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Paxe and Archer had dated for a short stint. And I mean, short. They’d barely lasted a week before they were at each other’s throats. Which didn’t surprise me in the least. They were stubborn as hell and always thought they knew more than each other. It had been exhausting, even if it had been for just a few days.
“Are you going to tell them?” Gemma watched me over the rim of her glass.
“About…?” I was distracted, scanning the crowd for the brothers. She nudged me, shooting a pointed look at my stomach. I glanced down. “Oh. No. Not yet. Just…let me figure out what I’m going to do first.”
“I thought so. Hey,” she nudged my shoulder, “isn’t that Dante’s brother?”
My head snapped around, scanning the crowd to try and find Killian. It wasn’t hard. He was in the center of the chaos, three girls wrapped around him as he tried to balance a beer in one hand. He looked like he’d been here for a while, piss drunk and out of it. He hadn’t noticed us yet, which was just as well. I wasn’t sure if I was up to facing him right now.
If Dante had gotten in touch with anyone after what happened, it was probably his brother. Killian must have had some stakes in their company, some portion of it that couldn’t go to me until he signed them over as well. Which is exactly what he must have done. I wasn’t sure if Dante had bullied him into it or if he handed them over willingly, but I wasn’t sure how he felt about Dante handing everything over to me like this.
“Finally.” Gemma moved beside me, her voice breaking through my thoughts. I turned, seeing Aria, Paxe, and Colette making their way over to us.
“We haven’t been here in forever,” Aria breathed, looking around wide-eyed. Paxe was also scanning the room, though I doubted it was to enjoy the decor.
“I haven’t seen any of the brothers yet,” Gemma told her. “So you can stop looking for him. You didn’t bring any knives with you, right?”
Paxe shot her a dirty look. “As if that big oaf they have guarding the entrance would let me through with one.”
Gemma laughed, ordering their drinks as she leaned against the bar. I wanted to join in and laugh right along with them, but it felt stuck in my throat. I settled for a small smile, pretending to look around the room to cover up how uncomfortable I felt.
“Sienna.”
My friends’ jokes and laughter died. I glanced over my shoulder, steeling myself for who I knew stood behind me. Killian had ditched the girls and the beer, standing there awkwardly with his hands shoved into his jeans pockets.
“Killian.”
“We’re just gonna go dance,” Gemma told us, herding our friends away. I watched them go helplessly. I knew Gemma thought she was doing me a favor, but I really wished they hadn’t left me here alone.
“How are you doing?” Killian asked, leaning against the bar.
“Probably better than you. You look like crap.”
He laughed, brushing off my words. “Yeah, well, I’ve been worse.”
We fell silent, regarding each other uneasily. The question I wanted to ask was burning my tongue, barely being held back by clenched teeth.
“I haven’t seen him,” Killian said at last. “Since…” Since their father was shot dead. He winced as if he’d been thinking the same exact words himself. “He didn’t even come in person to get me to sign those damn papers for you.”
“Oh.”
An awkward silence fell between us, filled only by the thudding of the bass.
“I didn’t mind.” He leaned against the bar, swaying slightly.
Setting my water on the bar top, I frowned. “Didn’t mind what?”
“Handing everything over.” He snorted. “Lord knows you’ll be a better leader than either of us. I’ve heard what he’s been up to.”
“I know what he’s been doing,” I replied coolly. “I still hear the rumors.”
“Then you know what you need to do.” He leveled me with a sharp look, clearly more sober than I thought he was.
I turned away, a spark of anger igniting in my chest. “I don’t need to do anything.”
“Sienna…” He followed me through the crowd as I tried to find my friends. “Please. You have to bring him back.”
I whirled around. “No. I don’t. He left me. He was here, and then he left. That was his decision. I don’t have to be his savior. I’m not a rehabilitation center.”
