Chapter Fourteen: Kieran
Fuck. I shouldn’t have done what I did to Laina in her room, because after that, it was damn near all I could think about. It’s why, for so long, I’d tried my best to keep my distance, like I’d known, deep down, that once I tasted her lips on mine, I’d never have another sane thought in my head again.
Even as we headed to city hall together, I couldn’t get my mind out of the gutter. I drove my sister and Laina to city hall, while Mike took his own car and was following us. Tessa had claimed the front seat, relegating Laina to the back… but that was fine, because I could see her in the rearview mirror, watch her gaze absentmindedly at the passing city blocks.
She looked different with blond hair, which was stupid. She was blond, and its hue wasn’t that different from her normal, natural color, but I’d gotten used to the spunky, pink and blue hues. I wanted to slam on the breaks, whip out of the car, grab her out of the backseat and take that silly wig off her.
And then, of course, I wanted to do things to her I couldn’t do on the side of the street in the bright light of day, especially with Tessa watching. I’d get arrested for indecent exposure or something, and piss my sister off in the process.
Laina must’ve felt me staring, because her blue eyes flicked to the mirror, spotting my reflection. She was able to hold my stare only for a few seconds before glancing away, blushing. It would seem our little encounter in her room was something that made her all hot and bothered, even now.
God, I wanted to feel those lips of hers against mine again. I literally couldn’t shake the thought.
“Kieran, during the speech, I want you standing behind Laina,” Tessa was busy giving orders, something she’d always done best. “Vance will be on her right, and I’ll be on his. I want everyone to see her left hand, to see what she lost.”
I let out an annoyed sigh, but I nodded all the same. I didn’t like thinking about what Laina had lost. It made me furious in the way only something involving Laina could. But this was my sister’s thing. I didn’t do politics. I was a man of action, the one who got his hands dirty when shit needed done.
Laina spoke from the back, suddenly interested in the conversation, “What about Mike?”
I prickled when she brought him up, waves of jealousy rising inside me, choking and dominating. She wanted me to get along with the guy, made threats, and I’d try my best—for her, not because I actually liked the guy. I did wonder, however, if she’d started to like him.
It wasn’t so out of the question. She obviously responded to me a certain way, and even though I was nearly ten years older than her, Mike had just a few on me. As much as I didn’t want to think about her with him, I could see it in the realm of possibilities. Hence the jealousy.
“Mike can stand either in the audience or in the hall,” Tessa spoke off-handedly, like she didn’t really care about Mike or where he’d stand. I wasn’t the only one Mike’s constant presence annoyed—but when it came to my sister, it was for a different reason entirely.
Tessa was always planning something. Always. She’d always planned shit growing up, and now that she was a married woman, things were no different. To call her ambitious would be a disservice to the word. She wanted to stand on top of everything and everyone, and she didn’t care what she had to do, whose backs she had to break, to get there.
“In the audience, then,” Laina said, meeting my eyes in the rearview mirror, as if waiting to see if I’d react. Or maybe she was thinking about other things, things she definitely shouldn’t be thinking about while in front of Tessa.
Tessa let out a harrumphing noise, but she didn’t argue with Laina about it.
The car ride grew quiet after that, save for the radio. Vance was already at city hall, obviously. His team would be working to get everyone to their stations, to invite the press into the main hall, where the press conference would be. I was supposed to drive around the back, to the back entrance, so we could get in without having to go past any of the reporters that were already there.
When we arrived, we had to stop so security could check us. Tessa leaned over me, talking directly to the guard, who must know her by her face, “That car’s with us, too.” Talking about Mike’s vehicle, though she didn’t sound too happy about it.
The guard nodded and hit a button in his little guard tower, and the gate surrounding the parking lot opened for us. I drove us in, pulling into an empty spot, and Mike pulled into the spot beside us.
We got out of the car. Tessa was quick to adjust her long skirt, smoothing out any wrinkles that might’ve formed on the fabric during the drive. She was more made-up for this than Laina was; she looked like she should be going to the country club and not city hall for a press conference.
But what did I know? This was all new to me, too.
Tessa led the way. We headed to the back door. She had a key fob, which she held before the lock. The door clicked open, and we were good to enter.
This wasn’t the first time I’d been in city hall. No, as much as I hated to admit, I’d come here an awful lot with my sister. Now I was here for Laina. I could never tell my sister this out loud, but… my alliance had shifted a while ago. I wasn’t here for Tessa; I was here for Laina, to keep her safe from the world and all it would throw at her.
We passed a few offices as we walked through the hall. The lighting in this place was an ugly yellow, and it made everything look dirty. You’d think, for city hall, the entire place would look shiny and new—but then again, the mayor wasn’t really the one who ran the city. The mobsters did. When you think about it, Vance was nothing more than a human-shaped puppet for his chosen backer: the Luciano family.
We turned a corner, and we spotted Vance further down, talking to an older gentleman wearing an all-black police uniform, a badge on his chest. Of course the police would be here. With Laina’s kidnapper still out there, you never knew when he’d strike again. Or so was the thought.
“Vance,” Tessa called out to him, and Vance turned away from the office, giving her a smile. His brown hair was slicked back, his face freshly-shaven. He wore a dark blue suit with a black tie, exactly what you’d imagine a figurehead to be wearing.
“There you are,” Vance spoke, giving Tessa a peck on the cheek once we reached him. “The press is ready, whenever we are.” His blue gaze shifted to Laina, and he took in her blond hair. He must’ve been briefed by my sister, because he commented, “Very nice. You’d never know that’s a wig.”
You’d think he’d be, oh, I don’t know, a bit more loving toward the daughter that had been missing for a solid two years, right? You’d be wrong. Vance was… even after all this time, I didn’t know how to peg him.
Laina gave him a smile, but she said nothing.
Honestly, I felt bad for her. From what I understood, she’d been stuck with her father all these years, playing nice because he’d forced her to. She’d never really gotten to live, never known what it was like to have a family that loved her.
We went to Vance’s office after that, although Mike and I weren’t allowed in. Vance shut the door behind Laina, tossing me and Mike a look. I assumed they were in there, running through what Laina was supposed to say one last time. All I could hear were muffled voices.
Mike frowned, glancing around us. The hall was empty, save for us, I assumed because everyone was in position, ready for the Hawkins family to stroll in. Laina would speak first, acting like the scared, scarred girl they all thought she’d be, and then Vance would talk, boldly proclaiming that the police force had some leads and they were following up on them, that the kidnapper would be caught.
Yeah, it was all a little ridiculous, if you asked me. All a show.
“Something feels off here,” Mike grumbled, causing me to look at him. The frown was deep on his face; he appeared thoughtful and suspicious. He wore dark jeans, a black t-shirt covering his torso. He was like a giant, well over six feet tall. As much as I hated to admit it, he held an intimidating figure. It was good to have him by Laina’s side, even if my jealousy sometimes tried to get the better of me.
“What do you mean?” I asked quietly, not wanting to talk too loudly, because you never knew when they’d come out of that office. We stood on either side of the door, Mike on the right and me on the left.
He shook his head once. “I don’t know. It just feels… off. I’ve seen enough to know when to trust my gut, and my gut is telling me something’s going to happen here.” He ran a hand through his hair, his chest rumbling with a sigh.
I stared at him for a while, knowing he wasn’t the type of man to pull shit out of his ass and make something out of nothing. No, if he felt that way, he felt that way for a reason, and hearing him say that put me on edge.
After what must’ve been fifteen minutes, the door opened, and Vance strolled out, followed by Tessa and Laina. He told Mike where to go, to get to the audience since no one wanted him to stand up on the podium with us, and before he left us, his eyes fell to Laina.
I wasn’t the only one that was uneasy now. Mike was, too. I could see it on his face… just like I could see the concern in his expression. I think this was starting to become more than just a job for him. After this, Mike and I might need to have some words.
And then he was gone, leaving us as his large figure disappeared down the hall.
“Well,” I started, rubbing my hands together, “shall we get this show on the road? The sooner we start, the sooner we can be done, and I don’t know about any of you, but I want to be done with this.”
Tessa tossed a glare my way, but it slid right off me. Vance, on the other hand, nodded with me and said, “Yes, we should get started. Don’t want to keep the press waiting.” He led the way through the halls. Tessa walked at his side, while Laina followed them both, and I followed her, keeping my eyes on her, much like I’d keep my eyes on her during this whole thing.
She didn’t want to do this. I could tell. Making a public appearance, making a statement to the city and whatever state-wide news stations would air it, was the last thing she wanted to do. But she would do it for her father, much like she’d always done.
We stopped before a set of double doors. You could hear people talking; a crowd, from what it sounded like. They were all here to listen to Laina, to listen to Vance, to get the scoop even though there wasn’t any.
Peering in, I saw multiple security guards lining the front of the podium, on the ground. Intermingled with them were actual police. I couldn’t count how many people I saw, but once we got in and walked up to that mini-stage, I’d be able to get a better head count.
Tessa let out a calm breath, turning toward Laina as she fiddled with her hair. Or, you know, the wig she’d made her wear. “All right. This is it. Remember what I said, Laina.” She gave her a smile that was the opposite of warm and motherly, and then she looked to Vance, who nodded and was the first to walk in. Laina followed him, then Tessa.
I was the last one to walk in, and the moment I did, I was greeted with bright lights from snapping cameras and countless reporters all vying to ask questions, holding out their microphones as if they really thought they’d get answers.
This wasn’t about them or their stories, though. This was about Laina.
We walked up the stage one by one, and as Laina walked up to the podium, Vance lifted both hands and tried to quiet the room. It was a decent-sized room, but it was jam-packed full of people. More people than I’d thought would show. After all, it wasn’t like she’d just gotten out yesterday. Laina had been out for a while; this was just her first official public appearance.
Through the faces in the crowd, I was able to spot Mike—only because he was so much taller than everybody else. He stuck out like a sore thumb. He wasn’t looking at the stage, though, not staring at Laina like I would’ve been if I was in the audience. No, instead, he kept surveying the crowd, like he was expecting something to happen, as if his gut feeling was an omen.
When the room quieted enough, Laina tapped the microphone on the podium to test it, and then it was showtime.
“Uh, hi. I’m sure all of you know me, but just in case, I’m Laina Hawkins.” She had notecards, but she wasn’t reading off them yet. Maybe she wouldn’t. I was kind of rooting for her to pull her own speech and not use Tessa’s cherry-picked words. “Two years ago, I was kidnapped.”
She went into some detail about that night that she was stolen, talked about how scared she was. The thing that made me think she was using Tessa’s speech was when she made a comment about what got her through the past two years: family. Supposedly, she’d thought a lot about family during that time. Thoughts of her father had kept her sane.
Yeah, right.
It wasn’t a long speech, and she did her job, acting hesitant and a bit frightened, just like Tessa had instructed. Laina ended the speech with, “I appreciate you giving me privacy in this trying time, while I’m trying to readjust and take in everything I’ve missed.” She gave the audience a timid smile, and then she took a step back, stepping away from the podium so her father could take her place.
Vance started talking, but I wasn’t paying attention to him. Laina now stood before me, and I leaned forward and whispered, “Good job.” I knew how much she didn’t want to do any of this; she really was a good actress when she wanted to be.
Laina didn’t turn around to face me, but I could see a smile tug at the corner of her mouth, this one more real than the smile she’d given the crowd. She’d left the notecards on the podium, so her hands could be free—her left hand, mainly—so anyone snapping pictures or taking video could get a nice view of the stubs that remind of her pinky and her ring finger.
“We are following every lead we have,” Vance was busy saying, easily commanding the room using his booming voice. He didn’t even need the microphone. “I am confident we will catch my daughter’s kidnapper, no matter where he is, no matter where he’s run to. We will find him, and when we do, we will bring him and his crimes to justice.”
Most everyone in the crowd nodded in agreement. They’d taken such interest in Laina and her kidnapping that the crime was personal to each one of them. Vance did have that way about him; he made you believe in every single word he said. It’s what made him such a good politician. Considering the fact that he rose to mayor after being a nobody for so long… it really made you think.
Or, it made me think: politics was just a show. Nothing really mattered. It was all about getting as many people to like you as possible.
Vance was saying more, but something out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. Someone, far back in the crowd, had brandished a gun… and it was pointed right at us on the stage. Not at Vance, not at Tessa, but at Laina.
Everything happened fast after that. In the blink of an eye, someone next to the gun screamed, and chaos erupted. The trigger was pulled, and I grabbed Laina and pulled her down, landing on top of her with a thud.
Vance and Tessa had fallen down to avoid any other shots, while the police and security leaped into action—too late, though. Laina lay beneath me, her blue eyes wide, her full, luscious lips parting. She looked pale.
No, no, no. She didn’t… was I not fast enough? Had the shooter hit her? Shit. What would I do if I lost her? My thoughts raced, the adrenaline pumping through my body blocking out anything else I might’ve felt.
“Kieran,” she whispered out my name, a prayer on her tongue, and she lightly touched my side. Or maybe it was my stomach. Either way, she pulled her hand off me, and we both turned our heads to see her porcelain fingers were coated in blood.
My blood?
It was like seeing it on her hand snapped me back into reality. I rolled off her, landing on my back beside her, and I struggled to sit up and glance down at my abdomen. My shirt was wet with blood, the bullet lodge somewhere inside. Then the pain hit me, and I winced, trying to put pressure on the wound—but it wasn’t a good angle for that.
Laina leaned over me, setting her hands on the wound and applying pressure. “You’re going to be fine,” she told me, not sounding too confident. Her voice trembled and shook, and it occurred to me then that she really did care about me. It hadn’t just been about her body reacting to mine; no. You didn’t sound like that when you were talking to someone you didn’t give a shit about.
In the crowd, Mike had been the first to reach the gunman, and he’d tackled him to the floor, knocking him out with a swift punch to the temple while everyone else tried to get out. But there was only one gunman, so once he was incapacitated, we were safe.
Well, Laina was safe, I should say. Me, on the other hand? I’d felt better.
“Oh, my God,” Tessa was busy saying, crawling over to us. Vance had ordered one of the security guards to get an ambulance for me, as soon as possible, but I couldn’t pay attention to any of them.
How could I, when Laina was over me, staring down at me like I was her whole world? The rest of the room faded away until all I could see was her face. I lifted a hand, the one I’d tried to use to stop the blood, tracing her jawline and smearing bright red along it. The sick thing was, she didn’t look bad with some of my blood on her.
“Stay with me,” she begged me. “Stay awake. You’re going to be fine, Kieran. A bullet’s not going to stop you. You have to get back on your feet. Who else is going to annoy me with their sarcasm? It has to be you. It has to be.”
If this was it, if this was how I was going to die… well, there were worse ways to go. Laying here, listening to Laina while gazing up at her beautiful face; oh, yes, there were much worse ways.
I’d never been shot before. It wasn’t fun. I couldn’t tell if the bullet went through me or was lodged deep in my gut, amongst my organs and the like. Either way, it hurt like a fucking bitch. All heat and agony, hot metal at its core.
“You’re going to be fine,” Laina said again. I didn’t know who she was trying to convince more: me or her. Her right hand was still on my wound. The longer I stared at her, the longer I tried to listen to her repeat that phrase over and over, the harder it became.
Suddenly, I grew so, so tired. Like I’d been hit by a truck. Or, you know, a fucking bullet. Like my body had decided that now was a great time for a little nap. Just a quick snooze. I’d wake up later and find that all of this was nothing more than a dream. Just a dream. A terrible dream, but a dream nonetheless.
My fingers got cold. Or maybe it was my toes. Or both. Either way, my breath began to shorten, like I couldn’t hold enough air in my lungs to take a full, deep breath. My vision blurred, and then there were two Laina’s above me, two Laina’s staring down at me with a pleading expression. So beautifully worried about me.
But I was going to be fine. A silly little bullet wasn’t going to stop me. Everything would be okay. I’d pop up in a few minutes and shake it off, like that Taylor Swift song. How’d that go again? Something about shaking it off. Yeah.
It grew too hard to think, so I stopped. It became too difficult for me to keep my eyes open, so they closed on their own. I was still there, still conscious, but barely. I could hear Laina’s voice telling me to open my eyes, trying to command me to wake up, but sometimes, regardless of how badly you wanted something, it was still out of reach.
Like Laina had been for so long.
The cold creeping up my extremities swallowed me whole, and soon enough I stopped hearing Laina’s voice. The bitter, cold blackness of oblivion took me, welcoming me into its vicious embrace.