Page 40 of Our Little Dove (Hush #2)

W e arrive at Alex’s house and as soon as I glimpse at her house, anxiety rises in my stomach. Flashes of memories run through my mind as I try to keep my breathing under control but my body and mind seem to be warring as I force myself out of the car.

Fintan inhales loudly and he flexes his hands into fists a few times as he blows out the shaky breath. He is just as uncomfortable as I am to be here.

Alex leads us inside where we find Molly sitting on the couch, scrolling on her phone. “Ah, about time. I’m starving,” she says without looking up as we enter. When Fintan closes the door behind us, Molly glances over, her eyes widening in surprise at the sight of Fintan and me flanking Alex.

Confusion draws her brows together and I can practically see the alarm bells going off in her head as she hops off the couch. “Hey. Um, who is this?” Molly asks as she walks toward Alex with a questioning look on her face.

“This is Fintan and Kieran,” Alex introduces us in a small voice as we take the boxes of pizza to the dining area just off the kitchen and place them on the table.

Molly nods politely, eyeing us warily. “ Nice to meet you,” she says, clearly unsure of what to make of our unexpected visit . “Are these the guys who kidnapped you?!” she whisper-yells to Alex and I snort a laugh as I help Fintan look for plates and set them out for the four of us.

Alex looks at us over her shoulder while Molly’s eyes haven’t left us since we got here. “We’re here to talk about your ex-boyfriend,” I cut straight to the chase, watching for any flicker of fear in Molly’s expression.

“Well, that, and we’re here for the pizza,” Fintan chimes in amusement as he opens one of the boxes and inhales the delicious scent of the food.

Her eyes narrow and tears form in the corners before she schools her features into a mask of indifference. “Why? How do you know Joel?” she asks guardedly, choking back emotion.

“We don’t—yet. If he’s involved with Hush, we’d like to know how,” Fintan says, his voice steady but his gaze is piercing as he looks at her.

Molly hesitates for a moment before letting out a shaky breath.

“I—I don’t know anything,” she stammers in a choked tone before turning to Alex who is just watching us make ourselves at home in her kitchen with a deadly look on her face.

“You told them? What the hell is going on here? I am so fucking confused, Lexi.”

“Aww… Lexi , that’s cute,” Fintan chuckles from the kitchen and I stare daggers at him before focusing on Molly again. She starts crying and I can’t blame her.

God, I want to punch him in his smug, sarcastic face when this is over.

“I need answers, and they know more about Hush than anyone. Let’s just eat and figure this out. They are here to help,” I say, trying to keep my shit together.

Am I trying to convince her or myself that this is a good idea?

Molly’s watery eyes flick between mine as she takes a deep breath, allowing her hurt expression to melt away slightly. “Fine. But I am gonna need some answers of my own when this weird pizza date is over,” she mutters, leveling me with a look of concern.

“We’ll talk later, I promise,” I offer, trying to diffuse the tension in the air as I grab a plate and serve myself a slice. “So, where do we start?” I ask casually, hoping to subtly steer the conversation towards the topic that brought us here.

Molly’s eyes flicker with a mix of emotions before she sighs and sits down at the table, picking up a slice of pizza without taking a bite.

“Actually, I think I’m going to need some answers before the three of you pick at my dead relationship like vultures,” Molly says softly, staring at the single slice on her plate and I don’t miss the anger in her tone.

I reach out and give her arm an apologetic squeeze and she flashes me a weak smile before it fades, and she eyes the men sitting with us.

“Oh, are we playing twenty questions now?” Fintan chuckles and I try to keep my cool as my shoe connects with his shin under the table with a warning look directed at him.

Fintan just grins wider at me and turns his attention back to Molly.

“Sure, let’s play,” he says smoothly, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. “You start. Ask away.” His demeanor is so infuriatingly relaxed unlike before and that makes me want to kick him again, but I hold back and wait for Molly’s response.

She takes a moment to gather her thoughts before speaking. “Okay, fine. Why do you want to know about Joel? And why should I trust you two?” Molly’s gaze darts between Fintan and Kieran.

Kieran answers before Fintan can respond to her.

“Let’s just say he has piqued our curiosity,” he answers cryptically with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Fintan jumps in, “and as for why you should trust us; you probably shouldn’t,” he purrs with that sinister grin that makes my core heat involuntarily.

Molly raises an eyebrow. “And why would I tell you anything if I can’t trust you?” she challenges, her tone daring them to answer.

I share a look with the infuriatingly handsome men before deciding to take a leap of faith. “Because I’m trying to take down Hush and anyone associated with it,” I reveal, watching for Molly’s reaction carefully.

Her eyes widen in surprise at my confession, and for a moment, silence hangs heavy in the air as she processes my words.

Fintan and Kieran share a look of concern before Molly speaks up, her voice barely above a whisper.

“You’re serious? You want to take down Hush?

” Molly looks at the three of us with a mix of disbelief and hope in her eyes.

Fintan growls as he swallows a bit of his pizza. “Excuse me?” he questions with a glare that could burn me alive. Kieran frowns but remains silent as I flash them a questioning look.

“We are not helping you take Hush down,” Fintan sneers, his gaze unwavering as he traps me with his golden eyes. Kieran clears his throat before speaking. “Why would we help you do that?” he raises his voice, and it comes out as a deep growl that sends shivers through my body.

“I get it, you two are in it for the money but think this through. Somewhere in those black holes,” I point at their chests. “You have hearts. You know what they’re doing is wrong.”

Fintan and Kieran level me with icy glares as if I have just threatened their lives and they are ready to defend themselves. Maybe I have. Maybe they need that money but they have Clover Ink, which is a much better, not to mention, legal way to make a living.

They remain silent and I feel like my blood is icing over in their presence, but I shake it off and lift my chin, trying to maintain my serious expression.

“If we can figure out what Joel was paying for on Hush, we’ll know if he is our way in or not. That’s a start, don’t you agree? You two can help me for your own reasons, maybe find a way to take more of their money but my goal is simple.”

Fintan hums as he turns to Kieran and my heart drums impossibly fast when I see the longing in their shared look.

Pride blooms in my chest at the realization that I forced their feelings for each other to the surface, but guilt snuffs out the feeling in seconds as memories of my harsh methods slither from the edges of my consciousness like tendrils of long-fingered demons clawing their way from the shadows of my own broken mind.

Watching them now feels like I have suffered a fatal wound.

Somewhere in the darkness of the memories we share, they have taken my heart, and I don’t know if I will ever get it back.

While I slowly die inside, I realize that without them, I am an empty shell of who I used to be.

Now it feels like they are smiling while I bleed out. Exactly what I was trying to prevent.