Page 8 of Ruined Wrath
“That’s not a coincidence.” I pace around the room, too on edge to sit.
What I really want is to knock back the decanter of Macallan 18 that Kieran keeps on hand, but there is a good chance that whoever took Scout could turn up for round two. And this time, I’ll be damned if I’m not ready to fight back.
“How many?” Ronan asks.
“Two SUVs with heavy security. But…” Kieran hesitates, and I brace myself for what he’s about to say. “There’s been no confirmed sighting of Scout yet.”
No confirmed sighting.
The words are clinical and completely fucking useless.
Brennan sits. “Are we sure it’s Adrian?”
I nod. “Positive. This has Adrian Smirnov written all over it. He wouldn’t take something this valuable without reason, which makes me think he knows the truth about who Scout really is.”
My stomach twists violently at the thought.
Ronan tilts his head. “If Cormac is right, then Adrian wouldn’t take Scout far. At least not immediately. He’ll want leverage before he makes a move.”
I rake a hand down my face, wiping away the cold sweat that coats my brow. “Or he’s already gone to ground.”
Kieran studies me carefully. “Either way, we find him. But we do it methodically.”
“I don’t give a fuck about methodical. I want my son.”
Ronan leans forward, bracing his elbows on the desk. “And you’ll get him.” He says it with such certainty that I almost believe him. “But losing your head helps no one.”
I hate that he’s right.
The room suddenly feels too small.
Brennan looks nervously between the three of us. “I hate to be the one to ask, but…”
My eyes fly to him. “Butwhat?”
“Do we think Lorcan has anything to do with this?”
My thoughts immediately go to Fiona, and I fight the urge to drag her in here so she can face my brothers for herself.
“I don’t think Lorcan took him. But I don’t think this happened without his involvement either. Not after everything…”
Ronan folds his arms across his chest, eyeing me warily. “So, that must mean that Adrian knows about Scout, and we think Lorcan told him?”
Brennan frowns. “But how would Lorcan know?”
Kieran’s eyes burn on me, but I ignore him.
“There is no way Adrian can know about Scout. I’ve been too careful.”
Ronan doesn’t contradict me, but the silence that follows is worse than if he had.
“Careful doesn’t mean impossible,” he says finally. “And Adrian doesn’t move without leverage or reason.”
I turn away before they can see the doubt creeping in.
The thought of Adrian knowing the truth, of Scout becoming more than a bargaining chip, makes my stomach churn violently.
Ronan’s voice is hard. “We’ll get him back. By whatever means necessary.”
