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I laugh before I can stop it. “Fresh out. White was all that was left.”
She sits on the bed, hands splayed against the duvet. “Thank you.” She says it so softly that I almost miss it.
I clear my throat, knowing the next thing I have to say will erase any gratefulness she’s feeling now. “For the time being, I think it’s best if you settle in. You’ll be protected twenty-four-seven here, and I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to…go anywhere else.”
Her head snaps up. “Wait, what? You’re saying I can’t leave?” She darts up, panic rising in her eyes. “But what about my friends? My classes—”
“You can still go to your classes with a guard detail,” I say, cutting her off. “But otherwise, you’ll remain here where we can protect you.”
“Killian—”
“It’s already been decided.”
“By who?” she demands, stalking towards the door, looking ready to bolt.
I step into the hall, shutting the door firmly before locking it. Her fists bang on the other side as I take another step back. “By me.”
“Killian, let me out of here, or I swear to God—” Her words are broken up by the sound of her fists against the door. I’m not worried about her breaking through the wood. I had a layer of steel added to the frame to prevent it from splitting, making the door kick-proof.
The plan isn’t to lock her in that room forever. Just until she calms down. Then she’d be free to go around the apartment as much as she’d like. But until then…
“Killian! Let me the fuck out!”
I tuck the keys into my pocket, heading back towards the front door. Opening it, I find Niccolo just about to knock. There are two more of my men behind him and two Irish guards. I glance between them, the sounds of Cara’s yelling echoing behind me.
“Wait until she calms down to let her out,” I tell one of my own, tossing him the spare keys. I glance at Cara’s men. “And make sure they don’t try to help her escape. Her father needs her protected for the alliance to actually work.”
My men nod, making their way into my apartment. The two Irish men hesitate, but with one sharp look from Niccolo, they follow. I shut the door behind them, following Niccolo back to the elevator.
“Where are we going?” he asks, pressing the button for the lobby.
“I need to update my brother and dear sister-in-law about Callahan’s botched plans,” I say dryly.
Niccolo glances between me and my front door. “Are you going to try and annul the wedding plans?”
“No,” I sigh. “But I’m not sure how Sienna and Dante will take the news. I guess we’ll see.”
33
KILLIAN
We arrive at Dante and Sienna’s house in less than an hour, pulling up to their front door just as the sun starts to dip towards the horizon. I head up the front steps, their door opening before I can even knock. Dante stands there, looking a bit grim as he lets me in.
“We heard about the attack on the Irish. Is Callahan alive?” he asks, closing the door just as Niccolo steps through.
“As alive as he’ll ever be after surviving a damn bomb,” I mutter. “There’s a hell of a lot more to this story than Callahan originally let on.”
Dante frowns but motions for us to head upstairs. “Sienna’s helping the nanny put Em down, but she’ll join us in the study in a bit.”
We follow him down the hall to their home office. It’s been a bit since I’ve visited, and I feel guilty for not seeing my niece in so long. As soon as we’re in the office, I notice Dante doesn’t go for the glass decanter on the bookshelf behind the desk. Instead, he takes a seat in one of the chairs by the window. I follow as Niccolo stands beside the door.
“So, what’s going on with Callahan?” Dante asks, not wasting any time. I glance towards the door, waiting to see if Sienna will join us. Dante catches my look. “I’ll update her later.”
“I’ve had a feeling that Callahan was keeping something from us for a while, but I never had any proof to show for it. Until now.” I lean forward, elbows resting against my knees. “The Russians took Cara a few days ago to give a message to her father about him owing some money. I tried to get Cara to tell me why her father owed them, but she claimed she didn’t know.”
“And you believed her?” Dante frowns.
“I didn’t at first. But after her father was taken to the hospital, she was…upset. She told me she discovered he’d bought weapons from the Russians when the Sna—when Mateo was attacking our family. For protection, she claims. Apparently, he bought more than he could afford, and with his businesses failing, he can’t pay them back. But, when I saw her afterward, Cara was genuinely pissed off at her father. I don’t think she knew about any of this until now.” I lean back, letting my brother process what I’ve said.
