Page 60 of From My Past
“Yes, sir.” I say, turning around to go prepare Talia for what is to come.
“And Kieron,” Kellan’s voice calls out to me as my hand touches the brass door knob. I turn to face him expectantly.
“Make sure she knows what’s at stake.”
* * *
I let myself into Talia’s apartment, calling out my arrival as I locked the door behind me. As I stepped into her space my nostrils were assaulted with chemicals. It was impossible to miss the smell of hair dye. It was like I was in a salon.
“Talia? Baby?” I called out, taking my leather jacket off and draping it over the back of the couch as I stepped through the apartment and into the bedroom.
“What do you think?” Talia asks me, stepping out from the bathroom and I’m floored, yet again by her beauty.
She colored her hair while I was gone, the blonde tresses long gone. Her hair is so dark, I would think it is black. She walks over to the bedside and turns the lamp on and I get a better look, the dark color is purple. A deep, rich violet that shimmers in the light.
“You look beautiful. The purple suits you, baby.” I say, walking over to her, brushing the hair over her shoulder and pressing a kiss to the juncture of her neck. Talia moans softly, her body melting into my touch as I slide a hand up the back of her shirt to feel her warm, soft skin against my palm.
“I’m glad you like it. I like it too.” She says breathlessly, her head dropping back to give me more access to her neck.
“I liked the blonde, I liked the black, I like this purple. I likeyou.” I emphasize.
Talia pulled back, but I kept my hands around her waist. “I feel more like me. Like the me I want to be.”
I honestly was at a loss for what to say. My heart was so full of her, how safe she seemed to feel and how light. I wanted to be the one to keep the fire burning in her eyes and the smile on her face. I’d do anything to keep her smiling.
“I’m so glad.” I smiled softly before leaning down and capturing her lips with mine.
“What did your dad want?” Talia asks, snuggling into my chest so I could wrap my arms tighter around her.
“He wants to see you. Soon actually. He said it’s time for you to tell him what you know.”
“Oh.” Talia says softly, her voice quivering slightly with just that one word.
“I’ll be there the whole time, baby. Don’t worry. And remember, we know your big, bad secret already so there really isn’t anything to fear.” I want her to realize that even though she will have to dreg through all the shitty parts, there is a reason for it. We are going to stop the Italians, take the son of a bitch’s power, and with any luck, shove him six feet underground. I want her to realize that I know what she did to save her sister and I won’t let anyone use that against her.
“That’s reassuring to know, but not completely why I’m worried.” She says softly. One of her small hands slips under my shirt and slides over my abs softly. Like she’s tracing the ridges of my muscles to gain confidence and support in what she is about to say.
“Why are you worried?”
“If he, if they, find out that I’ve given information to you, there will be nothing stopping them from killing me on sight. What if we want to take a walk? I’m constantly going to be worried and paranoid about being shot. What if we want to order dinner from a new restaurant? There will always be the possibility that they’ve tampered with our food. What if they come after you to get to me? Fuck, Kieron. I couldn’t stand something happening to you because of me. I’d escape right now if I didn’t care for you so much. I don’t think I could leave you even if I wanted to.” She says quickly, her words tripping over themselves as she rushes to get them out.
“You’re worried about the future. About our safety.” I can’t help but chuckle slightly. If only she knew just how influential and strong the Irish Clan is, she wouldn’t worry so much.
“Yes. If I go to your father and tell him anything I do know about Luca and his father and their operation, the little, mundane information that I do know, I’ll never be able to stop worrying that they will come after you. Me. Us. My family. Yours. And I’d never forgive myself if something happened to someone we love because of me. Because of the mess I’ve brought to your doorstep.” She hangs her head sadly, and I can tell she’s resigning herself to her fate. Or what she perceives as her fate.
“Let me tell you something, baby.” I take her hand and walk her into the living room where I left my coat, before picking it up and draping it over her shoulders. It was adorably big on her and the vision of her in my jacket was speaking to the primal side of me.
Pulling the lapels closer to enclose her in my jacket, I leaned in close to her. She smelled vaguely like hair color, but the dominant scent was all her, all Talia, all mine.
“I won’t let anything happen to us. I won’t let anything happen to your family or mine. I know you don’t have a good grasp on how this life works yet, but being the Skipper and the Second, comes with a lot of power. I have men guarding your parents and sister, I have men ready to guard you if we decide to leave the building. All of whom are highly skilled and dangerous. Please, trust me.” I held her hands in mine, her soft, pale hands in my big, tattooed, calloused ones. A perfect fit.
“I do trust you, Kieron. I do.” Talia moved one of her hands to my cheek and I couldn’t help but lean into her touch. “It’s Luca and his family that I don’t trust. There is no mercy, no love lost between us, there’s no chance he will go easy on me for old time’s sake.” I couldn’t stand the fear in her eyes and I knew that it was only time that would show her she wasn’t in danger anymore.
That I was always going to step between her and the bad from now on.
“They won’t have to with how murderous I’m feeling, baby. They should worry about me, about the Irish coming after them with everything we have.”
Chapter Twenty
