Page 127 of The Thief
"Mm?"
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For loving me enough to promise you'll come back to me. Even from the dark places this war might take you."
His arms tighten around me. "Always. No matter how far I go, no matter what I have to do, I'll always come back to you."
I believe him. I have to believe him.
Because the alternative is losing him to the violence and hatred that's consuming our world, and that thought is unthinkable.
Tomorrow, we'll plan our next move. Tomorrow, we'll hunt the man who destroyed Murphy's life and threatened mine, who killed Jer and has taken so much away from the people I'm getting close to.
But tonight, I'm loved and safe and whole.
Tonight, that's enough.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
freddie
Alastríona's breathing evens out into sleep an hour after we finish talking, grief and exhaustion finally catching up with her, pulling her under despite everything racing through her mind.
I wait until I'm sure she's deeply asleep before slipping out of bed. She needs rest, she needs peace, but I need answers. I need to know exactly how fucked we are after Murphy's call. I need to talk to Maverick, but first there are men downstairs who want answers.
Henry is in his study with Denis and Malcolm. Henry's pacing, Denis is on a call, and Malcolm's on his cell.
"How is she?" Henry asks without looking up.
"Sleeping. Finally."
"Good. We need to talk about what the fuck happened," he says, his voice not as strong as it should be. He's rattled, has been since Alastríona was taken. He cares for her deeply, and I know she's feeling the same.
Danny appears in the doorway, looking grim. "Heard you had contact from Belfast."
"We did indeed," I confirm, settling into the chair across from Henry's desk. "Murphy's been compromised. Tortured. He gave up everything he knew about Alastríona."
The room goes quiet except for the ticking of Henry's antique clock. Four faces stare at me, waiting for details they're not going to like.
"How much did he know?" Denis asks.
"Enough. Murphy said he gave up everything on Alastríona and Killian. Everything Trace needs to understand your connection to her in more detail.”
"Fucking hell," Malcolm mutters. "So he knows more than what we do."
"Gets worse. Murphy's pub was torched. Everything destroyed. And Murphy himself..." I pause, choosing my words carefully. "He's not going to survive what they did to him."
Henry's face hardens. "They tortured an innocent man for information."
"They tortured him because he mattered to her. Because hurting him was another way to hurt us."
"He should have held out," Danny says, anger tight in his voice. "He should have died before giving her up."
"Easy to say when you're not the one having your fingers cut off."
"Still. Loyalty means something. Or it should."
