My head snapped up when my office door was thrown open. Whatever I was about to yell at the intruder died down when my eyes locked on the man who entered. I was out of my chair and hurrying around my desk in seconds.
"What is it? What happened? Is it your father?"
Steven shook his head and ran a shaky hand through his hair. "He's okay."
"Kieran? Thomas?" My eyes widened. "Did something happen to Albany?"
"She's probably at home," he muttered. "Fuck, Sev. We fucked up. I shouldn't have suggested that we make the bet."
I gripped his shoulders and steered him towards the chair in front of my desk and pushed him down onto it. Walking over to the cabinet, I poured him some whiskey.
Steven downed the liquid and slammed the glass down onto the desk before he sprung to his feet and started pacing.
"What happened?"
My heart dropped to my stomach with every word that fell from his lips. He told me that Albany had heard them talking in his office and that she knew about the bet made between the four of us. He was right. We fucked things up.
I should've stopped things before it started but I was the one who made the ultimatums. Fuck, I'm old enough to know better than them.
Rubbing a hand down my face, I walked around my desk and stared out the window at the darkening sky. If we didn't fix it then we might lose her and the thought of never seeing her again tore me apart.
Albany had become part of our lives. She belonged with us. She needed us.
"Does Kieran know?" I turned to face him. "Call your brother and tell him to meet us at her apartment building in ten minutes. I'll talk to Kieran."
"Sev—"
"We made a mess and now we're going to fix it," I interrupted him.
"What if she doesn't want to listen?" he asked softly.
I shrugged as I grabbed my jacket from the back of my chair. We couldn't force her to listen. It should've been Albany's choice from the start and not ours. We were all adults. We shouldn't be fucking playing games like this.
"Cancel my dinner appointment," I ordered my secretary as I passed her. "Reschedule it if possible."
"But, sir—"
Her words were cut off with a wave of my hand. I pressed the button to summon the elevator before I pulled my phone my pocket and dialled Kieran's number. He answered on the second ring.
"Albany knows about the bet. Meet us at her apartment in ten."
***
Kieran was already there when I parked the car at the curb. I stared at him for a few minutes before I got out and walked over to him. He was staring at the ground but he looked up when I bumped my shoulder against his.
"Hey."
He nodded but didn't utter a word. Kieran wasn't one to do much talking. It wasn't in his nature, but he was usually extra silent when he had something on his mind.
I copied his stance and leaned back against the car next to him. My eyes darted up to the building. I knew exactly where Albany's apartment was located. A breath of relieve fell from my lips when I spotted the glow of lights. Albany was home.
"Bad day?"
"I told Albany about my sister."
My eyes snapped over to his in surprise. Kieran never talked about his sister. He felt ashamed about his reaction towards her, about the hate and the anger and the way he handled things. A shudder raced through me as I remembered that terrible day I found him.
"I don't want to talk about it," Kieran said. "I went by the bakery earlier and saw some men loading the tables and shit. Albany said something the other day that has been bothering me."
I turned towards him and waited for him to continue.
"When I told her about my sister she said that she had no motivation." He scratched at his wrist. "The other night when I dropped her off, she told me that she found her motivation."
I frowned at him. "What does that mean?"
"No clue." Kieran straightened and turned to face me. "Your age is starting to show," he said, changing the subject.
My whole body froze when he reached up and traced the scruff covering my cheeks. He was so close that I could smell the washing powder he used to wash his clothes, and the lingering scent of his cologne.
I tried to even my breathing as his fingers drifted across my jaw. Our eyes locked and for a moment everything faded. My eyes darted over his face and lingered on the dark circles under his eyes.
"You're still coming over right?" Kieran asked, making me blink. "I don't want to be alone. I don't think I'm ready to be alone yet."
Swallowing, I nodded and gave him a small smile that quickly faded. With everything going on I'd completely forgotten about the fact that his sister's death anniversary was coming up.
"You don't have to ask me, Kieran, you know I will."
I hesitated only for a few seconds before I reached out and pulled him in for a hug. Kieran chuckled and hugged me back. I had no clue for how long we stood like that, but eventually the moment was broken.
"What the hell are you doing?"
We broke apart and turned to look at the twins. Licking my lips, I looked away from them to get my composure. Kieran's nearness was unnerving me for some fucking reason. It wasn't the first time it happened though, but this time it felt. . . different.
"There's no way Albany's going to let us into her apartment after what she heard," Steven spoke up. "We can't just knock on her door until she eventually calls the cops."
A slow smiled curled my lips as I spotted the pizza delivery boy walking towards the entrance. It was the perfect plan.
"We won't be the one doing the knocking," I muttered. "Come on."
It took at least fifty bucks to get the boy to do as I wanted. Thomas found it extremely funny which made me want to hit him. Kieran's hold on my arm stopped me from attacking him. After going over the plan two more times, we all took the elevator up to Albany's floor.
"Just knock on the door. When she answers, you can leave."
The boy nodded and led the way down the hall toward Albany's apartment. I made sure that we were all out of sight and then nodded for the boy to knock.
His first knock went unanswered. When the same happened to the seconds knock, my stomach dropped. But then we heard the locks clicking and a second later, Albany pulled the door opened.
"I didn't order any pizza," she told the boy.
"I'm lost. Can you please point me in the direction of apartment 10B?"
"It's on the floor above, three doors to the left of the elevator."
"Thank you."
Kieran moved forward and pressed a palm against the door to prevent Albany from closing it. A gasp fell from her lips followed by a grunt when she tried to push the door closed.
"I don't want to talk to you. ."
"Liar," Kieran breathed. "You want answers."
Her eyes darted over to me and then to the twins when they stepped into view. The shock at their sudden appearance was enough for Albany to stumble backwards.
My eyes darted around and my brows dipped into a frown when I took in all the boxes littered about. She was busy packing which meant that she was leaving.
Was she leaving because of us?
"Get out." Albany spun around and walked over to her bed. "I have things to do."
Kieran walked over to her and shocked all of us when he spun her around and pushed her down onto the bed. I took a step closer but paused.
Albany was staring up at him with wide eyes.
My eyes locked on Kieran's hand gripping her neck and then slowly trailed over his body and then down hers. The only part of his body touching hers was his hand wrapped around her neck.
"You've been drinking."
"W-wine," Albany stuttered. "I'm h-home. I can drink if I want to. Now get off m-me and leave."
Kieran clucked his tongue and shook his head slightly. "We are not leaving until we explained things."
"Then do it and get the fuck out."
Kieran leaned down and pressed his lips to her ear. I watched with curiosity as colour spread up her neck and into her cheeks. Albany squirmed and pressed her thighs together. After a few seconds she gave him a nod which was apparently the answer Kieran was waiting for.
He straightened and turned, instantly catching my eyes. With a wink, he sunk down on the couch and leaned back, completely at ease.
What did her say to her?