Page 99 of Crimson Tears

This kid can read me well. “Yeah, I called Alexi. He had some information I need to share with both of you.”

Cillian nods as he rubs up and down Nessa’s back, then rolls her over slightly before peppering kisses across her jaw and down her neck. She squirms, extremely ticklish when he rubs his nose over her collar bone.

“Killer,” she groans.

“Come on, Love. We need you to wake up.”

She shakes her head before covering her eyes with her hands.

“What time is it?”

Cillian glances at me before looking back at her, and I know instantly he is going to cause trouble.

“Almost two in the afternoon.”

Sure enough, Nessa gasps and he pulls her to sit up. When her eyes dart to the clock, she smacks him in the chest. Watching them together at times is like watching siblings fight.

“You asshole,” she grumbles, adjusting the hair tie that holds her loose bun.

He just laughs. “Boris said he had news, so I needed to make sure you were awake and ready to hear it.”

Her eyes fly to mine as she all but scrambles out of the bed. I can tell she is sore, but it is nowhere near as bad as it has been the past eleven days.

“Is it the kids? Did they find them?”

The hope on her face is enough to crush me. When I shake my head and that light in her eyes dies out, my chest aches.

“Not the kids, but I believe it is the next best thing.”

She nods eagerly, and they both give me their attention as I relay what Alexi told me.

“I heard them talking quite a bit,” Cillian says. “They should know a lot about the children and how this whole system works. Gray mentioned he knew who was in charge when the trafficking first started. He was also informed about how leadership is beginning to change since many are starting to turn on this woman.”

I nod, taking all of this information in as he voices his suspicions. It is clear that Nessa’s father is now calling some of the shots, but what we need to know is who the other players are and how to get to these children.

“So all I need to know now is are you feeling up to a little torture,Lisichka?”

She looks at Cillian, then me. “I am more than ready.”

Chapter 29

Boris heads to the shower, and I snuggle into Cillian’s chest. It feels strange to have everything I ever wanted in the same house as me. For so long, I thought a home was a place where families hid secrets from each other, but not here. Now I know that it is so much more than that. It’s comfort and love andpeace.

Cillian sucks in a sharp breath as my fingers trail a path down his abs.

“Sweetheart, keep doing that and we are about to be doing a whole lot more than just cuddling.”

I groan at his sexy, gruff morning voice. “What if more than cuddles is what I want?”

He leans back, looking me directly in the eye. “I want to give you whatever you want, but please don’t ask me to risk hurting you right now.”

It’s a soft plea that makes me want him all the more. But I hold back because I know my body feels the worst in the morning after staying so still all night.

I need to get up and do my morning stretches and the physical therapy the nurses mapped out for me. Yet, laying here in his arms is just too good right now.

“Okay, Killer. I’ll make you a deal. I will stop teasing if you tell me something.”

He shifts us so that we are laying face to face, then kisses my nose before saying, “Anything.”

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