“Kieron, wait.” She says, but I can’t without blowing up.
“Just give me a minute. I need a second.” I say as softly as I can. It is painful obvious that I’m controlling myself as each word and breath I take is measured.
“I can help!”
“Not like that, you won’t.” I snap and her eyes widen slightly. “Please, give me a fucking second to get my head on straight and we can talk.”
Talia nods, and I sprinted into the next room. I wasn’t a smoker, I cut that habit out of my life a long fucking time ago but I could really use a cigarette right now.
What pissed me off the most was that it was actually a good plan. It’s a plan I would suggest if it was anyone other than her. But putting her directly in the way of Luca and all those other fuckers… It would drive me absolutely crazy with worry and anxiety.
I was pacing back and forth, messing with the few rings on my fingers. Could it work? Could she help us and be kept safe at the same time?
I pulled my phone out and messaged Trent. He should be off at this time, able to call me from his burner.
A moment later I got a call from an unknown number and heard his voice as he snapped, “What’s going on?”
“She wants to go to the event and get the information out of a low-entry.”
“Not a bad idea actually.” Trent says quickly.
“Were you fucking listening to me? She wants to go to the event, filled with Italians, filled with other gangs who are known for their treatment of people, go up to one of them and fucking flirt information out of him.” I sneer. Was no one getting this was a terrible idea?
“I understand, and I can totally get how this would feel for you. But Kieron, think about this as the Second. You know Skipper would think this was a good idea. A better idea.”
“And how do you suggest I keep her safe in the lion’s den?” If Trent wasn’t my right-hand man and my oldest friend, there’s no way I’d be okay with him speaking to me like that. He was talking to me as a friend right now, not as someone who worked for me, and he’d always been able to tell when I needed him in which role. It was one of the things I really respected about him.
“We’ll figure it out. Spencer’s in the basement right now having his fun.” Trent says. “Once we get some information out of him, we can go from there.”
“I’m going to be there.” There’s no way I’m letting her go in by herself. Fuck no. “I will be there with her.”
A deep sigh came through the phone. “You know you can’t.”
“The fuck I can’t.” I snap. “I’m the Second-in-Command to the Irish Clan. I’ll do what I want.”
“You know that doing that will only put her in more danger. But we can discuss this later…when we have a plan.”
Damn him and his calmness. I needed that fucker to be as determined and angry as me. Even through my anger haze, I realize that he’s right. So, instead of yelling at him and ripping him a new one, I took a deep breath and listened.
“Fine.”
“We will figure it out. When I hear information from Spencer, I’ll get back to you.” Trent tries to reassure me.
“Thanks, man.” I say and hang up the phone. Running a hand over my face, I take a deep breath and roll my shoulders.
“I’m not intentionally trying to ruin your hard work of protecting me, but I want to help.” I turned and saw Talia.
“Wow.” She took my breath away. “You look… so beautiful.”
She really did. She was wearing a deep red dress that showed off her curves that she was regaining, it was short and flared out around her thighs, but nipped in at her waist, showing off her hourglass shape. Talia walked closer into the room and I was sure my mouth was dropped still. She walked over to me with an intoxicating mixture of nerves and confidence, like she wasn’t sure what she should feel but was pulled in just as much as I was.
“This is all I could find in the bag that was appropriate for getting married. Is it okay?” She says with a cheeky, shy smile, looking at me through her dark lashes.
“You look perfect.” I whisper.
“Like what you imagined?”
“Better, baby.” And it’s true. She was a perfect image of the Talia I’d met long ago and the one I’d just found, both versions I’d fallen in love with. Hard.
