Page 154 of Lock Up the Darkness

I frowned at him for a few moments. Sleep longer with me here? Did that mean he didn’t usually sleep well then? My gaze strayed to his black beaded bracelet, something he clearly used for anxiety, he was always rubbing it when he was stressed. Was that why he had sleeping problems? Or was I reading too much into it and it was just something to do with him getting over his sickness?

I looked away and focused on the task at hand, a highly unsavory task at that, yet one that he’d been right about needing to be done. It was also helping to curb my anger at what had happened earlier to Killian.

The more I thought about it, seeing him broken on that locker room floor, blood dripping down his chest from his father’s brutality, it had me working faster, more determinedly. As soon as he’d seen me walk in there, he’d let go of the rest that he’d been holding onto, and he’d allowed it all out. Holding him as he’d broken down so painfully had twisted me up inside, witnessing so much pain from him, such a heavy burden that he’d been forced to carry day in and day out.

Even Asher had been affected by it.

He’d declared war for it.

Openly.

Something that hadn’t been a part of his plan at all. Not in these early, sensitive stages.

It had been a risk and a bold one at that.

And he’d done it for Killian.

Although, I doubted he’d actually admit that. He would put it down to some other non-personal and non-emotional reasoning instead.

I finished my editing of the video and eyed the alarm clock on Asher’s nightstand over on his side of the bed, realizing I’d gotten it done in less than a couple of hours.

I was about to close the lid when an alert flashed on the screen.

A secure message flashing.

48 hours. Site A. Confirm. O.W.

What the… what was happening?

Site A. This was about my dad’s research. The dollhouses.

Asher had… he’d cracked the code? He’d even made contact with somebody? It had to be my dad’s source. And he hadn’t said a word about it to any of us?

What was going on?

What the—

My phone buzzed in my pocket, jolting me as it sounded like a freaking foghorn in the silence of the bedroom.

I hastily pulled it from the pocket of my cropped leather jacket and took in the notification. I opened it right away when I saw who the message was from.

Killian: Where did you go?

Shit. I’d thought he would be out for the entire night, considering the powerful painkillers that Jonah had given him once we’d gotten him home and treated his injuries, and managed to calm him down enough to have him rest and sleep.

Aurora: I’m in the house.

Killian: You didn’t go out to deal with Liza like you were cursing about earlier?

Aurora: I was talked out of it.

Killian: What I said worked?

I winced. Not exactly.

Aurora: Going about it another way.

Killian: You’re not in your room. I just walked in looking for you.

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