Page 54 of Twisted Secrets
Devlin was six feet underground, his future cut off in the space of a heartbeat.
Cillian stopped in front of the house, but didn’t turn off the engine. The building rose out of the clearing in the middle of the trees, a giant structure that looked like something out of the Revolutionary War. Since it had been built sometime around then, he figured that made sense. But it was home away from home.
He turned to Olivia. “Stay in the car. I need to check in with my men to make sure it’s safe, and then I’ll be back.”
She nodded, exhaustion and stress written all over her face. The last twenty-four hours had taken a toll on her, and he wanted nothing more than to wipe it all away. Since that wasn’t a real option, he’d do what he could—provide her a safe place where she could breathe until they figured out the next step.
The warm night air brought the sounds of crickets. He stopped for a second and just inhaled, letting clean country scents wash over him. Boston was home, but this was a close second. Forcing himself to focus, he climbed the steps tothe front door.
Mark met him on the big wraparound porch. “All clear. There hasn’t been anyone here since your sisters.” When they’d been hidden away during the fallout of the conflict with the Hallorans.
“Perfect.” He nodded. “And the rest?”
“I have the men stationed at the easy access points, and one of us will always be in the house.” Mark jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “There’s enough food to last until Monday, and I’ve scheduled a delivery for the morning.”
In short, he’d taken care of everything just like Cillian asked. “Good.” He glanced over his shoulder. “My friend isn’t used to a bodyguard presence.” And he wasn’t sure how her daughter would respond. The little tyke had been sleeping through the entire drive. Olivia had enough to worry about without Hadley being scared by strange men looming in the background.
“Got it. I’ll tell the boys to make themselves scarce.” With that, he strode around the side of the house.
Cillian made his way back to the car and opened Olivia’s door. “We’re good. If you want to get Hadley inside, I’ll grab your suitcase.”
She climbed out and looked around. “When I think of the O’Malleys, I don’t think of a place like this. It’s a weird combination of peaceful and creepy.”
“That about sums it up.” He laughed softly. “It’s an old family property by way of my father.”
“I think I like it.” She stopped in front of him, close enough that he could catch her lavender and vanilla scent. Olivia ran her hands up his chest and met his gaze. “Thank you. I know you didn’t have to do this, and I’m bringing a whole lot in the way of baggage to the table, but you didn’thesitate. So…thank you.”
He covered her hands with his, holding them in place. “No thanks necessary. I want you safe—both of you—and I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you are.”
“Cillian…” She went up onto her tiptoes and framed his face with her hands. She kissed him, soft and sweet and lingering. “You are better than I deserve.”
He stood there for a second after she’d moved away to the rear passenger door to unbuckle her kid, rooted in place by the sheer intimacy of the kiss. He’d dated, but he couldn’t remember a single time that a girlfriend had kissed him the way Olivia just did—as something that was done just for the sake of itself, rather than a gateway to something more. It brought to mind casual weekday evenings spent lounging on the couch together and Sunday mornings spent in Mass.
Slow your roll, man. One kiss and you’re dangerously close to putting a ring on her finger. She’s probably not even Catholic.He snorted. Like that mattered to him. Sure, his family would shit a brick, but that was the least of his concerns right now.
Devlin would like her.
He waited for the inevitable flash of searing pain and breathlessness that thinking of his younger brother brought, but there was only a tentative warmth. Come to think of it, he hadn’t had a daytime panic attack since he and Olivia started circling each other. Cillian watched her walk through the front door, still trying to wrap his mind around it.
Was he actually starting to heal? If he was, she was part of the reason, the thing that had shoved him out of his rut and back into life.
I don’t want to let that go. I don’t wantto lethergo.
He grabbed his bag and her suitcase and followed her into the house. Hadley chose that moment to wake up, blinking big dark eyes so like her mom’s at him. She was an adorable little thing, all pudgy cheeks and curly brown hair, and when she sent him a grin, he saw she only had a handful of itty-bitty teeth. It was downright charming. He grinned back, laughing a little when she ducked her head under her mother’s long fall of hair. “Cute.”
Olivia glanced over her shoulder. “She is, isn’t she?”
Mark had left the lights on leading through the formal living room and into the kitchen. Cillian set the bags at the bottom of the stairs. “I’m sure you’re hungry.”
“Not really, but Hadley probably is.” She tickled her daughter. “Aren’t you, baby girl?”
“Yes!”
“Thought so.” She sent him a look that was half-nervous, half-unapologetic. “We’ll be right back.” She moved into the hallway, swooping down to grab a smaller pink bag that had been on top of the suitcase.
Left to his own devices, Cillian searched the cupboards. There were plenty of canned goods and nonperishables, and he found a jar of homemade jelly that he was damn sure no one in his family had actually made and a tub of peanut butter. Mark and the boys must have picked up a few things on their way up here, because there were several loaves of bread on the kitchen island, and three gallons of milk in the fridge.
And bacon. Lots of bacon.
