Chapter 6 Close Observation

A figure walked slowly towards us, almost instantly the two lovebirds snapped to attention, their expressions serious.

I stared in amazement.

As he came closer I noticed he on the other hand looked uncomfortable.

“Good day boss” Finley and Nicole both said in unison.

“You both can take the other car, I'll ride with Agnes” he said.

My head snapped towards him.

Shit.

“Uhh… I'm actually fine Mr Callahan, I mean you looked really busy earlier, I would prefer to ride with Nicole and Finley” I said in an attempt to deter him.

“I remembered I also need to get some things for myself,” he said.

“Marco always does your shopping sir” Nicole said confused.

“I mean if he's busy, we could handle it for you” Finley cut in.

Yes. He had to agree.

Right?

“It's fine, I have to meet up with Gabriel in Sicily's house, we have some things to sort out with Fernandez. I'll need a few hours of peace of mind before I go there” he sighed.

Nicole snickered as Marco came up towards him, pulling him away from us for a moment.

“Fernandez is the leader of the umbrella cartel” she burst out laughing.

“Umbrella cartel? Who in the world came up with that name?”

“A fifteen year old boy obviously”

My brows creased in confusion.

“His father passed away and the Sicily cartel was passed to Fernandez, and the first thing the kid did was change the cartel's name to umbrella” Nicole said as she burst out laughing hysterically.

“Come on nic, it's not official yet, I mean none of the members are going to agree to that” Finley said, a small smile dancing on his lips.

“Then he'll pull off his ultimate move, which is throwing a tantrum, then his grandfather would have no choice than to go with the name,” Nicole said. “I tell you he drives our boss nuts, everytime he has to go see Fernandez, he literally signs himself up for crazy”

She said laughing again.

A small smile played on my lips.

I sighed.

There was nothing I could do about this now. Hopefully a window of opportunity could still come through.

“Let's go,” Ronan said as he moved towards a parked car.

I followed close behind him, getting into the car and soon enough we were on the road.

The city blurred past in streaks of bright lights as the outside world and its inhabitants went about their day, blending against the tinted glasses like distorted memories

The engine settled into a low, steady hum, the vibration seeping through the leather seat and into my spine.

Every bump in the road felt louder in the quiet, each turn stretching the silence between us until it pressed against my throat.

I couldn't stop the worry that gnawed in my chest.

I looked at him from the corner of my eye. His posture looked relaxed, one arm resting against the door, fingers brushing his jaw absentmindedly as he stared out the window.

Was it me or did his decision to come with me feel precise.

Like he was unto me, even after killing Miguel, he still wasn't at rest.

I had thought everything through.

Deciding to go with Nicole and Finley was for a reason, at least when those two would be locked up in their infatuation for themselves, I could steal a moment to use a pay phone and call my team.

But with Ronan's eagle-like eyes, watching me at every twist and turn, it wasn't going to be possible.

I chewed my finger anxiously, it was something I did anytime I felt nervous and right now I was beyond nervous.

Fuck.

I had one shot.

I had been told, they didn't just let anyone in and out of the house at any time.

You could only go out with strict supervision, protection and permission from only one person.

Ronan Callahan.

………

Ronan's POV

I was never one to make impulsive decisions.

And yet here I was, sitting in the backseat with her, the city bleeding past the windows while something tightens in my chest.

I told myself it was Control. Surveillance.

But I knew it was all a lie.

I stared at her from the corner of my eye, she looked restless, her face knitted into a tight frown as she subconsciously bit her fingers in worry.

Her auburn hair was packed into a messy bun, causing tendrils to fall loosely framing her face. Nothing out of the ordinary,

Except those eyes….. those intense hazel eyes that always seemed to mock me. Making me relieve that day over and over again.

Ever since she came something felt different and I kept on having this feeling like everything would soon come crashing down.

I thought the feeling would go after I killed that mole, but it didn't.

With each rising day the feeling persisted, threatening to break me.

I hated it.

I knew I should let her go, if she was another betrayal waiting to happen, that I should end it now.

I knew with every fiber of my being, that I should.

Still…..

Each time I looked into those eyes, I saw a ghost of laughter in sunlight corridors, a pair of hazel eyes that once looked at me without fear.

That memory alone was enough to make me pause, even when my instincts screamed otherwise.

I realized I couldn't bring myself to do it, after all we were all humans.

It was only easy for us to say and hard to do, and when a fragment of a past that once gave you meaning while stripping away every shard of your humanity was living so close to you.

I had this sinking feeling that if my judgement ever blurred where she was concerned.

Then the destruction I felt looming wouldn't just consume her.

It would consume me too.

Still……

I couldn't bring myself to throw it away even though I knew it'd end up ruining me again just like it did the first time.