Page 15 of Trust In Me

“Liam, what the hell is going on? Kian has just informed me that Kyle Fratacello now wishes to pledge his allegiance to me, as the new leader, in person. What the fuck happened to the plan we had to shoot him? If he aligns with us, I can’t shoot him!” Bree shouts, stabbing her finger into Liam’s chest to make her feelings perfectly clear. Fury practically vibrates off her, and I notice Kian takes a healthy step away from them at the same time I do.

Instead of getting mad, or yelling back at Bree, Liam just gives her a small smile. “This is perfect. Bree. We need to get him here if we’re going to interrogate him. As much as I would love to kidnap him, his family runs a lot of our drugs trade up north. His father worked for yours, so they’ve always been on our list of families that need to pledge allegiance to you. Doing it this way, he won’t see us coming. When we interrogate him, he will think it’s his interview to remain affiliated with us. Despite being one of the biggest families in the north, Kyle and his father know that without your blessing, without your seal of approval to work with them, they would lose everything. We can just as easily give the business to another up-and-coming family in that area, and they know it. So, if we do things my way, we can make them seem like the bad guys. If he doesn’t give us the answers we want to hear, we can get rid of him and claim he didn’t wish to remain loyal to you. People will see it as us teaching him a lesson, as opposed to us just outright killing him, and starting a war with the north.”

Fuck! The more I listen to Liam, the more I know he’s right, and I really fucking hate to admit it. I watch as Bree starts to deflate, obviously reaching the same realisation as me, and hating it too. Liam’s about thirty seconds from his smug, cocky gloating, and we both know it.

Kian, who hasn’t yet learnt to leave Bree and Liam when they’re in the middle of this kind of argument, adds in his opinion. “That’s actually a good idea. For the last few days, I’ve been thinking of ways to kidnap him without starting a war, and I couldn’t think of anything. This is a really good plan. We can test their loyalty and ensure he stays as far away from Mia as possible. Two birds, one stone. Perfect!”

All eyes turn to Kian, and his usual grin doesn’t leave his face. This guy is just one of those people that is happy and outgoing all of the time. The more time I spend with him, the more I like him. But my darkness is not a fan of all his light and bubbliness. I think we get along so well because we’re cut from the same cloth. I deal with my pain through an unhealthy mix of anxiety and obsessive tendencies, whereas Kian smiles with his boy band good looks, and then beats the shit out of people in underground cage fights. We all have demons. I wear mine on my face, whereas Kian wears a smile and lets his rage consume him in organised bursts of anger. Essentially, we get along because we are the same. Two lost boys, desperately craving the family we never had, clinging to the hope that one day we will find the happiness we don’t even know if we deserve.

“Kian, I’m trying to bollock Liam for going over my head, and you’re not helping.” Bree’s voice is strong and authoritative, but it’s softened a lot since she first stormed into my office. Kian looks a tad uneasy, like he wasn’t too happy about being reprimanded. He said exactly what we’re all thinking, but I’ve learnt not to get in the middle of these two when they’re having one of their stupid tiffs that are usually as a result of Liam being an overprotective ass.

“Sorry,” Kian grumbles, and I have to cough to hide my chuckle. Although, it isn’t all that funny when Bree turns her death stare on me.

“I don't give a shit if it’s the right thing to do or not. Liam, you went over my head. You should have talked to me.” Bree takes a seat in my computer chair, next to Liam, and as they stare at each other, their stances soften. They never can stay mad at each other for long.

“Look, Bree. From the minute Kellan asked me to assassinate Kyle, it became my business. I don’t kill unless I have to. I know all the facts, and believe me, after what I’ve learnt, he’s lucky to still be alive. If it was just me, running my own business, I probably would have done the job already. But, I have so much more to take into consideration now. You are still not healed from the last fucking hospital trip. I would like to keep you alive long enough to actually marry you this time. So, yes, I contacted the Fratacellos to try and do this diplomatically. It goes against all my instincts, of course it does. But, we do not need another enemy or another war right now. My thinking was we could bring him here under false pretences and make our feelings perfectly clear. If he refuses to follow your orders then we will have undeniable proof, and we can kill him without any blowback on us. I’m sorry if you think I went over your head, but it was all for you. You are not strong enough for another fight, and I’m not strong enough to see you lying in a hospital bed again.”

The more Liam talks, the more Bree softens. I have to admit, it’s hard not to. He really has brought out all the big guns for this speech, and Bree swoons. I always knew when Liam fell in love for real that it would be big. He has a lot of heart, he just closed it off for a long time. But, I knew as soon as he gave his heart to someone, it would be an epic love. Yes, he is jealous, and overly protective, not to mention a cocky asshole, but having Liam Doughty by your side is worth it. Nobody will fight harder, or love you more than he will. I’m just glad Bree is able to replicate that and give Liam the love he’s never experienced before.

“Liam, what happened to me, it was terrible and scary, but I’m not going to let that influence my future actions. I can’t live life scared I’m going to be kidnapped. Of course we will have enemies, probably a fucking lot of them, but that won’t scare me. I am a leader and I won’t cower. I know you don’t want to lose me, I don’t want to lose anyone. But, you have to let me do my job, the way I trust you to do yours. I agree with your decision, but we should have talked about it. We are a team and without good communication, we’re at risk. So, from now on, we will talk about everything, okay?” She may direct the question at Liam, but she looks at us all.

Kian, who’s now learnt there are certain times when he shouldn’t speak, simply nods his head in confirmation, and I can’t help but smile. The guy is a cage fighter, yet he’s terrified of this tiny redhead.

“I’m all for us not going to war, believe me. I have a very beautiful face and I intend to keep it that way, but I want this guy to pay. This guy is the reason Mia wakes up in the middle of the night screaming and crying, terrified by her nightmare. We have to help her, to make her safe,” I explain, wanting them to know how serious this matter really is. If talking will work, I’m all for that, but this guy is a disgusting excuse for a human being, and he needs to be punished.

“How do you know what she does at night?” Kian asks, with his big, cocky grin and a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows. If Liam and Bree weren’t looking at us with a mix of anger and outrage, I probably would have laughed at him. But this guy really needs to learn to read the room quickly, or he is going to get me killed.

“Not that it’s anyone’s business,” I reply looking poignantly at Bree and Liam who continue to glare at me. “Mia fell asleep while we were watching a movie the other night. She woke up having a nightmare. That’s when she told me about Kyle. I’ve never seen her look so terrified. She was shaking and sobbing, and I had no idea how to help her. Other than this, making him pay…that I can do. So we will!”

“Kel, I’m not saying this guy isn’t going to pay. We’re just going to do it in such a way that doesn’t get us all on a shit list. I made you a promise that I would help, and I will. Mia should feel safe, and by the end of the day tomorrow, I hope we can say that to her,” Liam says, and I can tell by the fire in his eyes and the confidence in his voice, he has a plan. Which is exactly what I’ve been pushing for all week. So why does the idea of Liam being the one to save Mia cause my chest to ache?

“Okay then, we will meet at the warehouse tomorrow, shall we say around ten in the morning?” Kian asks, as everyone confirms the time, he nods before turning to leave. That is, until Bree stops him.

“Kian, before you go, I have to talk to you all about something,” Bree says, looking shy all of a sudden. A blush spreads to her cheeks as she lowers her eyes to the floor, trying to avoid all of our gazes.

“What’s the matter, Princess? Remember the lecture you just gave us a few minutes ago about good communication,” Liam asks, and I can’t help but chuckle. He has her on that one.

“As you all know, me and Liam are going to give this wedding thing another shot in less than a month's time. I know Gramps and Kian are organising all the security for the event, so I’m not worried about that. But, I’ve just had a message off Ryleigh this morning, and it would appear the girls feel I should have a hen night.” Bree’s face scrunches up as she cringes at the idea, which causes both Kian and me to burst out laughing.

“So, basically, you let a girl who has just turned eighteen talk you into taking her on a night out?” I ask in between laughs.

Bree begins to reply, but Liam, who doesn’t find this funny at all, interrupts. “Hell no. Ryleigh is far too young for that, and she would probably be a bad influence on the rest of you. There’s no way we can keep you safe on a night out.”

Bree’s face shifts from embarrassed to pissed instantly. When will this guy learn that the more he tells Bree she can’t do something, the more she wants to? She didn’t even sound like she wanted a hen night a few minutes ago. Now it’s obvious she’s going to argue she wants one, just to piss Liam off. Luckily, Kian steps in.

“How about I come on the night out with you? Not as your bodyguard or anything like that, just as your friend. That way you don’t feel like you have security there, but Liam is reassured that you do.”

They both stare at him, like they are unsure if they should compromise or not. In true Kellan style, I decide to add a bit of humour in the hope it breaks the tension. “Will you be going dressed as one of the girls? Or will you be the evening's entertainment?”

Three sets of eyes swing my way and unfortunately not one of them looks happy. Oops, it would appear my attempt at humour just fell flat on its ass.

“Why can’t we just have a joint hen and stag do?” Liam asks, looking at Bree with big doe eyes in the hope she caves. Unfortunately, he’s throwing his eyes in the wrong direction. I grew up around his younger sister. Ryleigh is a force to be reckoned with, and if she’s decided they are throwing Bree a hen party, then you can be damned fucking sure it will happen.

“I think Kian’s compromise is a good one. You can enjoy your stag night and I can enjoy my hen party. I promise I will be safe,” Bree reassures Liam, before reaching over and swinging her arms around his neck. She pulls him in for a kiss, and both Kian and I look away.

“We need to have the hen and stag parties on different nights, though,” Liam adds when they finally pull away, drawing my attention back to the conversation.

“Why?” Bree asks, her brows scrunched in confusion.

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