Page 78 of Sweet Deception

A second later, I find myself completely and utterly alone.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

In the dark of night, I trail Shane and Donal to the Gallagher estate in my Aston Martin.

Every few seconds, the impulse to whip this car around and speed back to the safe house, back to that woman I can’t stop thinking about, incinerates me. And each time, I weather the instinct and do nothing like the coward I am.

I’m the worst man alive.

The look of betrayal on Nika’s face…

I never vowed to stay by her side, but leaving her behind felt fucking awful. Almost like ripping an organ from my body.

My brain tries to convince me that it’s for the best.

When all this blows over, Veronika Kotova should hate me. She should want to get away from me.

An iron fist squeezes my ribs when I realize that I may never touch her again.

I’ve never been this down about anything. Ever. Not even that first explosion-gone-wrong that I’ve regretted so much. I’m lost in all the irrational defiance exploding inside me.

Normally, a long drive would clear my head, but by the time we arrive at the estate, nothing is settled. I’m more on edge and hollow inside than I’ve been in a long time.

My focus is shot, and my brain’s revolving around thoughts of her. Only her.

I’m hardly paying attention in the war room as Shane and Donal review the evidence of Nika’s work and brief the others—Finn, Cian, and Rory.

“So, she helps endangered wives get away clean. What’s the big deal?” Finn asks the room after our fathers have laid out the bulk of it.

Shane shakes his head at his son’s blasé attitude. “She’s dangerous,” he insists. “She’s got the skills to help people vanish without a trace. Isn’t it obvious how that could be used against us if she’s a Sullivan minion?”

“But she’s not.” The protest escapes unbidden, sounding dangerously close to backtalk. “What I mean is…she used her hacking skills to try and get intel for us on Troy’s operation.”

“And that’s a reason to trust her?” My father’s voice is gentle but firmly skeptical.

“If she were really one of theirs, why would she betray them in order to help us?” Damn, even I can hear the defensiveness in my tone.

My incredulous friends and family gawk at me as awkward silence eats up the air in the room.

“What?” I meet Finn’s gaze.Is there something on my face?

My father is the next one to break this strange quiet. “Son, you’re too close to this.”

I narrow my eyes. “What are you talking about?”

“She infiltrated one of our weddings. She stole our data. And she’s been helping women affiliated with our enemies for years.”

“That doesn’t have anything to do with this.” I’m shaking my head. “She’s just trying to find her friend’s sister.” I’m pouring strength into my voice, so why do I sound so weak right now while surrounded by all the men I respect?

“A convenient story.” Shane’s heavy voice shuts the rest of us up. “She needs to be interrogated properly. Who knows what else she’s learned about our operations?”

“I already questioned her.” I click my lighter open and closed.

“And you were completely objective, were you?” My father’s knowing stare cracks something in my chest. An uncomfortable sting blooms through me.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“We saw how you looked at her.”