Page 72 of Our Little Dove

My voice breaks as I ask the question that has been burning me up from the inside since Molly told me. “You work for them, don’t you?”

He curses and hangs up on me. The pieces of this twisted puzzle are starting to fall into place, revealing a picture darker than I could have ever imagined.

“Lexi, you okay? What did he say?” Molly asks in a whispered tone as she slides off her seat and walks toward me slowly.

“I—Um… I need some air. I’ll go grab us some food. Pizza?” I mutter; my voice is strained as I try to calm myself down.

“Sure,” she says, stepping closer to hug me. “Tell me what he said when you get back, yeah?”

I tighten my grip around her as I try to steady my erratic breaths “Yeah. I’ll text you when I’m on my way back,” I say, releasing her as I walk to the door and grab my bag.

Dropping my phone inside, I take my car keys off the hook and give her a tight smile over my shoulder. “Make yourself at home, I won’t be long.”

My fingers tremble as I scroll to Fintan’s number in my contacts while trying to keep an eye on the road. The car veers slightly as I make my way downtown to Clover Ink, hoping they will be there. It’s just past ten and thankfully there are very few cars on the road.

The call rings a few times before he picks up. “Hello?” he answers, and his voice still gives me goosebumps like it did that first time.

“Fintan, it’s Alex. I—um, I need to see you. I’m on my way to your studio. Can you meet me there? Please, it’s urgent,” I say, my voice trembling from my panic attack that hasn’t fully passed yet.

“We closed an hour ago. What do you want?”

“Fuck. Please meet me there. I will explain when I see you,” I plead before cursing under my breath as I speed over a red light I didn’t notice.

“Get fucked! You don’t call the shots anymore, Alex. After your fucking stunt the last time we saw each other, why the fuck would we want to see you?” he growls over the line, and I can hear the anger in his disembodied voice.

“God, Fintan! Please just meet me there!” I yell as tears start running down my face again. “I’ll be there in ten minutes. It’s important. I need to ask you about Hush.”

“I’m not taking orders from you. Go fuck yourself, Alex,” he says in a cold tone before hanging up.

“Fuck, fuck, FUCK!” I scream, hitting my hands on the steering wheel in frustration. I pull over to the side of the road, the tears blurring my vision too much to drive.

I take a few deep breaths to calm myself before deciding to text Kieran instead. My voice will be too shaky if I try calling. I type out a message explaining the urgency of the situation and begging him to meet me at Clover Ink. The seconds feel like hours as I wait for his reply, my heart pounding in my chest.

Finally, a notification pops up on my screen. Kieran has agreed to meet me. Relief floods through me as I wipe away my tears and pull back onto the road. The drive to the studio feels both endless and fleeting.

As I arrive at Clover Ink, I see Kieran standing outside, illuminated by the glow of the streetlights. I quickly park the car and rush towards him, my footsteps pounding against the pavement.

“Alex, what’s going on?” Kieran asks, apprehension and concern etched in his features as he takes in my disheveled appearance.

“I’m sorry for just texting out of the blue like that. I need your help,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper. “It’s about Hush.”

Kieran’s eyes widen in surprise, a flicker of something unreadable crossing his face. Without another word, he gestures for me to follow him inside the studio.

“Where’s Fintan?” I ask as I hesitantly follow him through the door. “He’s upstairs, why?”

I clear my throat and take a deep breath to steady my nerves. “I called him from the road, but he refused to see me and hung up… I wouldn’t have called or texted if it wasn’t important.”

Kieran is silent for a moment, and I follow his gaze to a door at the back of the studio, his brows drawn. “He didn’t tell you I called, did he?” I ask.

“No,” he clips as he turns his attention back to me. “You said this was about Hush?” he presses, and I can sense his anger bubbling up as he looks at me for long seconds. It’s the same look he gave me when I let them go.

“Kieran, I know I can never undo what I did to you, both of you, and I’m not here to ask for forgiveness nor am I here to offer mine,” I say in a low tone before continuing. “I have no one else to turn to with this…”

“God, Alex, just spit it out before I regret meeting with you,” he hisses.

Just as I’m about to articulate the questions raging in my mind, Fintan walks through the back door with a murderous look in his eyes. “What the fuck is this?” he growls as he stomps toward us.

I am fuming as I walk up to Kieran and Alex. “What part of‘go fuck yourself’made you think it’s a good idea to show up anyway?” I growl. Kieran immediately steps between us as I stare daggers at her.

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