she was lying through her teeth, because she didn’t want to fight. No, she wanted their reprieve back with a desire that bordered on desperation. So she kept going, words spilling out. “I promise. I’ll tell you one day.”
He didn’t look particularly happy to be put off, but he finally sighed. “I just want to keep you safe.”
An impossible need considering their current circumstances—Brendan aside—and they both knew it. She pressed a quick kiss to his lips and settled back against him. “I’m as safe as anyone can be in this world.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
* * *
Teague woke up to find Callie gone. He rolled over, staring at the ceiling, not bothering to check the rest of the apartment. She wasn’t here. Their conversation last night had been enough to send her fleeing, and he wasn’t sure if he should be pissed or grateful that she’d waited until he was asleep to sneak out like a thief in the night.
He’d almost forgotten that she was keeping things from him, and he couldn’t face down a threat he couldn’t see. Whoever had put those bruises on her throat was a threat. There was more to it, something he couldn’t shake the feeling he was missing…but that might be paranoia talking. Their current situation was enough to create anxiety in even the calmest of people. It could very well be only that bringing the fear into her blue eyes.
But he didn’t think so.
It was obvious she wasn’t going to open up to him, so he had to try a different tactic. Time to bring in the big guns. He reached for his phone and typed out a quick text to his older sister. I’ll be home in twenty. Need to talk.
Her reply was almost instantaneous. I’ll be in the attic.
The attic? Was she hiding up there? Worry he didn’t have time for and couldn’t afford rose. He hadn’t forgotten the increased pressure their father had put on her to make her decision. It seemed like the lesser of the issues they were facing, but it wasn’t to Carrigan. He had no doubt that was the fear at the forefront of her mind at all times.
And he’d left her to deal with it alone.
He showered quickly and threw on a pair of jeans and a faded T-shirt. Since it was early on a Friday, there was some small hope that he wouldn’t run into his father—or older brother. Teague grabbed his keys, the weight in his chest only heavier with every second that passed. As much as he wanted to rage at Aiden and demand to know when the hell he’d gone and changed, he couldn’t do it. Aiden was as much a victim of their father as any of them were. If he had to become a modern version of the man himself to survive… Teague couldn’t hate him for that. He just wished it weren’t necessary.
Wishing never changed a damn thing, though.
He made it home in record time, the traffic surprisingly light. But when he shut the car off, he sat there and listened to the engine tick, the heat of the day slowly seeping in from outside. Bringing Carrigan in meant potentially making Callie vulnerable. He didn’t think his sister would betray her, but then he hadn’t thought Aiden would willingly orchestrate a situation guaranteed to bring them to war. His sister might love him, but would she throw his fiancée under the bus if it meant a measure of freedom for her?
Without a doubt.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Damn it, it was like choosing between the frying pan and the fire. It seemed that no matter where he turned, there was potential danger. He didn’t like thinking that his siblings—the only people he trusted in this world—weren’t actually worthy of that trust.
A knock on the window had him damn near startling out of his skin. He opened his eyes to find Devlin standing outside the car, watching him with concern. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not going to roll down the windows and start the engine, are you? Because in a garage this size, I don’t think it’s possible to actually inhale enough carbon monoxide to actually die.”
Against all reason, he laughed. “Thanks for the tip.”
“Anything for my most tormented brother.” Devlin opened the door. “In all seriousness, what’s going on? You look like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders and you just realized that you can’t carry it.”