Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 100086 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100086 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
“I can see that.” She switched out the washcloth and added a dry towel over the top. “They say jump and expect everyone to jump and be happy about it.”
Yeah, she’d definitely had interactions with a similar scenario. But who? She sure as hell wasn’t associated with any of the three families in Boston. Part of his training for taking over for Bartholomew had been reading files on every major player under the Sheridans, the Hallorans, and even the MacNamaras, for all that they were extinct thanks to Callie’s dad. There were extensive dossiers on anyone with more than a passing connection with any of the families. Even if she was using a different name, he would have recognized her from her picture. She wasn’t there. He was sure of it. “You sound like you know a thing or two about it.”
“Not in Boston.” She took his hand and used it to replace hers on the towel. “How are you feeling?”
Like he wanted to get to know her better. He’d already wanted her—how could he not?—but now he wanted to do more than roll around naked with her. He wanted to actually sit down and have a conversation. It was tempting to play up his injuries to keep her here and touching him, but that would definitely put him in creep territory. “Nasty headache and I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck, but I’ll live to see another day.”
“You’re probably concussed.” She frowned. “But I’m hardly a doctor.”
“You seem to know your way around head wounds.” Which was another puzzle piece to add to the mystery that was Olivia. When he’d met her, he thought she was a beautiful woman with an attitude—and she was—but the more time he spent with her, the more he realized she was like the ocean—full of mysteries.
And just as likely to get him in over his head.
She shrugged. “I’ve seen a few in my day.” Concern lit her dark eyes. “You shouldn’t be alone right now.”
Damn, he couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity if he’d tried. But that was his old self talking. The man who’d go to great lengths to charm a woman into bed, who’d never met a challenge concerning the opposite sex that he wasn’t willing to step up to the line with. He knew Olivia wanted him, even if she had something holding her back from going there again. A year ago that would have been like waving a red flag in front of a bull.
Now? Now he was tired and hurt, and there was a sick part of him convinced that having the shit beat out of him was nothing more than he deserved. Devlin had gotten a bullet from the Hallorans. Cillian had only gotten roughed up. If he could go back to that night…
But there was no changing history. There was no magic spell or time machine that would allow him to take his brother’s place. There was only Cillian now, trying to do his damnedest to take it one day at a time and not let the vastness of the future overwhelm him.
* * *
Olivia hesitated, torn between wanting to kick Cillian’s ass to the curb and wanting to make sure he was okay. He didn’t look okay. Sure, she’d seen worse during the brief time she and Sergei lived together, but worse was a relative thing. And the look that had just come into his eyes made her shiver. It was the expression of the man staring death in the face and refusing to back down. “Cillian?”
He blinked at her, seeming to come back to himself. “Sorry, what did you say?”
Yeah, he was definitely concussed if he was spacing out in the middle of a conversation. What had he even been doing in the alley to begin with? He’d walked out the front door hours ago. Why was he still hanging around? Shouldn’t he have some kind of protection detail with him? Dmitri never went anywhere without his goons. She bit her lip, looking around as if the answer would jump into being from the walls.
No such luck.
“Is there somewhere you can go?” She couldn’t bring him home. Hadley loved people too much and, even though she was supposed to be sleeping, if she woke up and saw him, she’d be all over him in a hot second. And if Sergei saw her with another man, let alone an O’Malley…
She shuddered. No, she couldn’t take him home.
If Olivia was smart, she’d wash her hands of this whole business and send him on his way. Except you’ll never forgive yourself if you see on the news tomorrow he was found dead on the sidewalk. There had to be a better option.
He’d gotten paler in the last few minutes. “This might sound childish, but I can’t go home looking like this. I’m not willing to start a war over a few bruises.”