Aiden’s car is in the garage when I arrive, and my stomach flutters slightly at the sight of it. I can’t tell if it’s from nerves or excitement, and that unsettles me more than anything else.
He’s sitting in the kitchen when I arrive, his elbows braced on the island as he holds a glass of whiskey loosely between his hands. He glances up, and his gaze burns into mine. We’ve been avoiding each other for the past several days, and this might be the first time he’s looked directly at me since the gala.
“Where were you?” he asks, his voice a deep rumble.
“I went to see Willow,” I say. I don’t see any point in trying to hide it. If he doesn’t hear it from me now, I’m sure he’ll find out soon enough.
His eyes narrow. “Willow?”
“Yes,” I reply, squaring my shoulders as his expression darkens. “You remember her, right? You told me the whole story about how she ended up the way she is, and I felt bad. I figured she needed a friend, so I went to visit her.”
Aiden’s grip on his whiskey glass tightens. “You were at Dmitri’s house?”
“Yes,” I repeat. “I know you don’t like him, but Willow needs a friend. So you can’t tell me to–”
“Like hell I can’t.” Something I can’t decipher burns in his eyes as he stands up. “I don’t ever want you to go there again. You hear me?”
My brows furrow, but I don’t cower. Keeping my gaze locked with his, I shake my head. “No. I won’t agree to that.”
“Dammit, Rose.” Aiden sets his glass down so hard that a little liquid sloshes over the side. “You have to understand. He’s not–”
But before he can say another word, his phone rings. Growling under his breath, he pulls the cell from his pocket and glances at the screen.
Once again, his expression shifts, but this time, it’s easy to read the look on his face.
Dread.
CHAPTER20
Aiden
My blood rushes in my ears like a tidal wave as I answer the phone. Dr. Andrews’ voice comes through, sounding muffled and distant.
“Mr. O’Reilly. Your mother is crashing again.”
Fuck. No.
“I’ll be right there,” I murmur, my voice thick. Unsticking my tongue feels like ripping skin off.
Dr. Andrews speaks again, and I respond, but I’m barely conscious of any of it. Numbly, I press a button to end the call a moment later, then dial Lachlan.
“It’s mom,” I say as soon as he answers. “It’s bad. Meet me at the hospital.”
There’s a moment of silence as Lachlan processes my words. When he replies, his voice is thick with the same pain I feel in my own chest.
“I will. Have you told Finn and Connor?”
“Not yet.”
He clears his throat. “I’ll contact them. We’ll meet you there.”
He hangs up, and as I put my phone away, I look up to see Rose standing before me. I’m not sure how much she’s pieced together from the snippets she’s been able to hear, but she seems to sense something is wrong. She doesn’t say anything.
“I have to go,” I say, my voice strained. “My mother may be dying.”
Rose’s eyes widen, a small gasp falling from her lips as pity softens her eyes.
I barely even recall what we were talking about before Dr. Andrews called, barely remember the sick feeling of worry that twisted my gut at the thought of Rose being anywhere near Dmitri.
