Page 30 of My Addiction
A firm hand lands on my hip and turns me to face him. Ronan places a hand on either side of me on the counter, boxing me in but not touching me. Leaning down so we are eye to eye, he says, “I need to know why you stopped being happy. I’ve gone through the events, and it doesn’t make sense to me, so explain it to me.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “It’s nothing, Ronan. I just thought…” I try to think of what to say that doesn’t make me sound like a whiny kid, “I don’t know what I thought. Please let it go.”
He studies my face for a few more seconds before pushing off the counter and standing to his full height. “Okay then, but I will figure it out. There’s breakfast for you in the microwave. I’m going to grab a shower and get dressed. We’re meeting everyone at the office in an hour and a half.” He’s all business again, and for some reason, that hurts too.
—-***—-
We enter Ronan’s office to the sound of his entire family standing around talking. Declan is sitting in one of the chairs in the sitting area with Xavier perched on the arm. His arm is wrapped protectively around him. What would it be like to have that? To have someone who is fully invested in you?
Ollie begins screeching and pushing away from me, wanting down. It was either put him on his feet or drop him. As soon as he touches the floor, he waddles as fast as his little legs would carry him straight to Kieran. Bending down on one knee, Kieran holds out his arms for Ollie.
“Good morning, Ollie,” he says to my baby brother. Ollie hugs him for a second before heading to Alessia, who is sitting on the small sofa next to Liam. Ollie sits on her lap and leans his head on her chest. She whispers to him, but it’s too soft for me to hear.
“What’s going on? Your message said this was a necessary family meeting. It’s not Sunday.” Finn says. But his eyes are still on his mom, who is holding Ollie, slowly caressing his head.
“We have business to discuss regarding Colton and Ollie, specifically their safety,” Ronan answers his brother’s question. It doesn’t go unnoticed by me or anyone else in the room that, as Ronan was talking, he stepped closer to me, resting his hand on my lower back.
“What do you mean by their safety?” Alessia asks.
“Colton needs to be the one to tell you. Afterward, we’ll need to discuss the next steps. Tell them, Colton, the whole story.” Ronan moves his hand from my lower back to my shoulders and gives me a reassuring squeeze. This is it. I can tell them everything, or I can walk away. Well, run away again. I glance at Ollie, who is now playing with a lock of Alessia’s hair, running it through his fingers contentedly. He needs this stability. So Itell them everything. It doesn’t take me long because no one interrupts me. When I finish my tale of woe, it’s Alessia who speaks first.
“These people,” she all but spits the word people out, “were not only going to sell Ollie but have already done it to other children?”
I’ve only seen her being sweet to Ollie. She was calm when she got onto the boys for fighting in the office. But her tone and the look on her face are now cold and intense. For a moment, I fear that her anger is directed at me for not doing something about it sooner.
“I had to get Ollie out of there. I know I should have gone to the police, but there was no guarantee that they would listen. Two members of the Children of the Fallen are officers. I’m sorry, but I had to run.”
“Xavier, why don’t you take Ollie to the playroom. I’ve set up some snacks in case he’s hungry.”
“Oh, awesome. Come on, buddy, let’s play with the balls. Wanna go play?” Ollie reaches for Xavier, all smiles and laughter. I wait for the judgment that I know is coming from this family. Will they send Ollie and me away? I have a feeling that no matter what Ronan’s promise to me is, his parents hold the power. Alessia stands in front of me, but I can’t look at her.
“Eyes up.” She doesn’t so much as demand it as command it. Her tone makes you want to do as she says. So I meet her eyes. “You did what you had to do. You were brave to put your brother’s safety above your own. It took courage to do that. You were faced not just with one person, not just your parents, but with an organization that could have ties deeper than you already know. You have nothing to be ashamed of or feel guilty about.”
Tears prick the backs of my eyes. Was this woman a mind reader? When she wraps her arms around me, I stiffen at first, but then relax into it. It is honestly the best hug of my life. Not that I have been hugged a lot in my life. I often wonder if I’m touch-starved.
“Come and sit down. I want to go over a few things. Ronan, did you do a full dossier yet on the main players?” She leads me to the sofa and sits beside me, holding my hand.
“No. Just Colton and his parents. Until last night, I wasn’t fully aware of the extent. I plan on doing that today with Colton’s help.”
“Good, make that your priority. Information will be the key to this. I want everything you can gather.” She angles slightly more toward me. “Most religious organizations, or in this case one that claims to be, don’t advertise membership. Do you know how many are in the leadership?”
“Around twelve or so,” I answer. In awe of this woman, who, one minute, is cradling a baby on her lap and the next is commanding the room. She’s treating this like a military operation. Maybe that is how people in the corporate world handle things. I glance around the room. Several of the brothers are in side conversations.
“Mom, we need local information. I think I should take Taylor and make a trip to Oklahoma for a day or so.” Finn says.
“That’s a good idea. We’ll need recent pictures of everyone so our security can be on alert. I want Kenji assigned to Colton and Ollie in the meantime.”
“I can take care of them. They’re staying with me. I’m not letting anyone get close to them,” Ronan says. His response reminds me of the words of his tattoo. Protection above all.
Chapter 15
Ronan
“I understand, Ronan. I know you are fully capable of handling it.” Mom raises her hand to stop my response, “However, with Ollie involved, it will be better to have two sets of eyes on them.”
While I understand the point Mom is making, I still want to be the one protecting them. But instead of arguing, I nod.
“Colton, do you have any proof of what they are doing? Not that I’m doubting you. It will just help if we already have it.” She turns back to Colton.
