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“I am so sorry. I did try and call ahead, but you didn’t answer your phone, and then I called the wrong brother.” She casts a glance at Archer who dips his head slightly in respect and takes his cue to leave us to it. He returns to his watch on the couch as I set the cup down and force a smile.
“I’m sorry,” I manage to say. “I’m just a little… jumpy.”
“I understand,” she replies and something about the way she looks at me so intently gives me the impression that she really does. Her eyes drop to my coffee and she grimaces slightly. “Perhaps we can have some tea?”
My heart has calmed by the time the tea is brewed, and Sienna has made herself comfortable at the counter. She’s chosen to sit on the stool that rests next to the counter Killian fucked me on and I have no clue how to ask her to move, so I stay silent.There’s no way she could know, right?I set the pot of tea down and sit across from her. I have to swallow down the wince that threatens as my weight settles on my aching crotch.
I distract myself by thinking back to the last time she came to visit me. She had come looking for answers, gently accusing me of knowing secrets and at the time, I had known nothing.Is that why she’s here now?
“How are you holding up?” Sienna speaks with such a gentle grace that I can’t help but admire her. Even the way she pours her tea seems effortless. She’s powerful, and she knows it.
“Well,” I begin, and suddenly nothing I can think to say can really explain how much I’ve been fighting back the wave of grief threatening to crush me. All of it. My father, the Russians, the bombing, the attack at the school, and my kidnapping; it all threatens to swallow me if I dwell on it too long.
“To tell you the truth, I’ve been trying not to think about it,” I reply finally and my shoulders drop. I rest my elbows on the counter as Sienna fills my cup.
“I understand,” she says again and it doesn’t feel like a lie. Her eyes land on me as she sets the pot down, scanning me before her gaze lingers on the bruises dark around my wrists. Bruises that Killian left over the red rope marks. I feel pinned under her gaze, half expecting her to smell how I’m no longer pure. Instead, she shakes her head, and the corners of her mouth turn down.
“I amsorrythat you were hurt in such a way. You should know that recovering from what you’ve been through, all of it, will take time, and that’s okay.” She sips her tea, her eyes locking back on mine. “I’m here for you if there’s anything you need.” She pauses, and a light smile of reassurance returns to her face. “I think I have some balm that can help ease the pain of those too.”
I glance down at my wrists, knowing that similar marks decorate my entire body now. He’d taken me hard, and yet I had loved every second of it. More than that… I’m lighter today. Something’s changed inside me for the better, even if I’m not sure exactly what it is yet.
Sienna thinks these bruises are from the kidnapping, and I’m happy to let her believe that.
“Thank you,” I nod and slowly drink my own tea. It’s definitely a better choice than the coffee, and the warmth seeps through me into all the dark, tense corners I’d been ignoring. “I’m not even sure what to think about first or even how to deal withallof this.”
“Betrayal is a difficult wound to soothe,” Sienna replies and I tense faintly, half expecting her to accuse me. “What your father has put you through,” she continues and I relax, “will hurt for a long time. I’m sure you’re familiar with the Snake and what he did to my family? What we kept quiet was that he was someone I was close to. He was important to everyone in my family, so when we found out thathewas the one trying to destroy us… well.” She buries the end of her story in her teacup, and my eyes are wide.
I hadn’t known the Snake was close to Sienna. No wonder trusting people doesn’t come easy to them now. Sienna and Dante with the Snake, Killian with Blair, and now Callahan and myself; maybe we’re more alike than I realized.
“I’m sorry,” is all I can think to say, but Sienna waves me away with a flick of her wrist.
“I’m telling you this because I want you to understand that despite how painful it can feel, there is light at the end. We pulled through it, and you will too. Besides,” her smile brightens, “you should know these things before you’re officially part of the family.”
My eyes widen further. I hadn’t heard that the wedding was still on. I’ve been hopeful, but Noah’s cruel words held truth. Marriage is no longer necessary to secure this alliance, and I’d been fearing that they would scrap it. Yet here Sienna is, smiling at me with excitement in her eyes.
“The wedding… it’s still…?”
“Happening? Of course!” Sienna laughs softly. “You’re a smart girl, Cara. We both know that this marriage is no longer a necessity.” My heart freezes in my chest. “However, I am a woman of my word, and Killian is a strong supporter of the marriage. As am I.”
“He is?” I ask and my voice sounds distant.Killiansupports the marriage? Had last night changed him too? “I mean, of course.” I shake my head, and my heart jumps, making up for the beats it missed.
Sienna continues to talk, but I barely hear the wedding details or her plans. My family is crumbling, but outside of that, the wedding is still secure. The fact that Killian still wants to marry me…it’s a relief I didn’t even know I needed, and it hits me like a punch in the gut.
I’ll be safe. With Killian. He’s proven this time and time again.
Sienna notices the tears in my eyes before I do, and her voice trails off, her hands reaching for mine.
“I’m sorry. I know this is a lot to take in today. How about you get some rest, okay? I’ll make sure everything is taken care of.”
I can only nod, blinking quickly as my eyes swim. She slides off her stool and grabs her bag, pulling me into a hug before I even realize what she’s doing. Then she’s gone, escorted out by Archer, and I’m left in the kitchen, the room of my broken promise with light now at the end of the tunnel.
Purity intact or not, Killian wants me, and that’s all that matters.
11
KILLIAN
The pieces of this puzzle are slowly coming together. Ever since the first bomb went off in one of my clubs, we’ve been pulled into a war with the Russians with only half the information. We didn’t learn about the Irish deal with the Russians for weapons until after they’d secured the alliance with us. Even then, Callahan had insisted the deal was simply for protection against the Snake. Cara had sworn to me this was the truth.
