Chapter 7

Myla

“W ell, where is he?” Lou asked Bas the second he put his phone away. “What’s going on?”

“Family shit,” Bas replied, getting to his feet. “I already told you that.”

“What family shit?” she prodded, hopping up from the couch.

Bas looked at her for a long moment and sighed. “Richie got shot.”

I inhaled sharply in surprise. Of all the things I could’ve imagined happening to Cian’s family, that was probably the last thing on the list, right before being abducted by aliens.

I’d met all of Cian’s family. It was impossible not to, considering how close he was with them. His oldest sister, Aoife, who he called Mam , was the most serious in the group. Witty and sharp, but always a little watchful. Saoirse was quieter than the others, calmer, and whenever you talked to her, it felt like she could see right through you. Luckily for me, I was pretty sure that she saw I was hopelessly in love with her brother, so she’d always been friendly. Ronan was a lot like Cian. Funny and sarcastic, but lacking the sharp edges that Cian had. Aisling was my favorite though—she was wild. Hilarious and loud, you could tell that she was the baby of the family, and they adored her. It was probably why we got along so well—I was also the coddled youngest sibling.

Aoife’s husband, Richie, was the friendliest and most open man I’d ever met. He seemed like the kind of guy who’d never met a stranger, and he seemed just as protective of the siblings as his wife. They were an unshakable unit—it was noticeable the moment you met them.

“Jesus,” Frankie choked out. “Is he all right?”

“Cian said it’s not lookin’ good,” Bas replied, walking over to the front door. He paused to push his feet into his wet boots.

“You said she,” I called, standing slowly from my chair.

“What?”

“You asked if she was okay,” I reminded him. “You asked where she was.”

Bas looked at the ground for a moment before meeting my eyes again. “Aisling was missing, but Cian found her. She’s safe.”

“But she’s not okay,” I said softly.

“Not sure on specifics.”

“Give us half an hour,” Frankie ordered, pointing at Bas as she crossed the room. “We’re going with you.”

“Don’t think you’ll all fit on the back of my bike,” Bas replied, his joke falling flat.

“We’ll take the Tahoe,” Frankie countered flatly. She continued down the hall. “Half an hour, Sebastian! We’ll meet you at your house. You leave without us and I’ll make your life a living hell.”

“See you in half an hour,” Lou said as he opened the door.

I followed Frankie down the hallway and stopped in her doorway.

A few seconds later, Lou pushed in beside me. “It sounds like they’re already dealing with a lot. They shouldn’t have to entertain us, too. Are you sure we should go out there?”

“They wouldn’t have to entertain us,” Frankie reasoned, dropping her suitcase onto the bed. She looked at me. “He isn’t just our friend. He’s family. What do you think the club will do?”

“They’ll probably ride out there. A few of them, anyway, to stand vigil at the hospital,” I replied quietly.

“Right,” Frankie said with a nod. “If Cian’s family lived here, they’d already be taking shifts at the hospital, making sure everyone was fed, keeping an eye on Sean, all of it.”

“You should call and talk to your dad,” Lou murmured, reaching out to squeeze my hand. “Let him know we’re going and see if he and your mom are going to head out there.”

I nodded.

“I’ll never hear the end of it if we’re one minute late,” Frankie said, shooing us away. “Go pack.”

I called my dad as I walked back to my room.

“Hey,” he answered. There was some sort of loud machinery noise in the background. “Right in the middle of somethin’, kid, can I call you back?”

“Just wanted to let you know that we’re all driving out to be with Cian,” I said quickly. “You wanted to be the first to know, remember?”

“What do you mean, be with Cian ? His family stuff that bad?” The background noise faded away.

“He told Bas that Richie was shot and Aisling was missing,” I replied, the words sounding farfetched as they came out of my mouth. “I guess Cian found Aisling? But she’s not okay. I’m not sure what that means, just that she’s not good. And Richie’s really not okay. I don’t know how bad it is, I just—”

“Shit,” Dad said as my words trailed off. “I like that guy.”

“Everyone likes Richie. He’s the nicest guy on the planet.”

“Like Aisling, too,” Dad mumbled. “I’ll call around and find out what the fuck is going on. You leavin’ now?”

“Meeting Bas at Titus’s house in twenty minutes,” I confirmed.

“Who’s drivin’?”

“Frankie.”

“Shit,” he grumbled. “Okay, check in with me, yeah? And answer the phone when your mother calls—you know she’s gonna.”

“I will,” I said, grabbing my duffel bag out of the closet. “Do you think the club will come?”

“We’ll be right behind you, baby,” he assured me. “Drive safe.”

“We will.”

Ten minutes after we’d hung up, I was grabbing my toothbrush out of the bathroom as I hauled ass toward Frankie’s Tahoe. Ten minutes after that, we were parking in front of my brother’s house.

Five minutes later, we were following behind three motorcycles as we pulled onto the street.

It wasn’t until a few hours into the drive that the overwhelming instinct to be with my friend was overshadowed by the reality that the last time we’d seen each other, we hadn’t exactly parted on good terms.

I’d called him a coward , for God’s sake.

“What?” Frankie asked, looking over at me.

“What?” I asked back.

“You made a noise.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“You did.”

“You really did,” Lou piped up, lifting her head from the paperback she was reading. She leaned forward between the seats. “It was a groan.”

“Why didn’t you remind me that Cian is probably going to tell me to go fuck myself when we get there?” I asked, twisting to look at Lou.

“He’d never tell you that.”

“After that little scene the other night, he definitely will.”

“Doubtful,” Frankie argued. “I bet he won’t even think of it.”

“Yes, he will.”

“Cian loves you,” Lou said kindly.

I huffed in disbelief.

“Okay, maybe he doesn’t want a relationship ,” she conceded. “Though, I don’t really believe that. But you’re one of his best friends either way—he’ll be happy you came.”

“He’s not gonna give a shit that you want to jump his bone,” Frankie said, rolling her eyes. “He’s just going to be glad you’re there to support him.”

“It’s not like he didn’t already know that you wanted to jump his bone,” Lou added reasonably. “The sexual tension has been off the charts for a while now.”

“Could both of you stop saying jump his bone?”

“Make sweet, sweet love then,” Frankie replied dryly. “He’s not going to tell you to fuck off.”

“I wonder how everyone is doing,” Lou said, putting her book down. “We haven’t stopped since dinner, so I know Bas hasn’t checked his phone.”

“If it rang, he would’ve pulled over.” I looked out the window at the three bikes ahead of us. “No news is good news.”

“That’s what I’m hoping, too,” Frankie said darkly. “What do you think happened to Aisling?”

“I have no idea.” I shook my head. “I’m actually dreading the answer.”

“Me too,” Lou said with a sigh. “Did Richie getting shot have something to do with whatever happened with Aisling?”

“It would be a real fucking coincidence if it didn’t,” Frankie pointed out. “I’m guessing it’s all connected.”

“I hate not knowing what the fuck is going on,” I mumbled. I contemplated texting Cian, but I was afraid that if I warned him we were coming, he’d try to convince me to turn around and go home. While Cian was more than happy to connect his Aces family to his biological family, he’d always been very private about things that happened with the other part of his life.

“Well, a couple more hours and you’ll get a front-row seat,” Frankie replied.

“When did your dad say everyone else would be coming?” Lou asked.

“When I talked to my mom, she said she was packing their bags.” My mom had been worried, both about Cian’s family and about the girls and me walking into an unknown situation. “They’ll be a few hours behind us.”

“Do you know where everyone is staying?” Frankie asked as she checked her blind spot and changed lanes.

“Brenna got a whole block of rooms at a motel near the hospital,” I replied. It had started raining, and I grimaced as I looked at the boys. They were going to be drenched by the time we got there. Riding in the rain was miserable, and we still had hours.

“Are we staying with your parents?” Lou leaned forward to look at me.

“Fuck no,” I muttered, wrinkling my nose. “I’m not sleeping in the same room as my parents. Gross.”

“It’s not like they’d get freaky while we were there,” Frankie joked.

“Yeah, whatever you tell yourself,” I shot back. “We have our own room. They’ll figure it all out when they get here. I told her we’d be at the hospital or Aoife’s anyway.”

“I hope Richie’s doing okay,” Lou murmured. “Aisling, too.”

The last few hours of the trip seemed to drag on forever, but eventually we followed Bas and the boys into the hospital’s well-lit parking garage. By the time we parked beside them, the guys had climbed off their bikes and were cursing and bitching.

“Can’t find my balls,” Bas joked, wiping a hand down his face.

“Sounds like a personal problem,” Frankie called out.

“Been on miserable rides,” Gray muttered. “That one was in the top five.”

“I don’t know,” I joked as I rounded the Tahoe, stretching my arms over my head. “I thought it was kind of relaxing.”

Gray’s eyes crinkled in amusement as he huffed in mock annoyance. I’d been glad to see him when we showed up at Titus and Noel’s earlier. He was quiet and reserved and quite a bit older than us, but there wasn’t anyone quicker to pitch in when there was an emergency. He was the calm in the center of the storm, always.

“You let him know we’re here?” Brody asked Bas, slicking his hair back with both hands.

“Didn’t answer,” Bas replied. He waved his hands at us girls, ushering us toward the elevators.

My stomach was rolling with nerves as we headed toward the hospital building. The group talked quietly, mostly complaining about the rain we’d driven through, but I could barely follow the conversation. Cian had no idea that we were coming, and I could imagine about a hundred different scenarios where he lost his shit and threw us out. Okay, maybe he wouldn’t throw the guys out—but now that we were actually there, I could see that showing up at the hospital late at night wasn’t the best idea.

“He’ll be glad we’re here,” Lou said softly.

Security had met us at the emergency room entrance, and we stood there waiting for a few minutes while they spoke to Gray. Eventually, they waved us on, pointing to another set of elevators.

“This place is a maze,” Frankie muttered as we piled onto the elevator.

“Fuckin’ hate elevators,” Bas grunted.

Frankie started jumping as soon as the doors closed.

“Knock it off, asshole,” he bitched, reaching out to press down on her shoulder and keep her feet on the floor.

“You’re such a baby.”

“Yeah, tell me that when we go plummeting to our deaths.”

“There are three floors,” Frankie replied dryly. “I think we’ll be okay.”

The doors opened, and all of us were silent as we filed off. The elevator opened up to a short corridor followed by a waiting room where Cian’s aunt Ashley was sitting on a couch, a little book in her hands.

At the sound of our footsteps, her head shot up and her eyes widened. “Sebastian!”

“Hey,” he replied gently, moving away from our group as she got to her feet.

“Cian didn’t tell me you were coming, you sweet boy,” she said as Bas engulfed her in a hug.

“We didn’t tell him,” Bas said easily. “He woulda tried to stop us, I would’ve ignored him, it woulda been a whole thing.”

“You’re right about that,” she said, pulling away with a sniffle. “You’re soaked.”

“Hit a little rain,” Bas muttered.

“No kidding.” She looked up at us and smiled.

“Hey, Aunt Ashley,” I greeted, moving forward.

“Hi honey,” she said, rounding Bas to get to me. She pulled me into a tight hug before pulling away to hug everyone else.

“Cian here or at Aoife’s?” Bas asked as we found seats.

I perched at the end of mine, my knee bouncing.

“He’s here,” Ashley said with a smile that looked a little too much like a grimace. “He’s back with Richie and Aoife.”

“How’s Richie doin’?” Brody asked. It was the first time he’d spoken since we stepped inside the hospital.

“He opened his eyes a couple of hours ago,” Ashely said quietly. “But we’re not sure if he was actually conscious or not. Honestly, I don’t know what the hell is going on. But he’s not any worse, thank God for small mercies.”

“And Aisling?” I asked softly.

Ashley gave a small nod, her eyes unfocused. “She’s okay. Back at the house, hopefully sleeping.” She looked around at us. “I can’t believe you’re all here.”

“Well, brace,” Bas said, putting an arm around her shoulders. “There’s more of us coming.”

“Well, shit,” Ashley mumbled, looking around. “We’re going to need some sleeping bags. I’ll call Ronan—”

“We got some hotel rooms,” Frankie said quickly.

“Club takes care of its own,” Gray assured her quietly. “You got enough on your plate. We’re just here to pitch in where we can.”

“Well then,” Ashley murmured faintly.

She said something else, but I didn’t hear her because my attention was caught by the sight of a familiar face appearing as the double doors at the end of the room slowly swung open. I hadn’t realized how anxious I was to see that Cian was okay until he stepped through the doors. His hair was a mess, and his eyes were bloodshot.

I was on my feet before anyone else had even noticed him. Cian’s steps faltered the minute he saw us sitting there with his aunt, but as soon as he realized I was headed his way, he hurried toward me. We practically collided, his arms wrapping tightly around my waist as mine went around his neck.

The familiar scent of Cian’s skin calmed every anxiety I had.

“You okay?”

“What the hell are you doin’ here?” he asked at the same time.

“Where the hell else would I be?” I answered.

“I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine.”

“Just tired.”

“You look worried.”

“I am worried.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?”

“I’m sorry you’re dealing with this.”

“Yeah, me too, baby. I can’t believe you’re here.”

“We left right after you talked to Bas.”

“Shoulda fuckin’ known,” Cian muttered into my hair. “Can’t keep his fuckin’ mouth shut.”

“He was sitting on my couch when you talked to him.”

“Figures,” Cian huffed.

I pressed my forehead against the underside of his jaw, the beard there tickling my skin as I brushed my thumb through the hair at the nape of his neck. I wanted to apologize, but I was too afraid to bring up the last argument we’d had.

“We’re good, My,” he murmured, reading my mind. He kissed the side of my head. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” I breathed.

I let go of him so he could greet everyone else but stayed close.

“You coulda said somethin’,” Cian told Bas.

“Surprise,” Bas joked. “How’s Richie?”

“Still out,” Cian said roughly. “They’ve been keepin’ him pretty doped up, but they’re not sure why he’s not awake. They’re gonna see if they can get him conscious tomorrow.”

“Damn.”

“Thanks for comin’,” Cian told the group, hugging the girls and doing the weird handshake-hug thing that guys did. “You didn’t have to come all the way out here.”

“Family,” Gray said simply.

Cian nodded.

We all found seats again, and without any fanfare or a single word, Cian gripped my hand and made sure that I was sitting next to him. He didn’t even look at me while he did it.

“We’re the first wave,” I warned quietly. “My parents are a couple hours behind us. I’m not sure who’s with them.”

Cian nodded.

“They’ve got hotel rooms,” Ashley added. “Good thing, with everyone sleeping at the house already.”

“You drive the RV out?” Brody asked her.

“Of course,” she replied. “Why, did you want to stay with me?” She wiggled her eyebrows.

“You wish,” he teased back.

“If I was twenty years younger.” Ashley winked.

Cian leaned back in his seat and dug his fingers into his eye sockets tiredly.

“We’re going to find a vending machine,” Frankie announced as she and Lou got to their feet. “I’m parched. Anyone want anything?”

“Get me a water, would you?” Gray asked, reaching for his wallet.

“I can pay for a water,” Frankie said, waving him off. “Anyone else?” She waited as everyone shook their heads, then put her hand out to me. “Come on, go with us.”

“Uh, I think I’ll just—”

“Go with ’em,” Cian said quietly.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I’m not goin’ anywhere.”

“All right.”

I pushed myself to my feet and followed Lou and Frankie as Ashley told the boys she was going to let Aoife know they were there and walked off in the other direction.

I glanced over my shoulder as we reached a bend in the hallway and saw the guys leaning forward and speaking quietly.

“Oh,” I murmured. Somehow I hadn’t even realized that the guys wanted us to get lost for a few minutes so they could talk without us there.

“Yeah,” Frankie said. “Brody gave me a little get-the-fuck-outta here signal.”

“What does that look like?” Lou asked wryly.

“Narrowed eyes,” Frankie replied, throwing her arm over my shoulder. “With a little chin jerk.”

“I totally missed it,” I mumbled.

“You were in a Cian bubble,” Lou said, walking backward so she could look at us. “I told you he wouldn’t tell you to fuck off.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“He looked relieved you’re here.”

“He probably is,” I replied. “Did you see his face?”

“Looking pretty haggard,” Frankie said as she dropped her arm. “Ashley looks beat, too.”

“Do you think they’re going to stay up here all night?” Lou asked quietly, pointing to a sign for the vending machines. “I don’t mind staying, but I hope they have some coffee somewhere.”

“I’m guessing Cian is here for the night. He wouldn’t leave Aoife here by herself.”

“I can’t imagine what she’s going through,” Lou said sadly. “They’ve been together forever. She must be losing her mind.”

“Since high school,” I confirmed. I’d once asked Cian about it, and he’d told me he barely remembered a time when Richie and Aoife weren’t together.

“And dealing with Aisling being hurt, too,” Frankie said, staring at the machine filled with snacks. “That’s her baby.”

“It’s a lot to deal with all at once,” Lou murmured.

I didn’t say anything as I stared blankly at the assortment of chips behind the glass. I tried to imagine how I’d feel if something had happened to one of my brothers—but I couldn’t. I was sure that my brothers had been in scrapes, but we’d never dealt with something as serious as Richie’s injuries. I wasn’t sure how to help Cian. I had no idea what to say.

“You want anything?” Frankie asked. By the look on her face, it wasn’t the first time she’d tried to get my attention.

“No, I’m good.”

“I got Gray’s water,” Lou said, lifting it up and shaking it from side to side.

“Think we gave them enough time?” Frankie asked, juggling her various junk food as we headed back toward the waiting room.

“Who gives a shit?” I mumbled.

“You’re getting tired,” she sang back. “You’re getting pissy.”

“I’m not pissy.”

“Holy crap,” Lou said with a scoff. “How have we already been here an hour?”

“Hospitals,” I replied easily, reaching for the ponytail on my wrist. “Time has no meaning here. Time either passes at a snail’s pace or it flies.”

“Oh, look,” Frankie said under her breath as we rounded the corner to the waiting room. “They’re done.”

Gray was on his phone and looking out of one of the big windows along the edge of the room, and the rest of the guys were kicked back in their chairs. They weren’t relaxed, there was too much tension in their bodies to give that impression, but they also didn’t look like they were conspiring to take over the world anymore.

“Got you jalape?o chips,” Frankie announced, throwing a bag at Cian. She turned to Bas. “Sour cream and cheddar for you, you animal.”

“Thanks,” Bas replied with a small smile.

“Plain ones for you,” she said to Brody, tossing his on his lap. “You must like missionary sex.”

A choked noise came from the edge of the room as Gray turned to look at us.

“What?” Frankie asked nonchalantly.

“Stop baiting Brody,” I ordered as I dropped back down next to Cian. “You good?”

Cian nodded and set his hand on my knee again. “You shoulda let me know you were comin’,” he said quietly, glancing at Gray.

“If I did, you would have told me to stay home.”

“Probably.”

“And I wouldn’t have listened,” I said, leaning my head on his shoulder. “And then I would be here anyway, but we’d be fighting.”

“Think you got me all figured out, huh?”

“I think I have a pretty good idea, yeah,” I confirmed.

Cian opened his mouth to say something but didn’t get a word out before the doors at the end of the room swung open and Aoife came striding through.

“Sis,” Bas called, shooting to his feet. Brody moved almost as fast.

They hurried toward her, and before their larger bodies blocked her from view, I could see the small, exasperated smile playing on her lips.

Lou and Frankie followed the boys slowly, giving them a moment with Aoife before they barged in. I went to follow them, but Cian’s hand on my thigh held me in place.

“If I tell you to go home,” he said seriously. “You’re gonna listen.”

“Have I ever listened?”

“This time you will.”

“We’ll see.” I patted his hand and pushed it off my leg.

“Myla,” he called out in warning before I’d taken a single step.

“We’ll discuss it,” I conceded. “Can I go say hi to Aoife now?”

Cian’s lips twitched. “I guess.”

“Glad I’m here?”

“Yep.”

“Then it’s a good thing I didn’t call to warn you.”