way he spoke about her, how his voice had taken on the same tone it had every time he was particularly interested in something.
It usually preceded Callan getting in trouble, with either Grey or me having to pull him out of it. I shook my head as I recognized that same look in his eyes now, that excitedobsession that made him so perfect for the lifestyle we’d both been born into. The poor girl he had his eye on didn’t stand a chance in the face of that kind of determination.
Chapter 18
Dev
Rory’s brother was…interesting.Cormac had mentioned his son before in passing, during idle conversation when we worked with him at Cillian’s compound. But he’d never described him in detail, nor had he mentioned how his son was being raised to take Cillian’s place.
I’d heard more snippets from Rory, the hijinks the two had gotten into, the way Callan had been Rory’s only friend growing up, but couldn’t quite put a finger on what I imagined her brother was like until meeting him.
Callan acted how I imagined Alex or I would’ve if we’d grown up in the world we worked in, rather than stumbling into it later in life. He didn’t hold the thin veneer of normality we’d both been forced to adapt, the knowledge of morality and societal rules keeping us from showing our darkness to the world. We’d kept it hidden most of our lives, the way we hid the darker side of our business now, using our legal contracts to keep us looking above-board.
Callan didn’t bother with most of that. His eyes showed all the dangerous, obsessive thoughts churning in his brain. The girl - because there was definitely a girl - wouldn’t be won over with thoughtful gifts and friendship, no matter how much attentionCallan paid to Alex’s stories. He didn’t have the patience for it. He was too feral, the wild look in his eyes barely hidden beneath the fringe of his lashes.
And I fuckinglovedit. I looked forward to becoming friends with this kid, to helping him get out of the trouble I was sure followed him everywhere, to see how he grew into the role Cillian was shaping him for. I could already see how he’d be, just reckless enough to take risks others wouldn’t, wild enough to put people on edge.
He would’ve enjoyed my bachelor party, the morning of which consisted of sparring and target practice, the afternoon spent playing an extreme game of hide-and-seek throughout the city, where every photo taken of you meant $100 given to the seeker. Despite Alex and Bex taking advantage of the traffic cameras, I’d come out a couple grand ahead, my black ops training lending me a few tricks I’d kept up my sleeve.
I could see Callan playing along with us. He seemed like someone who’d be fun to work with, to spend time with, the type of person who’d participate in the nonsense the rest of us got into.
My suspicions were confirmed when Callan got up from the table half an hour later, telling us all, “I have to head out, but I look forward to working with you guys in the future.” He turned to Alex at the last minute, as if he’d forgotten, “Also, my best friend, Grey, is more interested in your type of business than mine. He’ll probably end up working for you guys once he graduates.” Callan tilted his head to the side, as if considering. “Or before. He’s not busy much.”
Alex’s lips tipped at the corner, his amusement at Callan’s presumption clear as he told him, “We have pretty high standards for who works with us.”
Callan nodded, as if Alex’s words were reasonable. But the glint in his eyes as his lips curled into a dangerous grin gave him away, the chaos that was incoming clear on his face.
“We figured you’d say that. So a couple of days ago, he hacked into your home security system. Said you’d find some evidence of him there if you looked.” He took a half-step backwards before stalling, a slightly deranged grin taking over his face as he said in a low voice, “I want you to know that the two of us were very concerned for Ames’s safety when we saw her being chased through the woods. That is, until we saw who it was that tackled her to the ground.” He winked at Ames and dipped his chin in Alex’s direction, bidding me goodbye with a salute and a quick, “See you later, bro-in-law.”
“Is he saying…” Ames trailed off, the implications of Callan’s words hitting her full force, the shock knocking the words out of her mouth.
Rory immediately leaned forward, hand pressed to her chest in apology, “Ames, I’m so so-”
But her apology on behalf of her brother was cut off by the howl of laughter that erupted from Ames’s throat, her head tipped back as she laughed so hard tears streamed from her eyes.
“We’ll have to buy more patio furniture,” she finally said when she managed to get her laughter under control, hiccups escaping her mouth as she wiped away the mascara that had smeared under her eyes.
Rory turned to me with desperate eyes, and I took advantage of the opportunity to soothe her, brushing my lips across her forehead. I would explain later how Ames had first bought the patio furniture for Alex’s home, the house he bought for her in his attempt to win her over. How her indecision over the number of chairs to buy led to Alex inviting her sister to dinner, how that in turn led to Bex and Wren meeting, and how that led to the fighting and eventual love between the two. Ames had evensaved a seat for Rory - for my future partner - just to make sure everyone had a place.
It was too long of a story for our wedding night, but one she’d hear another day. So I just said, “We’ll have to make room for your brother at our family get-togethers.”
“And his best friend, apparently,” Alex grumbled at the idea of some teenager breaking past his defenses, but beyond the anger and doubt, I saw begrudging approval.
The four of us made casual conversation until Bex and Wren returned, the two of them tight-lipped about where they’d disappeared to for close to an hour.
“Just working on your wedding present,” Bex said with an unnervingly wide smile. I excused Rory and me from the table at the sight of it, if only to escape whatever plan Bex had brewing.
I led us toward the table that held my parents, wanting to properly introduce Rory as my wife without the chaos surrounding the photography session earlier this afternoon. They were kind, if not somewhat stiff, our relationship never having fully recovered after I snuck out after graduation and joined the military against their wishes.
