Page 153 of Ruined Wrath
“Handled? The gates are still fucked, my house was violatedagain, but it’s okay because Cormac is handling it? I swear, you’re lucky my wife and kid weren’t at home, otherwise you would be dead right now.”
Brennan shakes his head. “This is becoming a little too Shakespearean for my taste.”
The glare Kieran gives him could cut steel.
I step closer until our noses are almost touching. “I didn’t ask for this. But I did what had to be done, for Scout’s sake.”
“Scout’s sake? Are you sure it’s not because someone whispered advice in your ear and you thought playing nice was the smarter move?”
“It’s about my son. End of discussion.”
“You better be sure, Cormac, because if anything like this happens again, and I meananything, I won’t just fix the gates. I’ll make sure to fix the problem myself.”
“Nothing will happen. I’ve got it under control.”
The tension hangs between us until Kieran finally takes a slow, measured breath and takes a step back. It’s just enough to signal that the storm brewing inside him is contained, at least for now, but I decide to take Kieran’s bad mood as my cue to get back to tracking down Lorcan.
Brennan falls into step beside me as I head back toward the house, his hands shoved into his pockets and his posture loose. “I can punch him if you like?”
I huff a laugh. “Trust me, if anyone is punching Kieran, it’s me.”
As we head inside the house, we find Riley walking out of the living room, carrying Aubrey.
Brennan rolls his eyes at her. “Kieran needs a hug. Or a strong drink. Or possibly both.”
She shakes her head. “I’m not getting involved. You lot can figure it out among yourselves.”
“Where’s Fiona?” I ask.
“She’s in the kitchen, why?”
“I’ll be down in a minute,” I say to Brennan before darting up the stairs to the office, shrugging out of my jacket as I go.
My fingers itch with the need to do something useful, something that moves us forward instead of circling the same argument from different angles. And I think I might have an idea that could do just that.
The list of names that Brennan has been compiling is spread out on the desk from where I abandoned it last night. It’s covered in annotations, with some names underlined and others crossed out. Lorcan’s name might not appear, but his fingerprints are sure as hell all over it.
I pick up the papers, scanning them again, even though I already know most of the names by heart.
This is the part of the job I’m good at, finding patterns and pressure points. People always leave traces, no matter how careful they think they are.
Tucking the files under my arm, I head back downstairs.
Brennan rushes to catch up with me as I stalk into the kitchen. “Want to tell me what’s going on?”
I ignore him.
I find Fiona standing at the island, cradling a mug of tea between her hands. She looks up when she hears me, and I instantly see her go on alert.
“Cormac?”
“Can you look at these?” I toss the papers down onto the island. I try my best to keep my tone casual, but I know she can see right through me.
“Why?”
“Just on the off chance you might recognize something.”
I don’t expect her to find anything I haven’t already found, but it’s worth a shot. Besides, letting her in on this side of things in a way I haven’t before is my way of offering her trust.
