Page 101 of Bittersweet Revenge
“He would have told me,” I snap, but I’m already hurrying back to the living room. One look out the window tells me his car is still here, so I run upstairs and grab my phone.
Blood is rushing through my ears like it’s the Niagara fucking Falls. My call goes directly to voice mail. I try again with the same result, then one more time, as if it will magically change.
“Fuck!” I pace the room, chest hurting, breathing too hard.
“Nothing?” Cillian asks.
“Voice mail.”
“I’ll try too.” Rory makes the call, then shakes his head.
“I’ll check his location,” Cillian says. I’m not surprised they have that option turned on for each other, but the look on his face when he lowers the cell tells me that function must be turned off.
The door across the hallway opens, Aislin peeking out. On a yawn, she asks, “What’s going on?”
“Is Tiernan with you?”
She stares at Cillian before shaking her head. “He’s not here?”
“I woke up, and he was gone. His car is here. He’s not answering his phone. Something is wrong.”
“Shit. Cameras.” Rory opens the app on his phone. I can’t believe none of us thought to check them until now—not that it’s something I can do.
We crowd around Rory, watch the front porch view, see Tiernan just…walk out. He’s wearing one of my hoodies. Tiernan never fucking dresses like that. He glances briefly at the camera and keeps going. It follows him partway down the driveway, until he moves out of view…then nothing.
“Call your dad, Ash. Get him on the phone. I want to talk to him,” I grit out.
“Okay, slow your fucking roll here. It’s not that easy. Sloan would blow a gasket if she put some stranger on the phone with him.” Cillian barely gets the words out before I have him shoved against the wall, my forearm against his throat.
“I don’t give a fuck about him or what he wants. I need Tiernan back, and I know that motherfucker has him!”
“You’d be real smart to get your hands off him, New Kid,” Rory says, his voice colder than I’ve ever heard it, but I don’t care. All they’re doing is wasting time. I want Tiernan back. I don’t care what they do to me.
“Dean…” Aislin says.
Cillian just looks at me, gaze hard, but not struggling. “You want your boy to come back and find out I had to hurt you?” he asks, voice tight and strained from the pressure I’m putting on his throat. “This is one of those moments where you need to get your shit under control. We’ll find him a whole lot faster if we’re not fighting.”
He’s right. I just need todosomething, need something to rein me in because if not, I’m going to get lost in my head, in all that fucking anger. I need Tiernan, and I don’t care what I have to do to get him back.
“Dean…hey…it’s okay,” Aislin tries to soothe me. “We’ll find him. But Cillian is right. It doesn’t help if we’re fighting.” She places her hands on my shoulders, the touch comforting…like a sister.
I close my eyes, then let go of Cillian, who sucks in a sharp breath.
“I’m sorry,” I tell them. “I just…I can’t. Without him. I need him back.”
“I know.” She turns me toward her. “He’s fine, okay? This is Tiernan. There’s nothing he can’t do. He probably had a job or something and didn’t want to wake anyone. I’ll call Mom first. Maybe he’s with her.”
I nod. Maybe Cillian or Rory believe her, but I don’t. This has to do with Sloan. He hasn’t been happy with Tiernan lately. There’s a sick feeling in my gut that somehow this ties back to me. I don’t know how it would, how Sloan would know, but I can’t shake the guilt twisting me in knots that this is all my fault.
“Let me go get my phone.” She kisses my cheek before jogging to her room.
I toss a glance at Cillian, who shakes his head, telling me it doesn’t matter. Not right now. Still, these people have become my friends, if only because they know I’m Tiernan’s, and I like them, want to be a part of them. If I want them to ever trust me,to fully bring me in, I have to make some changes—namely, not hitting Cillian every time I’m pissed.
“I’m sorry. I’ll get better. I can’t fucking lose him.”
“You won’t. None of us will let that happen. But the only reason I didn’t take you down right there is because I know you only did it because you love Tiernan. If you want this, us, then that shit can’t happen again.”
Rory walks over and puts his hand on Cillian’s shoulder, standing in solidarity with him.
