Page 23 of From My Past
My heart dropped out of my chest. Complete and total horror filled every single space in my body.
“What?” I whispered.
“The bruises on your face are not from a fall. I used to get in fights all the time, so did Trenton. We know how bruising from a fist looks. He called me when he saw you at the bar and he saw how Luca talked about you. Then I went and met Luca for myself. And I knew.”
“Why do you care? You walked out on me five years ago, don’t you remember that?” I interject.
“We can talk about that at another time.” He said, walking closer to me. “Please, calm down. I’m not going to hurt you, I promise.”
Chapter Seven
Kieron
The terror and confusion laced with betrayal on her face made my heart break.
I know she had a very valid point that I needed to explain about leaving her that morning five years ago, but at this moment, all I cared about was making sure she was safe. I looked around the small electronics shop and started looking for surveillance that wasn’t part of the store. If Luca was as good as he thought he was and kept a good eye on his “property” then I would bet that he had some kind of bug in here.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and started to type a message to Talia in my notes asking about any bugs or additional cameras. She read it and shook her head.
I typed;Can I see your phone? I just want to check to make sure he didn’t tap it as well.
Her eyes bugged out a bit, as if she had never thought about it and then her breathing picked up again. She was going to have another panic attack right before my eyes.
“It’s okay, I promise.” I reassured her, taking one of her hands in mine. After getting to hold her close again, I knew I was going to crave it. She smelled intoxicating; like sunshine and lilacs in the summertime, and even with all the bruising and swelling she was easily one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen. “Can you tell me why you’re panicking?”
“He will know. He knows. He knows.” She started to whisper, the panic overtaking her again.
This asshole was going to fucking die and he was going to die bymygoddamn hand for doing this to her.
“He knows what?”
“Your number, tapping, he knows, he knows, he knows.” She whispered, over and over, gripping my leather jacket like a safety net.
It dawned on me then what had happened. I texted her so she would have my number. Something innocent and small so that she would feel a bit safer, he was going to punish her for it.
Over my dead body.
I came into this store with a plan and I knew that once I made contact with her, I would take whatever hell came our way so long as she was safe and happy.
“Look at me, Talia.” My voice deepened because I needed her to know I was serious. “I will not let him harm you again.”
“You don’t understand!” She cried, her eyes filling with tears. “You can’t help me.”
“The fuck I can’t.” I said stubbornly. “I am the Second of the Irish Mafia, Boston chapter. You’re going to come with me.”
“I can’t.”
“You can.”
“Please, Kieron. So much as happened, you don’t know everything and I doubt you would want to help me if you did. This is my penance.” She said, her sobs layered in her words. What she confessed surprised me, but didn’t deter me at all. I turned from her and walked a few spaces away, trying to think.
She didn’t know what power I held. She wasn’t aware that I already knew what had happened.
“I can protect her too.” I said softly, my hand going to my hair to smooth back some flyaway pieces. The utter surprise on her face was amazing and was almost enough to make me laugh.
“How did you-”
“You don’t know what being the Second of the Clan means. I have people everywhere and know almost everything. I’ve been keeping an eye on you for a long time. Always in a roundabout, anonymous way that kept you and your location out of my knowledge. There were many nights I had to drink myself stupid to make sure I didn’t find my sentinel, the solider I had put on your guard and beat him within an inch of his life to tell me where you were.”
