Page 39 of Crimson Flames

He sighs as if his patience with me has already worn out, and I smile inwardly. I do not like to upset my son, but sometimes joking with him reminds me that neither of us are truly the men we show to other people. Some days I wonder if I raised my son to be too serious, and I hope that I am no longer a point of contention for him like I used to be.

When I nod for him to continue, he swallows, setting my nerves on edge.

“Ronan O’Brien is the man who shot Nessa.”

Just like that, all the air rushes from my lungs.We were watching the wrong guy.

I can feel my pulse quicken, hear the blood rushing in my ears. My hands shake as they sit in front of me until all of it becomes too much.

“Fuck!” I roar, slamming my fist down on the desk. Alexi must have predicted my reaction because he does not so much as flinch.

“There are also other camps with more kids. Lev is working on tracking them down based on what Kai has told us thus far.”

My mouth falls open in shock. We have been chasing this camp for months, only to find out there are more? We told these children that we got the bad guy, that this was all over, that they aresafe. Now, this fucker has made liars out of us because I have a horrible feeling this will only get worse.

“You need to tell Nessa.”

That has my eyes widening, gaping at him in horror. Nessa is barely holding on. This could destroy all the progress she has made, not to mention adding to her feelings of failure. Before I can say as much, Alexi stands and looks down at me.

“You need to tell her because there are only two of you who can bring her the comfort she needs right now.”

With that, he walks out. He is not a cold man, despite what people initially think, but he knows I process best alone. Yet, this time, I am not sure I want to be alone.

Without a second thought, I lift my phone to my ear, calling the only other person I need to talk to about this.

“What do you need, Old Man?” His teasing lilt makes me pause, not wanting to change the obvious good mood he is in, which is rare for all of us these days. But I know that I need to.

“My office, now.”

Hearing the seriousness of my tone, he gauges the situation quickly and his voice turns somber.

“Let me see if Kai will sit with her.”

“Is she asleep?”

“Yes, but I don’t want her waking up alone.”

Well, obviously. “I will text Kai. Get here now.”

Hanging up, I send a text to Kai, marking it as urgent.

Boris: I need you to sit with Nessa. Cillian and I have something important to discuss. She is sleeping.

He reads it in less than a second before responding.

Kai: On my way

Boris: I will have some Twizzlers delivered to the room for you and hot tea for Nessa.

Kai: What if I wanted tea too?

This kid acts just like Cillian sometimes, only affirming my nickname for Cillian.

Boris: Do you want tea too?

Kai: Nah, I’m good. Thanks for asking though. I’m with Nessa now. Cillian ran out of the room like his pants were on fire. Let me know if there is anything I can help with.

The image of Cillian with his pants on fire brings a smile to my face despite the situation.

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