Page 42 of Killian's Vengeance

“Oh,” I simply replied, unsure what to say as Ian cackled away at my surprised expression. “Regardless, are there any updates?”

He shook his head. “Nothing yet. I probably won’t hear anything until it’s over, unless something goes wrong.”

I nodded and buried my face back in my phone, desperate for the distraction and fearful that if I asked any more questions Ian would kick me back to Killian’s room. I suppose I could go up to the club, but that held little appeal without Killian. Lord, was I codependent already?

The door swung open, causing me to jump and stare at the doorway expectantly, even though I knew they couldn’t possibly be back yet. I was disappointed to see Martin walk in.

He frowned when he saw me. “Oh, hey, Willa. What are you doing in here?”

I shrugged, not certain how to answer. Did Martin know about what was going on? Had he been close to Mac? Would he also be pissed off at me if he knew I was Lily’s sister? “Waiting for Killian.”

He cocked his head at me strangely. “What exactly is going on with you two?”

I shrugged again, uncomfortable with the question because I didn’t know the answer, but also because it was none of his damned business. “Not sure.”

“How did you get here? Where’s Killian?” he asked, directing his second question to Ian.

“Out,” Ian murmured. I guess Martin wasn’t in the loop.

Martin’s jaw tightened. His annoyed gaze swung to me. “Why are you still here if Killian’s gone? I thought you were with him. We can’t have random guests in this area of the building. I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

My eyes widened and I shot a look in Ian’s direction. His shoulders stiffened and he stopped typing, swiveling in his chair to look at Martin. That was a pretty big response from Ian. “She’s fine,” he said, his jaw thrusting mutinously.

Martin’s fists clenched, his features pinched with annoyance and frustration. He obviously hadn’t anticipated Ian sticking up for me, and to be completely honest, neither had I.

“Logan doesn’t like random hookups just wandering around the private areas of the club,” he said snidely. Was he mad because the altercation with me ended up getting Cara fired? I knew he hadn’t wanted to fire her, that he’d been forced by Killian and Logan. “If we let every woman Killian fucked to just roam around, this place would be packed.”

My eyes widened. Jesus, he was going for the jugular. Killian’s previous sexual exploits had been made pretty clear the duration of my time here, but the thought of him having sex with other women still brought an ache to my chest.

Ian stood up, making me suddenly aware that he was a pretty big guy. He loosened his shoulders as he stood in front of Martin, a clear challenge. “I said she’s fucking fine.”

All of a sudden, Ian looked exactly like the tough kid he’d claimed to be, his light brown eyes trained on Martin, as if daring him to make a move.

Martin backed up slightly, obviously not expecting Ian to care about whether I’d stayed or went, but was undeterred. Pursing his lips, he asked, “Where’s Killian? I'll tell him myself.”

“He’s out,” Ian replied, eyeing him with annoyance and exasperation. “I’ll have him find you when he gets back.”

Martin shot another infuriated look at me. “Fine. Do that,” he snapped and stormed out the door.

“What was that all about?” I asked in confusion.

Ian sat back down at his seat and resumed what he’d been doing before being interrupted. “He’s a fucking manager who thinks he owns the place. Christ, the ego.”

“I was afraid he was going to start a fight with you.”

Ian snorted, throwing his head back and laughing. “He would never start a fight with me.”

“Why?”

“Because he’s a pussy. He’s all talk. I doubt that asshole has ever been in a fight in his life.”

“Is it really okay if I stay in here?”

“Yeah. You hungry?”

My stomach rumbled at his question and he snickered.

“Let’s order a pizza. It’s going to be a while.”

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