Page 84 of Líadan's Code

“For a bit longer,” she confirms. “Then, we’ll be back in Georgetown, and we’re going to record with Lenny and the guys. I think my little cottage may be too small with these huge men.”

“You have the money to buy a bigger place, Lay,” I say. “Lenny can walk you through the process. It’s stressful, but worth it to have your space.”

“You’re right,” she says as I walk onto the train and find a seat. It’s late enough that there’s no one here, which is how I like it. “Promise you’ll stay safe?”

“Cross my heart, Lay,” I say as the doors close and we pull away from the platform. “Be happy.”

Taking a deep breath, I hang up, blinking hard. God, that was harder than I thought it would be. Leaning back against the chair, I ride the rails as I think about where Líadan would be.

It makes sense that she would be staying in a shit hotel. There’s an area that I’m thinking about that would be perfect, and they tend to have closed circuit video cameras. I’m going to begin to scour all of those hotels, because something has to give.

You can run, Princess, and you can hide, but I’ll still hunt you down like the big, bad wolf only you can goad me into being. Taking a deep breath, I allow myself to daydream about stalking her through a park, chasing her down and fucking her into the dirt.

Brendan would be a good little naked soldier, unable to touch his cock as I punished Líadan’s ass with my cock. Grunting, I adjust myself as I get up and de-board the train to walk to my rental.

It’s almost five in the afternoon now, and I know I’m going to be pulling a few more hours in front of my computer. I’ve compiled a complete list of everyone who was there the night Líadan was sold and raped, and several of them are on her shit list to kill in the next few days.

I want to make sure she doesn’t cut her fun short by simply blowing them sky high. That’s too easy of a death for them. Líadan and Brendan deserve to fuck them up for what they did.

My darkness isn’t as dark as theirs, but I can easily feed it without effort. I don’t have the same morals that others live by. If you fuck with my people, I will ensure you have the worst and possibly last day imaginable.

Come out, come out wherever you are. I’m done fucking around.

Chapter Nineteen

Brendan

Wednesday night - Ten pm

Líadan is craving drunken noodles from the restaurant up on Roscoe Street, and since she’s meeting with a group of forty people tomorrow, to listen to them whine about how they won’t change their ways, I offered to go pick it up for us.

We’ve changed hotels each night, and while it’s exhausting, it’s been keeping us safe. I left Líadan in yet another hotel so I can get her food. I’ll take the uncertainty of where we’re staying over being firebombed any day.

It feels like a lifetime has passed rather than it simply being two days. I have on low slung jeans, a white hoodie with the hood over my head, and a dark-green coat over it all as I walk, kind of glad that the weather is so dreadful.

It’s harder to keep identifying features covered when it’s warmer. Jordan hasn’t found us either, and I have no doubt that he’s scouring the city. I still feel like a coward for letting Lía drag me out of Dr. Kurtz’s home on Tuesday before Jordan even woke up.

Lía insists it’s for the best, but last night she had a nightmare that woke her up screaming. She dreamed that Jordan died in the fire, and all she could see was his melting skin.

My girl stayed up the rest of the night reading a book on a digital app on her tablet, while I snuggled in her lap and dozed. She needs less sleep than I do, and has always been like this.

Except… she slept better when Jordan was with us in our bed.

Blowing out a breath, I open the door to the restaurant and walk inside to grab our food.

There’s a man in front of me with a build I swear I recognize, and I shift to try to see his face. Even his hair is covered by a wool hat. Frowning, I gaze at the long gray coat, dark chinos, and black boots peeking out from his pants.

I can’t hear him as he speaks in a low voice to the woman who is handing him his food, but I feel like I fucking know him.

Turning, Jordan smirks as he sees me. “I caught you on at least four different cameras as you walked over here,” he says. “If you’re going to break up with someone by slinking off, you could at least try hiding better.”

My eyes are wide as I gaze at him, lips parting as I see the bag in his hands. “It wasn’t my choice,” I rasp, my mouth dry. The room threatens to spin on me, and I realize how much I’ve been pretending that this didn’t affect me.

My heart feels as if it’s being pulled from my chest, because it’s at odds between the two people I love. Jordan Miles burrowed himself under my skin further than I realized over the last month and half. It’s hard to imagine it’s been that long since Lía and I walked into that dank warehouse room.

“You still went through with it,” he says with a shrug. “Get your food and come sit with me before you slink back to Líadan. I have some information you probably need to know.”

Jordan lopes over to a table to wait while I force myself to close my mouth and face the restaurant owner to take my money. She’s sweet, runs a tight ship, and makes incredible food.

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