Page 89 of Override

The truth sits ugly and uncomfortable in my chest.

The only person who has asked what I wanted in weeks is someone whose face I've never seen.

I close my eyes. That thought hurts more than it should. Maybe because part of me knows how dangerous it is.

My father always warned me that isolation changes people. That loneliness makes you reach for things you normally wouldn't.

Maybe that's all this is. Maybe Taibhse just happened to appear at the exact moment I needed someone to remind me I wasn't invisible.

The thought follows me as I leave the sitting room and wander aimlessly through the estate.

One hallway. Then another. Then another. The house is beautiful. Expensive. Impressive. And I've never felt more trapped inside it.

By the time I reach the library, my chest feels tight enough to ache. I push through the doors and pause automatically. This room used to be my favorite. Floor-to-ceiling shelves. Dark wood. Leather chairs. The smell of old books and polished oak.

A room built for quiet. For breathing. For being alone.

I take three steps inside. And suddenly music blasts through the speakers.

I jump so hard I nearly drop my phone. "What the—"

The opening riff fills the room instantly.

Everlong.

My mouth falls open. No. Absolutely not.

I stare at the stereo system while the Foo Fighters pour through the library, loud enough to chase away every ounce of silence that's haunted this house for days.

The laugh escapes before I can stop it. Small at first. Then bigger. Because there is no possible way this is happening naturally. No possible way the music randomly starts the second I walk into the room. Playing my favorite song.

My eyes slowly drift toward the security camera mounted in the far corner.

The smile arrives before I even notice it forming. "You are unbelievable."

The camera doesn't move. Doesn't react. Just hangs there innocently on the wall. Watching. I fold my arms.

The music keeps playing. The camera never moves. And somehow...For the first time since marrying Ronan Gallagher... This house feels like it remembers I live here too.

Chapter 18

Keaton (Skee)

The second Everlong starts playing through the Gallagher estate's library speakers, I grin.

Actually grin. Not a smirk. Not the occasional amused twitch that passes for happiness in my life. A genuine smile.

Which apparently is enough to trigger a national emergency.

"What is that?" Sloane's voice cuts through the backyard.

I don't look up from my laptop. That was my first mistake.

"What is what?" Bullet asks from the grill.

Sloane points directly at me from where she's sitting beside Rachel beneath the patio umbrella. "That."

Bullet follows her finger. Then freezes. "Oh."