Page 129 of Stolen Temptation

“Still no dice.” Darren’s frown deepens. “Dax was the only one who we knew for sure was working for him, but he died before we could torture any info out of him.”

“We’re back at square fucking one.” Cian turns back from my bed, throwing his hands in the air. “And then you have to go and get yourself shot.”

“My bad.” I cough, sending a sharp burn through my chest. It sounds bad enough that Darren brings me a plastic cup of water with a straw from a tray table.

Darren holds the cup while I suck the liquid like a fiend. I empty the whole thing in under two seconds. “How long have I been out?”

Finally, some volume returns to my voice.

Cian opens his mouth to answer, but Finn pushes through the door to my room and picks up the slack. “Four days.”

I think my heart nearly stops.Four days?Anything could have happened to Kiara by now.

Ugly, gruesome fantasies unfold in my groggy mind. I bite down on the inside of my cheek to banish them.

It was bad enough when I believed Kiara was just Leo’s art slave. Now that we know the twisted family history between those two, I’m even more certain that the psycho’s plans for her will be infinitely worse this time around.

“You’re just lucky we found you when we did.” Finn jerks his chin at Cian, as if to tell me I owe the pair of them athank you.

But I can’t even manage that as panic squeezes me with an icy fist.

“What about Kiara?” I try to sit up again, but the pain drops me right back down. Ugh. I hate this. I can’t afford to be weak…not when Kiara needs me. “Leo grabbed her. Did you stop him?”

Cian shakes his head. “You were alone when we got there. Weren’t sure whether your girl shot you or Leo did.”

“What’s happened since I’ve been under?”

“A big fat nothing.” Darren gives a humorless laugh. “As far as Shane’s concerned, with Kiara gone, our hands are clean. We didn’t get to use her as leverage, but we’ve got bigger issues to worry about. Leo’s dropped off the radar since the club fire, and with the mole lurking around, we’re all still in danger.”

My blood heats. These fuckers. While I was out cold, not a single one of them did anything to rescue her from Leo. They talk about her like she’s not important. I don’t care if that’s not fair to them or if my anger’s misplaced.

Christ. I need to get out of here and find someone else to pummel before I deck one of my friends in the face.

I feel like shit in every way possible.

Twice, I promised to protect Kiara, and twice, my word has been meaningless.

I know what kind of man Leo is. And now Kiara is back in his clutches, and there’s next to nothing I can do about it while I’m stuck in this bed.

This time when I push up from the mattress, I ignore the pain. I grit my teeth and keep moving, refusing to lie back down even when vertigo strikes again.

“Guys, listen up.” Finn recaptures the attention in the room, forcing out an exhausted breath that sounds more like a growl. “We’ve got another issue.”

“Another one?” Cian grumbles under his breath. “That’s just perfect.”

I only listen with half an ear when Darren asks, “What’s going on?”

“We’ve been picking up some chatter online about a merger.”

Darren perks up at that. “Betweenwho?”

“Rumors say it’s Russian bratva and an Italian mob.” Finn’s gaze darkens. “Which I don’t like the sound of.”

“You’re saying there’s going to be amarriagebetween them?” Cian’s incredulity puts me on edge.

And I’m not the only one. In an instant, Darren’s hovering over my bed with an ominous expression on his face. “The Petrovs?”

The question he poses comes out more like a statement.