Chloe looked to Talon in question but before she could ask, her front door opened and Killian filled the doorway, a large envelope in his hand. His gaze bored into Talon’s and even from across the room, Chloe couldn’t miss the sheer contempt she saw in Killian’s eyes. Without conscious thought, she took a step closer to Talon’s side.
“Daniel,” Killian snapped. “Out front with me. Now.”
Chloe noted Daniel’s hesitation as he turned to Talon, who simply gave a quick nod. She returned her gaze to Killian who had no doubt seen the exchange if the utter fury in his expression was any indication. Daniel took purposeful strides across the room and followed Killian out, closing the door softly behind him.
“And just what the fuck was that all about?” Michael asked, breaking the silence.
David shrugged and moved to take a seat on the sofa. “Got me, little brother. Just glad all the general’s mad isn’t aimed at me.”
“Amen to that.” Michael returned.
Tre took that moment to return from out back. He motioned Talon to join him in the kitchen where they spoke so quietly Chloe couldn’t hear. Things were out of control. Her nerves were shot. And she was damn sure not going to be forced out of anything to do with what was happening in all this. Chloe marched into the kitchen and stopped directly in front of the two men, arms crossed over her chest.
“Do you have any idea just how close I am to losing it right now?” She made a concerted effort to keep her voice down but knew she was probably failing miserably and really didn’t care at this point.
She looked pointedly to each man. “Tell me. Now.”
Tre actually had the nerve to chuckle. “Ah, there’s my little Firecracker.” He teased as he draped a heavy arm around her shoulder. “I feel much better when she’s around rather than the quiet little worrier that was with us just moments ago.”
Chloe shrugged out of his hold. “Cut it, Tre and just tell me who you had to call and what you two are planning.”
“No planning.” Talon assured her as his fingers brushed her hair behind her shoulder. “Tre just wanted to check in with Dev and bring him up to speed on everything, especially since Sam told us about what happened to her in New Orleans.”
He took a step closer and lifted her chin with his fingers. “You’re holding it together just fine.” He spoke softly. “We’re going to sit down with the team and figure out our next move and I promise no plans will be made without you.”
The sincerity of his words and in his gaze took some of the starch out of her anger. The clearing of a throat, however, brought her fully out of the moment as she turned to see Daniel and Killian standing in her kitchen.
“Talon,” Daniel began almost hesitantly. “We need to talk.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
“We got the results back on O’Connor’s blood work.” Daniel stated somberly and Chloe noticed he was now holding the large envelope Killian had with him earlier. “I think you’d better sit down for this, Talon.”
Talon’s expression was a mask of indifference as he lowered himself into one of the kitchen table chairs. Tre, Chloe, and Daniel followed suit but Killian remained standing, a self-righteous grin lit his expression as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the counter.
Daniel slowly slid the envelope across the table to Talon, who immediately pulled out several pages and began reading in silence. Chloe looked to Daniel in a silent plea for answers but he simply shook his head. She then witnessed the change in Talon. His breathing became deeper, his nostrils flared and the muscles of his forearms flexed as he turned each page of the report he held in his hands.
He stood up so fast the chair he was sitting in flew back and hit the wall with a resounding thud. He began to pace and Chloe noted absently that Killian moved to stand behind her chair. “Talon. What is it?” She asked, as Tre began looking through the paperwork.
Talon didn’t answer but he stopped and faced Killian. The burn of his gaze had Chloe rising from her chair in alarm and stepping closer to his side. His mask was gone and what she saw nearly broke her heart. Through the depths of his sea-blue eyes, Chloe saw a myriad of emotions—rage, sorrow, uncertainty, denial, and ultimately, betrayal.
“I’ll be a son of a bitch.” Tre murmured to break the silence as he flung the pages across the table.
Daniel stood and dropped his head. Tre stood as well. Killian merely chuckled. “I always knew your entire family was lower than shit.” Killian sneered. “And now we’ve got the proof.” He nodded to the paperwork lying scattered across the table.
Tre took a step toward Killian but Talon stopped him with a strong arm across his chest. The others had begun to slowly make their way into the kitchen, eager to learn what Killian had found. Talon remained silent.
“Will somebody please explain what the hell is going on?” Chloe demanded in exasperation.
Killian turned his gaze toward her. The gray of his eyes softened as he took her hands and pulled her from Talon’s side. Instinctively she tried to resist but he held firm. “Chloe,” Killian began. “The blood work and DNA analysis we had done on Sean O’Connor revealed something surprising. He is Coteri, or at least half Coteri.” At Chloe’s surprised intake of breath he paused and began rubbing his thumbs over her knuckles.
“Fuck me,” David muttered. “Guess that solves the puzzle of how he was able to hold his own in your parking lot attack, Chloe-girl.”
Chloe shook her head in confusion. “I don’t understand. How is that possible? I thought Mina was the only hybrid.” Her thoughts were spinning, trying to digest everything she was hearing.
Although now oblivious to his touch, Killian continued caressing her hands. “She was the only one we were aware of, Chloe. Further analysis on O’Connor has concluded that he is not only part Coteri but he is from the line of Xavier, Talon’s traitorous father.” He paused and his accusatory gaze zeroed in on Talon. “Sean O’Connor is Talon’s half-brother.”
Chloe immediately pulled from Killian’s hold in shock and looked at Talon. His mask was back, firmly in place, and he wouldn’t meet her gaze. The sound of the front door slamming broke the stunned silence. Everyone’s head turned toward the door to find MaKane, sweat-soaked and out of breath.
“What? I got back here as fast as I could.” MaKane said defensively, clearly misinterpreting the hard expressions staring back at him.
Chloe looked from Killian to Talon, their gazes still locked on each other’s in what could only be described as pure malice. Thankfully, Daniel stepped forward and took control.
“Our first priority is to find and protect Sam. We need to spread out, break into teams of two and scour the area. Michael with David, MaKane with Gabriel, and Darrius you’re with me.”
Killian broke in. “No. Darrius, I need you with me.”
Daniel looked to Killian but didn’t object. He then turned to Chloe. “Chlo, you stay here and keep trying to contact Sam. If she calls you, let us know immediately. Tre, you head over to the clinic in the off chance she shows up there.” He returned his attention to the group. “Check in with me every thirty minutes for a status report.”
“Where’s O’Connor?” He hadn’t moved and it was the first time he’d spoken. Talon directed his question to Killian. His deep voice sounded flat, lethal, and sent a chill down Chloe’s spine.
One side of Killian’s mouth turned up in a sardonic sneer. “Knowing your family history and the fact that Luca is in the vicinity, I can venture a pretty good guess about where your brother is.”
“You arrogant prick.” Tre exploded and launched himself at Killian.
Chloe jumped back as Daniel quickly stepped in between the two men, blocking Tre’s path.
Killian simply shook his head in mock disappointment and chuckled. “Tsk, tsk, Tre. I thought better of you than that. You’re addressing a general in the royal guard. I’m heading back to my office to contact the king. He needs to be informed of our latest findings. Do you really want
me to include your insubordination in my report?”
Chloe watched as Daniel struggled to push Tre back a few steps, shaking his head to encourage the man to stay silent. Thankfully Tre did, although with obvious effort given the visible grinding of his back molars.
Killian turned to his men. “Keep me informed, gentlemen.” He ordered as he took purposeful strides across the room. “Darrius, with me.” At the door, Killian looked over his shoulder at Talon. A strange look of smug triumph was evident in his cold gray gaze. Chloe felt nauseous. Killian waited for Darrius to precede him then shut the door behind him. The house went quiet.
“Anybody else hungry?” Michael broke the uncomfortable silence.
David smacked the back of his brother’s head, hard. “Mom should have drowned you at birth.”
“That hurt, asshole.” Michael chided and punched David in the shoulder as the two headed for the door.
“You ready, man?” MaKane asked Gabriel.
“Lead the way.” Gabriel replied as the two of them followed the brothers out the front door.
Daniel was the last to leave. “I’ll call to check in.” He said to no one in particular before he closed the door behind him.
Chloe was left standing in her kitchen with Talon and Tre. Numb, yet her mind was spinning. “It all makes sense now.” She muttered more to herself than to her audience.
“What are you talking about?” Tre asked.
Chloe took a deep breath. “Since the moment I met Sean, there was a feeling of familiarity, a comfort and easiness, a feeling of recognition when we contacted skin on skin.”
A low growl resounded in Talon’s chest as he moved into the living room but she continued. “I noticed similarities—mannerisms, body type, and…” she hesitated, “an intensity in the eyes but I never put it all together.” She took a deep breath. “But it all makes sense now.”
Talon spun to face her, his eyes lit with burning fury. He had barely said five words since Killian dropped his bombshell but apparently now he was ready to let it all out. “It all makes sense? You felt something when you were with him? You connected to my bastard brother?”
Chloe sucked in a startled breath at the unexpected barrage, unable to respond. Tre immediately stepped to her side and draped a protective arm around her shoulder. “Bro.” he warned. “Don’t.”
But Talon continued. “You forget, little girl, I saw you at dinner with him, touching and laughing. I saw you hugging and kissing him on your front porch. I saw the way he looked at you and touched you in your office, like he had every right. Oh yeah, I’ve seen your connection to him firsthand.” He seethed.
He paused to pace in front of the fireplace before turning to her once again. “You’re connected to him to the point you defend him even though the evidence of his involvement in this shit is staring you right in the fucking face!” He thundered and drove his fingers through his hair in frustration. He turned his back on the two of them. “Fuck. I need some air.”
Talon stormed out the back doors, slamming the slider closed. Chloe felt her knees go weak and would have gone down if not for Tre’s steadying grip.
“Hey.” He squeezed her shoulder tight in reassurance. “He didn’t mean any of that shit, Chlo. Just try to remember everything he discovered today, and in a room full of virtual strangers no less. Give him time to process.”
She shrugged, knowing in her head what Tre said was true but getting her heart to follow suit was a different matter. She had made the decision earlier to distance herself to prepare for the inevitable. Talon had just made that decision easier. She knew he couldn’t possibly believe she was interested in Sean in the way he accused, not after the intimacies the two of them had experienced, but he took that excuse anyway and ran with it. Fine. If that made him feel justified in leaving her, so be it. She knew it was coming anyway.
She straightened her shoulders and turned to Tre, trying desperately to exude her own mask of indifference. “I’m good. I’m going to take a quick shower and keep trying to contact Sam.”
Tre locked gazes with hers, his concern evident. “You sure?” He asked.
“Definitely.” She stated with what she hoped sounded as utter certainty, although inside she was crumbling.
“Okay, Firecracker.” He teased while tweaking her chin. “Shout down at me if you hear anything.” She nodded and headed for the stairs.
When Chloe disappeared to the third level, Tre let himself out onto the back deck to find his friend gripping the railing and staring out over the water. Talon turned at the sound of the sliding door closing and met his gaze. “Do you even have a clue how royally you just fucked this up?” Tre demanded.
Talon started pacing, running his fingers through his disheveled hair, before he stopped directly in front of his friend. “Do you realize my bastard of a father sired a half-breed who’s more than likely in bed with the Valta and threatening the safety of the only woman I’ve ever cared about?”
Tre took a step back at the declaration and paused. “Bullshit. We don’t know for a fact O’Connor is with Luca. We don’t even know how much, if anything, the man knows about his true bloodline.”
Tre shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. “And do you realize this is the first time you’ve ever admitted having any kind of real feelings for that woman inside? And your brilliant answer on how to deal with the shit storm Killian just dumped at your feet was to deflect your anger and attack Chloe so you wouldn’t have to deal.” Tre inhaled deeply and glared at his friend. “Smooth move, dickhead.” He said with disgust.
Talon opened his mouth then closed it before taking a deep breath. “Fuck it. I’m going to the clinic to see if Sam shows. You stay here with Chloe.”
Now it was Tre’s turn to explode. “Son of a bitch, man. You are not your father!”
In an instant, Talon shifted to a silver hawk and flew out of sight. “Fucking idiot.” Tre muttered as he pulled out his phone to make a call.
The call was answered on the second ring. “Sir, things aren’t going exactly as planned and there’s been a new development. I may need some help here.”
* * * * *
Chloe showered quickly, letting her tears blend in with the warm water running down her face. She chastised herself for her own stupidity. She knew full well this thing with Talon wouldn’t last. Mina’s words flooded into her head. ‘Don’t overthink it. Take a leap of faith. It’ll be worth it in the end.’ Ha. Nice words but Mina didn’t know Talon as well as Chloe did.
She toweled off and dried her hair, securing it in a high ponytail. She dressed in her most comfortable low-rise jeans and a butter soft jade colored angora sweater. Adding a touch of makeup to perfect her mask, she looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. “Shields up, girl. No more tears allowed. Time to focus on what’s really important.”
She braced herself for another confrontation as she slowly descended the stairs, ready to let Talon have it this time if he started in on her again, only to find Tre on her sofa. No Talon. “Where is he?” She asked, standing at the bottom of the stairs.
“He went to the clinic to watch for Sam.” He took a deep breath. “Give him time, Chlo. You have to know what a shock this was to him. Shit. Finding out he has a brother after all this time? A brother who might be involved with the Valta, like his father? Add in that prick Killian and it’s a lot to take in.”
She understood that, she really did. In her head. Her heart was just having a little trouble catching up after the baseless accusations he’d made about her feelings for Sean. But none of that mattered. If anything could prove to her just how one-sided her feelings were where Talon was concerned, his latest outburst drove the point home. She took a deep breath. Time to focus.
Chloe squared her shoulders and lifted her chin as she joined Tre and sat in a chair beside the couch. Something was prickling the back of her mind about Sean, a piece that wasn’t adding up. He was Coteri. He was Talon’s brother. That answered her questions about the strange
feelings of familiarity she’d always felt while in his presence. But her gut was telling her he wasn’t involved in this mess, regardless of how much the evidence pointed to the contrary. ‘Trust your instincts, Chloe.’ Talon had told her that when the first suspicions of Sean had surfaced and she was standing by that advice until it was proven otherwise.
“Have you tried Sam again?” Tre asked.
Chloe sighed. “Twice upstairs but it just rings out. No voicemail.” Chloe dropped back against the chair in frustration. She kept going over and over all that Sam had shared in their last conversation, the nagging sensation that she was missing something important still with her. Then it clicked and she sat up with a start.
“Tre, Sam was also attacked in New Orleans.”
Tre leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees. “Yeah, that’s why I called Dev and asked him to check into that part of her story to see if he could come up with anything more for us.”
Chloe shook her head. “What I’m getting at is there is nothing in our information on Sean that he’s ever even been to New Orleans, which means he wasn’t involved in Sam’s attack there.” Her heart was pounding in her chest, realizing just how much she wanted to somehow prove Talon’s brother couldn’t be involved in all this. If not for her own piece of mind then for Talon’s. “It means that this whole thing with Sean really could just be coincidence, especially if he isn’t even aware of his Coteri bloodline.”
Tre stood and Chloe followed suit. He rubbed a hand over his jaw before he answered. “Look, Chloe. I’m open to all possibilities and I hope like hell O’Connor isn’t a part of this. But you have to be open as well and realize if he is, he could have easily been recruited in Seattle, after the New Orleans attack, regardless of what he knows about his parentage.” He shook his head. “It’s definitely something to keep in mind though and another possible point in the doc’s favor.”
Chloe simply nodded, knowing what Tre said was true. Trust your instincts. And until she had undeniable proof of Sean’s involvement, that’s just what she intended to do.
Infinite Surrender: 2 (Blood Feud) Page 26
