“Take Zoya to Willow’s,” Fallon said, as she sized up the young Russian woman. “And give her my number, too. Call me if things go horribly wrong.”
“Great.” Leona smirked. “Thanks, Fallon.”
“Wynn,” the Irishwoman said, jerking her chin to the door. “Meet me outside in three. We have a job to do.”
I nodded, watching her leave the room with Finn.
“Are you sure about this?” Leona asked, pulling me into a hug. I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her forehead.
“I have to,” I replied. “I’ll be back home tomorrow.” I turned to Ciel and Caspian. “You both will be fine?”
Caspian grunted. “Of course.”
I turned to my other brother and pulled him into a hug that surprised me as much as it surprised him. I swallowed, searching his face. Something new and unknown twisted in my gut. “Take care of them, Ciel.”
Take care of yourself.
He nodded. His mouth parted as he looked at me, like he, too, could feel the unease twisting in my chest. “Be safe, Wynn.”
My fingers itched to pull him into another hug, but I cleared my throat and nodded.
“Tell Wil I’m sorry I didn’t stop by,” I said to Leona.
“I will.”
I kissed her one more time and then followed after Fallon.
41
LEONA
As soon as we got home from Philadelphia, I crashed. I’d barely made it to bed before my eyes clamped shut and sleep overtook me.
I woke up a few hours later to Cas’s arm slung around my waist, his nose buried in my hair and my back pressed against his chest. I closed my eyes, snuggling back against him. His warmth felt so good. Everything about him settled my restless spirit.
After a few moments of listening to his steady breaths, feeling his heartbeat at my back, I checked my phone to see a text from Wynn from an hour ago.
Wynn: Safe at Willow’s, darling. Getting some rest, then heading back out to wrap up some loose ends.
They’d only just gotten back? How badly had the Albanians seeped into Philadelphia?
Leona: Just woke up. Hope everything went well. Miss you, Wynn. Be safe.
I understood why Fallon had asked for the trade, and I knew he’d take down as many Albanians as he could, but it still didn’t make me feel any better. I missed him. I was worried about him. And I wanted him back.
Then a thought sliced through me. I’d promised Ciel I would sleep in his bed. God, that felt like fucking ages ago. How had it been less than a day? And how could I have forgotten after he’d been processing everything that happened yesterday?
I gently extricated myself from Cas’s arms and swung my legs over the side of the bed.
“Mmm,” Cas groaned, one eye peeking open. “Princess?”
I leaned down to kiss his brow. “Go back to sleep, Caspian.”
He murmured something else in his sleep before he rolled to his back, one arm above his head. My heart swelled in my chest. Cas liked to sleep shirtless, and his exposed chest was always a sweet treat to stare at, but it still felt a little surreal to see him in my bed. So close yet so far for too long, before falling into each other’s arms. So fucking grateful.
I grabbed a change of clothes and took a quick shower. Knowing Ciel, he’d sleep all day but despite the bone-deep exhaustion I felt, I still wanted to be up in case he came to the living room. I wanted to apologize for not keeping my promise, and to make him a new one to make it up to him.
I walked into the kitchen with a yawn, trying but failing to make a mental list of everything we still needed to do. The to-do list was never-fucking-ending, and “defeat Max” was still at the top, circled in red.
