Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 55748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 279(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 186(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 279(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 186(@300wpm)
That’s a misguided thing to say. Blood is pouring down his face.
In the car, I call Ronan on speaker.
“Killian?” he says, answering.
“I need a favor.”
Seven
LUCY
When I tell Toby I’m closing the bakery early, he can clearly see that something is wrong. “I heard the commotion,” he whispers. “What happened?”
“Nothing,” I reply.
“Come on, Lucy—”
“You’ll get your entire shift’s pay,” I say sternly. “Please, just leave it. This is a personal matter. After the last customer leaves, close up as normal. Okay? Can you work with that?”
Before waiting for an answer, I head back upstairs, my mind struggling to catch up with what just happened. Killian is a kind, handsome, funny, cultured, and sophisticated businessman. Killian is the bright spot that lights up my mornings. And now…
I stare down at the shattered glass from a picture frame, at the blood streaking the floor and the walls. Clover barks from the bedroom, demanding attention. My memory flashes with vivid, violent images of what just happened.
Killian was like a different person, but he saved me. Shane deserved it. But that much violence… it’s a shock to the system. It’s like I can’t process it. It was so savage. He didn’t stop, even when it was clear Shane couldn’t fight back. It’s a side of Killian I never dreamed existed.
I take a breath, trying to calm myself down. One step at a time. First, I’ll clean up the glass. Then I’ll get some warm soapy water and clean up the blood before it sets into the wallpaper and the rug. After that, I’ll hold Clover and wonder if the world will ever make sense again.
I go through the steps on autopilot. After around twenty minutes, I’m sitting on the couch with my Chihuahua. She licks my face with sweet doggy kisses, like she can sense my mood and is trying to make me feel better. I cradle her, whispering that everything’s going to be okay. No idea if I’m telling the truth.
The apartment buzzer’s makes me leap to my feet as if shocked. I didn’t know how on edge I was until I almost had a panic attack at the sound of the buzzer going off. Clutching the needy Clover to my chest, I walk to the intercom.
“Killian?” I whisper.
“I’m a friend of his,” a man says. “Ronan. I’ve known Killian since we were kids. He told me to tell you he said old Irish gods sent the rain when you were in the cave. You liked the story. You laughed about it. Does that mean anything?”
Yes, it does. I remember the tall stranger, the first grown-up man I felt like I could trust, making me giggle with his silly stories.
“What do you want?” I ask.
“Killian sent me to keep watch on your apartment after what happened and to answer any questions you might have.”
“Where is he?”
“I don’t know,” Ronan replies. “I imagine he’s handling whatever business he started earlier today. All he told me was that he needed to make sure that you were safe.”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I gather there was some violence. Sometimes, violence breeds more violence. Can you buzz me up?”
There’s no way this man could know about that exchange in the cave unless he spoke to either my mom or Killian. I’ve never talked about that specific part of it to anybody else. I press the button, then return to the couch with Clover.
A minute later, a tall, thin man walks in. He has dark, searching eyes as he looks around the apartment. He gestures to a chair. “May I?”
“Sure,” I mutter.
When he sits down, his jacket shifts and I see that there’s a pistol on his hip. He sees me looking and says, “It’s just a precaution.”
“Shane knew him,” I say. “When he saw Killian, he used his name. And even when Shane had his gun aimed at him, it was like he feared Killian. But Killian’s just… he’s the funny, charming guy who swings by for his virgin Irish coffee every morning.” My hand strays to the pendant around my neck. “He’s my savior who gave me this for good luck and he calls me beautiful in Gaelic. He’s not somebody who would savagely beat a man within an inch of his life.”
“If Killian did that, I’m sure Shane deserved it.”
“He deserved it,” I hiss. “Shane’s been robbing me for months. He had a freaking prisoner who looked terrified of him. But I just never thought Killian would have it in him to do something like that. If I hadn’t seen it… Who is he?”
Ronan sighs. “He’s asked me to tell you anything you want to know. He thinks you’re owed that.”
“Answer my question, then.”
“I will, but I think you should remember, people can be more than one thing. Killian is still all those things you thought he was. He’s still the charming, caring guy who swings by for his coffee every morning.”