Page 41

S ilence stretches around the table and suddenly it looks like Fintan and Kieran are about to eat each other alive. Surprised, I look over at Alex and notice a sadness in her eyes as she watches them.

What the hell is going on here?

“ Ahem…” I clear my throat loudly in an attempt to snap them out of it. “Oh, fuck’s sake! Lexi, if they won’t help, I will,” I say as I reach out to squeeze her hand but there is a bitterness in my tone despite trying to sound supportive.

The two men stop eye-fucking each other and train their eyes on Alex before they look at me. Chills run from my fingertips down to feet, like they are ripping me open to stare at my soul.

Oof… That. Is. Creepy.

“Okay, how do we figure out what he was paying for without seeing his bank statements? Unless any of you have access to Hush’s financials?” I ask in an uncharacteristically sarcastic tone.

I don’t trust these men even a little bit.

Alex’s eyes find mine and I can see her thinking hard before I practically observe a light bulb flicker with an idea. “We have a digital paper trail,” she says, gears grinding as her eyes dart to the men. “Email me the latest payment notification you got from Hush.”

“Um… You sure about that? Remember what you did the last time you saw a payment from Hush come through?” Kieran asks rhetorically and I am officially curious.

What did she do? Alex better spill all the tea when they leave.

At first, she fixes him with a look sharp enough to draw blood but then guilt flashes in her eyes before shaking it off.

“I can access the data embedded in the email and track the IP address of whoever sent it,” she states, not allowing the raw emotion I can see in her gaze to filter through her words. “Hopefully, they used a phone, or a computer registered to them.”

“Woah, you can do that?” I ask, my tone taking on a much higher pitch.

“Well, yes, in theory. I have done a lot of not-so-legal work for clients. The best we can hope for is an address—if Joel is the one making payments on Hush’s behalf, it’ll be easy to prove,” Alex states as she looks down at her plate.

The mention of Joel’s name sends a sharp pain to my heart for what feels like the millionth time tonight. It’s been a few hours since he broke up with me. This is all too much; I should go to bed . The vodka from earlier has all but left my system and there is nothing left to numb the heartache.

I wish I never went through his stupid phone. I suppose ignorance really is bliss.

“Sure. I need your email, Dove,” Fintan announces as he hands his phone to Alex, and she hesitantly takes it and taps away on the screen.

Dove? What’s that about?

“Have you thought this through?” Kieran asks in a deep voice, concern dripping from his tone. “What will you do if your suspicions turn out to be true?”

Alex regards him with an unsure expression and I clear my throat. I can’t listen to this anymore. If Joel’s name is mentioned one more time, I don’t know if I will be able to keep my already fragile emotions from shattering me completely.

“I think I’m gonna turn in… Lexi, I hope you find what you are looking for. I’ll talk to you in the morning,” I say, moving my chair back as I stand.

“Are you okay?” Alex asks and the question brings stinging tears to my eyes. “Yeah, I… I just can’t listen to this anymore. Joel and I broke up a few hours ago. I’m sorry, I just need to get some sleep and clear my head, this is a lot to deal with.”

Alex’s expression falters and she looks at me with pity for a moment.

“Fuck, M… I’m sorry. We’ll finish up here and I’ll take them back so we can have the house to ourselves,” she says as she walks toward me and hugs me so tight, I might break.

“You can go to my room, and we can watch a movie when I return?” she whispers on my shoulder.

“Thanks, I’ll be okay. I think I just need to sleep it off.

I’ll take the guest room,” I mutter, trying to keep the tears from rolling down my cheeks and failing miserably.

With her hands on my shoulders, she pulls away from the hug and offers me a sad smile but nods in agreement before whispering, “I’m sorry,” one more time.

I hate that look. I don’t want her pity. I just wanted to spend time with my best friend and take my mind off Joel and the sudden break up.

Blowing out a heavy breath, I manage a weak smile before I grab my overnight bag by the front door and disappear down the hallway.

The sound of whispered chatter grows softer as I make my way inside the guest room and shut the door with tears running freely down my face now that I don’t have their eyes on me.

My heart aches for Molly. She must think I’m a terrible friend. If Joel is working with Hush, I don’t know if I will be able to forgive him and I’m relieved that he broke up with her before things got too serious between them.

My stomach lurches at the thought of my cousin, my only family, working for such an evil site. “Hey, come on. I’ll drive you back to the studio,” I announce as I step toward the table. After gathering the empty plates, I set them down next to the sink in the kitchen.

Fintan and Kieran exchange a knowing glance before nodding at each other. “Sure thing,” Fintan states firmly. Kieran simply stands up, a resolute expression on his face as he gets ready to leave.

As we walk out to the car, the night air is cool and weightless, a stark contrast to the heaviness that still lingers from the conversation back at the house.

The only sound that breaks the silence is the rustling of leaves in the wind and the echo of our footsteps on the pavement as we approach my car.

Once we’re inside, I start the engine and begin driving back towards Clover Ink. The streetlights blur past us in a hypnotic rhythm, casting fleeting shadows across our faces.

“So, Lexi ,” Fintan speaks up from the backseat, breaking the silent tension. “What’s your plan now? Are you going to confront Joel about Hush?”

I glance at him through the rearview mirror. “Don’t call me that,” I bark in annoyance. He has no right to use Molly’s nickname for me.

“I don’t know,” I admit when he just shrugs, my grip tightening on the steering wheel. “But I can’t just ignore it. I need to find out the truth.”

Kieran hums from the passenger seat, his gaze steady as his eyes settle on the side of my face. “We’ll help you figure it out,” he says.

I know they have different reasons for agreeing to help me with this but hearing him say that has my heart fluttering in my chest with a hope that maybe I… We can do this.

“Perhaps we should meet at our place in the future to talk Hush business?” Fintan suggests behind me, his tone sounding with a hint of annoyance. “Why?” I ask, suddenly feeling their gazes heat my flesh from all sides as I try to navigate my way back to the studio as calmly as possible.

“Why not?” Kieran asks beside me. “Don’t you think it’s better if we don’t involve any more people? The fewer people looking into Hush, the better. Besides, I think we’ve spent more than enough time in your house.”

Guilt claws up my spine and I tear my eyes from the road to meet Kieran’s eyes as his words sink into the darkest parts of my heart. “You’re right,” I agree, the weight of my actions towards them settles heavily on my shoulders. “Good point, Darlin’,” Fintan chimes in from the backseat.

Darlin’? I haven’t heard that one yet…

I flash Fintan a curious glance in the rearview mirror and he winks with a smirk before his gaze shifts out the window as we near the studio. Flicking my gaze at Kieran in my periphery, he looks noticeably flushed even in the dark car and fidgets in his seat.

Clover Ink comes into view, and a sense of anxiety washes over me. The building next to their studio is where it all happened.

Is this what they felt when we arrived at my place earlier? Fuck me…It’s debilitating.

As I pull into the parking lot, a sense of foreboding lingers in the air.

“Why don’t you come up for a coffee?” Kieran offers as he unbuckles his seatbelt.

“Oh, it’s getting late, and I should really get back to Molly…

” I trail off nervously, sitting back in the driver seat as I wait for them to step out.

“Come on. One cup. We promise we won’t lock you in and fuck you like last time,” Fintan chuckles as he steps out of the car before he leans against my window. “It’s not the same building anyway.”

I take a deep breath and wince at the mention of that night but shake off my nerves and nod in reluctant agreement.

This is a bad idea.

Kieran steps out of the car before I do, joining Fintan in the parking lot. Kieran roots through his pockets for the keys and unlocks the door before he leads the way into the studio when I catch up, flipping on the lights to reveal the art and equipment.