Page 104 of Ruthless Dream

There’s a deep wrinkle between his eyebrows, his mouth pursed. But he runs a hand through my hair, his thumb gently rubbing circles along my temple.

“Some notes shouldn’t be written down.”

My shoulders are tight, but his hushed words don’t sound like a threat. More like advice.

He taps my phone. “Did your parents not teach you anything about leaving evidence behind.”

My cheeks heat. Secrets are only kept when you tell no one. That’s what Dad always told his daughters.

Ciaran taps his temple. “Keep it in here. All right?”

I nod.

“Who were you listening to?” he asks, taking it for a given that I was snooping on someone.

“Your uncle.”

He stills.

“And Wallen.”

Ciaran’s head jerks back. “What?” His eyes glance at the phone in my hand like he’s remembering the name I typed down.

“Las Vegas is ripe for the picking,” I quote.

Relief loosens my shoulders at how confused Ciaran is. This isn’t acting. His eyes glaze over as he thinks. His brow is furrowed just like when we used to go out for lunch and he cautiously attempted to speak to new contacts.

“Wallen doesn’t like the Knights. And neither does your uncle.”

He scoffs. “No, that was just the fights back in the day.”

My back bumps into the wall as I rock back and forth on my heels. “Your uncle seemed awfully cozy with Wallen.”

He pulls me out into the hallway. “Says the woman spying on them from a fucking pantry.”

I look down the hall. A door is open, and I spot a large desk. If I’d kept walking, I would have made it into Cormac’s office.

“I just wanted to see the whole place.” It’s not a lie. “Then some asshole started talking, and the urge to hide came naturally. I didn’t realize Wallen’s voice would sound so evil.”

He’d easily get typecast as the villain if he went the Hollywood route.

Ciaran’s shoulders relax. “There’s no point in making an enemy out of the Knights. There’s also no point telling Wallen that, at least not tonight. Cormac was probably just letting him run his mouth.”

I nod, tucking away these details. Later, I will untangle and examine them. I want to know everything that Wallen is up to.

I grab Ciaran’s hand, pulling him through the kitchen. “I spotted the cake earlier.”

CHAPTER 27

Ciaran

Adeline is quiet on the drive home. Her eyes are trained on the car window, her gaze taking in the bright lights. Her fingers absentmindedly play with her phone on her lap. She’s taken her shoes off, but while she’s tired, I’m not sure how relaxed she is.

Am I concerned about her listening in on Cormac and Wallen? Maybe. Possibly.

Our industry all but dictates information gathering. I don’t blame her, especially when she realized it was Wallen speaking.

I didn’t lie when I told her my uncle was letting Wallen run his mouth. But I do know Uncle Cormac. He takes all the small details and stores them away until they’re useful.