Page 2 of Trust In Me

“No. I don’t want to discuss it anymore.” I don’t mean to snap at Bree. I know she is only trying to help both of her friends, but I don’t need that type of help. I’ve made the mistake of trusting a beautiful woman before. She may have left me my most prized possession, but she took everything else I owned, including my last piece of trust. Liam calls her She Who Must Not Be Named, but she does have a name. She’s called Shayla, and she broke my heart so badly I don’t even recognise myself. Now, everything I do is for Hallie; to protect her, to keep her safe, and to make sure she knows how loved she is by so many people.

“That’s fine, Kel. But she is moving in anyway. She is taking the bedroom next door to yours. Don’t even think about arguing with me!” Bree snaps and all I can do is groan. So much for keeping her out of my life. I guess, if she isn’t Hallie’s nanny, there’s nothing stopping me from fucking her and getting her out of my system. I may hate women, and have an inability to trust, but a one-night stand that means nothing, that I have no problem with.

“Are you sure this is a good idea, Bree? I know you said he was pissed about me moving in, but I didn’t think that meant he would ignore me for five days, leaving the room whenever I enter. This is your house, I don’t want things to be weird for you,” I groan as I flop onto Bree’s bed, after yet another awkward breakfast.

Liam’s still insisting that Bree remains in bed for as much of the day as possible, but it’s driving her crazy. So, for the last few days, I’ve been coming in and sitting on their bed while she hobbles around the room. I hate seeing how much pain she’s in just from moving around, but she is a stubborn bastard and won’t be down for any longer than she needs to be. That’s why she is secretly training, building up her strength, so that very soon she can get back to running this family.

Ever since people found out about the kidnapping, it’s been kind of a free-for-all. Idiots crawling out of the woodwork, demanding raises, or more power, all the things they’ve been denied before. They knew Vernon and Jimmy were out for good, and they saw it as an opportunity. Although people had heard Bree would be taking over, until the mass meeting the day after she got out of hospital, nobody thought she could come back from her kidnapping. They expected her to crumble, Bree was determined to prove them wrong. It’s also the first time I ever got involved in Bree’s work.

“Bree, I’m supposed to be looking after you. Liam gave me very strict instructions, and this definitely isn’t allowed. Please do not leave,” I beg, blocking the doorway with my body. Not like that would work. She’s in a wheelchair and can just ram into me, if she can muster the power.

“Look, I’ll tell him when I get there, but I have to do this. I have to let them know I’m back, and that nobody will take what’s mine ever again. They stole something precious from me, and I sure as fuck am going to make sure they pay.” Bree’s eyes well up with tears.

Looking at my friend right now, gone is the confident mafia family leader, replaced with a scared young girl who looks battered and broken after everything she’s been through. She’s only allowing herself this moment of weakness because I’m here, and she knows I won’t ever tell anyone she has a secret soft side. I have no idea about what she went through, but there’s a lot I can relate to. I, of all people, know what it’s like to be a victim, to be hurt by people who should love you the most. That’s a type of pain I can relate to. The pain evident in her glassy, silver eyes makes them look almost vacant. Until her eyebrows furrow and her lips purse, as her features morph into anger.

“Bree, I know losing this wedding, and getting betrayed the way you did is unspeakable, but nothing is worth risking your recovery over.” I make sure to sound as confident as I can, holding my arm out to stop her from coming any farther.

“They killed my baby.” Her words come out as a whisper, but they’re more than loud enough to cause my breath to hitch, and I stumble as the anguish she must be feeling hits me. “I didn’t even know I was pregnant. I didn’t even get to have that moment where I freak out and wonder if I could even be a mother, or where I’m shit scared of telling Liam, only for him to love the idea. Those moments were stolen from me. Replaced by a nurse, trying to keep the sadness from her face, telling me that I had a baby and now I don’t. Literally, I had it for less than a second before it was taken from me. Now I plan to punish the person responsible, and ensure everyone else falls in line. I am done with people thinking I am weak. Nobody is taking any more from me.”

My heart aches as Bree explains with tears streaming down her face. Even though she sounds resolute and tough, I know this can’t be easy for her. The people responsible, even if they never intended for it to go this far, they’re the people who should love you the most. It’s the ultimate betrayal, and one I can relate to. I may never have the balls to challenge my monsters, but I sure as fuck can stand by my best friend’s side while she slays her demons.

Arriving at a large industrial warehouse, it’s not entirely what I expected. Bree, as I predicted, refuses to use her wheelchair, and demands to hold on to me as we walk inside. Luckily, I had already pre-empted this little stunt, which is why I’m not remotely surprised to see a furious Liam practically drag the door of its hinges. I am, however, surprised to see Kellan here with his baby. This is hardly a children’s sport.

“Traitor,” Bree mumbles in my direction, but thankfully she is cut off by Liam’s tirade.

“Don’t blame her. I already knew what you were doing once I got the emergency texts. I’m part of the group texts, you know. Why the fuck are you putting your body through this, Princess? You look dead on your feet, and you should be resting!” His voice is more stern than shouting. He knows he’s fighting a losing battle, the resolve is not wavering from Bree’s face even a little.

“Liam, I am doing this with or without you. So, either grab hold of my arm and help me, or get the fuck out of my way,” Bree snaps.

I can see people gathering inside the warehouse, and she obviously doesn’t want to appear weak, or like there are fractures in their relationship. “You know I will always stand by your side. I may not be happy about it, but I’ll still do it.” Liam places a soft kiss onto her lips and I have to look away. Their relationship is so beautiful, even a chaste kiss is fiery. But, as I avert my eyes, I run into a bigger problem. I end up looking directly at Kellan, and there’s a fire in his gaze that’s honed in on me.

While Bree was kidnapped, and then recovering in the hospital afterwards, I grew close to Kellan. He was there for me while I was scared and panicking. I can deal with my own pain, but seeing someone I love go through that was unbearable. He held me when I cried, and comforted me when I started to panic. I’m not going to deny that I find him attractive. But, the more time I spent with him, the more I learnt he’s next-level messed up. I have no idea what he has been through, but he’s a single dad with no trust in women. I don’t need that kind of broken in my life, no matter how beautiful the package may be. And it really fucking is gorgeous.

He is all muscles and tattoos, but personality-wise, he’s more of a shy tech geek than a mafia bad boy like Liam. Long and short of it, my lady bits—that I thought had died off far too long ago for a twenty-one-year-old—she wants Kellan. Thankfully, my brain runs this show. So, I avoid his fiery, lust-filled gaze and try to change the subject.

“You brought a baby to a mafia family meeting?” I ask in disbelief, looking down at the sleeping baby who is currently strapped to Kellan’s chest in one of those baby carrying harnesses. You get to keep your hands free and your baby close by. They’re a great invention, particularly for single dads who refuse to hire a nanny despite desperately needing one. I try to ignore the fact that my ovaries are fucking aching just looking at him.

“We were at the park with Hallie when Liam got the call. What was I going to do, leave her at home by herself?” His sarcastic tone is not lost on me. Normally I would shy away from conflict, I have spent my entire life trying to blend into the shadows and not be noticed. But, with him, it’s different. I fucking love challenging him and testing his patience.

Kellan has this amazing ability to rub me up the wrong way. Even though my instincts are screaming at me to back down and cower like I normally do, it feels safe to spar with him. That’s part of what I find so thrilling about him. I’ve never once felt scared to be alone in the room with him, or to let him see the real me. Things most people take for granted, but I've never had that luxury. So, while I can, I see what it’s like to banter with him.

“Well, if you pull your head out of your pretentious ass and hire a nanny, that might help. You’re worried about me having criminal connections, yet you brought her along to witness what I’m sure will be an assassination.” Okay, so I wasn’t really expecting to snap quite that much. But, all of what I said—maybe with the exception of calling his ass pretentious—it’s all true!

Given his wide eyes and open-mouthed stare, he’s shocked I have the balls to say anything. I’ve spent a long time being quietened, I’m not doing that anymore. Kellan starts to argue back, but Liam shushes us both when a young guy with floppy blond hair bounds towards us.

Holy fuck, what do they put in the water around here? I know I grew up in an all-female boarding school, but I’d still met men before, and none of them looked like these guys. If I thought Kellan and Liam were gorgeous, this guy is like boy band beautiful. Liam has that rugged, bad boy look, despite being one of the nicest guys I know. Kellan has a sexy tech geek vibe that you can’t help but lust after, or at least, I can’t. But, this guy, this is the one you know is well out of your league. He looks like the type of guy you have a poster of on your wall as a teenage girl, and when he smiles and those dimples appear, that's the panty-melting moment right there.

I feel like I need to fan myself, as the blush creeps up my head and chest, making my temperature rise. He obviously works for Bree, because he heads straight for her. “Hey, boss lady. How are you feeling? You look like shit, are you sure you should be doing this?”

Nope, I was wrong. When he opens his mouth and talks in that sexy Irish drawl with his dimples on display, that right there is the panty-melting moment. Don’t get me wrong, he’s the obvious kind of gorgeous, the nice to look at kind, but he isn’t my type. He’s blond and bubbly, whereas I prefer dark and brooding. Probably why I’m so attracted to the asshole standing next to me, giving me an evil glare. Seriously, if looks could kill, I would be six feet under already.

As Bree begins to tell the guy, who she calls Kian, that she is fine, Kellan leans over so that only I can hear, whispering in my ear. “Put your tongue away, Flower. You are drooling.”

I try to ignore the feel of his breath as it hits my skin, and the way ripples of desire shoot down my spine. It’s like he has a one-way connection to my core, and knows just what to do to heat it up. I didn’t think my core was accepting requests, it’s never responded before. Then again, after what I’ve been through, I’m lucky my body responds at all. I thought it was long since dead. Yet, it appears to want to come to life, just for Kellan.

“I’m not drooling! And what have I told you about that damn nickname?” I snap, whilst also trying to discreetly wipe my chin. There’s a good chance he may be right. About the drool, I mean, not the nickname. He has been calling me ‘Flower’ for the last couple of weeks. It may sound sweet, but it’s short for wallflower. Apparently, he noticed that I like to fade into the background, to go unnoticed. But, I have my reasons. “It’s really not my fault, he’s just so hot.” I try to make my voice sound as sultry as possible. Unfortunately, I don’t manage it, and instead it comes out so loud that everyone turns around to face me.

Kellan’s chuckle does nothing to help the blush that’s burning across my face. When I was blonde, you didn’t really notice if I was pale, but now I’m back to my natural brunette hair colour, my bright red cheeks stand out like sunburn.

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