Page 22 of Pints & Potions

“If you love me, you’ll help me find a way to ditch my protectors. Cian included.”

“Oh no. Not me. I’m not getting on Alastair’s bad side.”

“As if you ever could.” Piper guzzled half her drink. “He adores you because you feed him information on Nash’s activities.”

Nash was Alastair’s son, and for the majority of Nash’s life, the two had been at odds. In recent months, they mended their rocky relationship. Nash had taken over the running of Thorne Industries when Alastair stepped down to care for his fiancée, Aurora. She’d been in stasis for close to two decades due to a run-in with Alastair’s enemies.

During the interim, Alastair gained his much-deserved reputation. He was a man possessed and he’d set out to destroy those who would hurt his loved ones.

“If Nash ever found out, he’d kill me.” Liz, as Nash’s right-hand person, was privy to everything that went on at work. “But at least he isn’t calling Alastair ‘sperm donor’ anymore.”

Piper nodded. “I’m glad they’re no longer butting heads.”

“Me, too.”

“Unfortunately, since all his children and immediate family are matched, it appears Alastair has turned his sights on me.” She drained her glass and looked at Liz. “Did you get that impression?”

“I did.”

“Wonderful,” Piper said flatly. What Alastair Thorne wanted, he got. Usually with very little effort. “I don’t want him to play cupid. I want to choose my own mate.”

“He doesn’t choose them, cuz. He simply facilitates the getting together of said mates by coming up with creative missions to send them on,” Liz pointed out with a light laugh.

“Do you think this is one of those times, or was he simply here because GiGi called him?”

“I don’t know.” Her cousin shrugged—a standard Thorne response if Piper had ever seen one!

“And you aren’t that concerned?”

“Look, I want to see you happy.” Liz reached over and gripped Piper’s hand. “If it’s with someone like Cian, great. If it’s becoming a mother on your own, that’s awesome, too.”

Turning her palm over, Piper squeezed Liz’s hand. “Thank you.”

“It’s what best friends are for. It’s even better that I happen to be your favorite cousin.”

“Continue to butt your nose in where it’s not wanted, and the title goes to Mack.”

“Ouch.”

In reality, all three of them were close. Liz, Mackenzie, and Piper had practically grown up together as sisters. Piper couldn’t say she wasn’t a tiny bit jealous that both Liz and Mack had settled into their happily-ever-after with the amazing guys they’d found, but she was thrilled for them all the same.

“So, about Cian,” Liz said with a happy grin. “Areyou planning to do the dirty with him?”

“I can’t say I don’t want to. The man turns me on like no one I’ve ever known. But he’s embroiled in a mess, Liz. How do I dismiss the fact he threw a man off the cliff with no remorse?”

“None whatsoever?”

“Not that I could tell.” An uncomfortable thought occurred and Piper abruptly straightened, shooting a panicked look at Liz. “Ohmygoddess, I've done it again, haven’t I? In the whole of Ireland, I've chosen the one psychotic killer determined to play down throwing a man off a cliff. What iswrongwith me?”

“He isnota psychotic killer. Ryker knows him, and he wouldn’t let Cian within ten feet of you if the guy was a murdering bastard with no moral compass.” Again, Liz shrugged, but her expression turned downcast. “Sometimes people have to do things they don’t want to, but I suspect in Cian’s case, it was kill or be killed.”

“I’d forgotten about what you went through.”

“Right, and had you seen me in the midst of the action, you’d probably have thought I had no remorse either. But I still feel guilt, Piper. The nightmares are the worst.”

Not that long ago, Liz had killed a man to defend herself and tortured another to get information relevant to her safety. On the nights Rafe wasn’t around, Piper comforted her if she happened to relive the trauma.

Knowing Liz wasn’t seeking to dredge up the past, Piper let the comment rest. “So you think maybe Cian is internalizing what happened and showing a cocky attitude to the world?”

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