Page 84 of Illicit Heir

Silent tension fills the air, with both of us staring the other down.

I finally give up and turn to leave. I get to the door and turn around one last time, adding, "I want a text message when she's safe."

Alaina nods. "That's the smartest thing you've actually said tonight."

"Aye, why is that?" I question.

"Because it means ya aren't going to be texting her. So make sure ya don't ever again, Devin. It's not safe, and ya know it. Caleb will find her. He's obsessed with her, and he will have her. So get it out of your head, whatever's in there. Nothing can ever happen again between ya two."

I clench my jaw.

She adds, "And those are orders."

I debate about arguing with her but decide it's pointless.

I leave and slam the door. I get in my car and go directly to my flat, forcing myself not to go to Coolock, knowing that if I do, it'll make things worse.

I shower, then I pace my flat, naked, staring out the window. I keep glancing at my phone, wanting to text Lauren but knowing that Alaina's right in some ways.

I need to resist messaging her.

But I want to.

There's no future for us.

Caleb is going to have her.

Over my dead body, he will.

I can't get Alaina's voice out of my head with her warning, but I figure that right now, Caleb and his brothers have retreated. There's no way they're in Coolock knowing that the town's been taken over. At least for today, Lauren will be safe from him.

I don't go to bed. I go to the gym, get in the boxing ring, and start fighting whatever man will join me.

Hours pass, and it's only when I'm bloody and exhausted that I stop. I get out of the ring, and Killian calls out, "You're stopping now that I came in, huh? I knew I intimidated you."

I glance at him and grunt. I'm not in the mood for his antics or jokes. I normally appreciate them, but not today. No matter how much I fought, I couldn't get Lauren off my mind.

He steps toward me and points at my face. "Ya got a good shiner there. Can guarantee ya I would've given ya a better one."

I can't hold myself back. I have too much anger and frustration, and Killian becomes my target. I slam my fist in his face, catching him by surprise.

Killian flies to the ground and then slowly looks up. A wild animal lights up his eyes, and he shakes his head.

Killian's one of the meanest fighters I've ever seen, and I've never provoked him before, yet there's no rationale left in me. I'm pissed at the world, and he's going to see my wrath because he was part of what happened tonight, whether rightly or wrongly.

He quickly jumps to his feet and comes after me, landing a hard punch to my cheek, but I recover quickly and go after him.

The gym erupts in shouts. Several men try to separate us, but they can't. Killian's a wild animal, as am I.

We both get in too many punches to count before we're separated. Three men hold me back, and three hold Killian. We're both out of breath, bleeding, and glaring at each other.

"What the fuck is your problem?" he barks.

I say nothing and shrug out of the grasp of the three men. I head into the locker room and pick up my bag.

Killian follows me. "What the fuck was that about, Devin?"

"Mind your own business, Killian," I order.

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