Fourteen

Desmond’s POV

Something was off the second I walked into the kitchen.

The house was quiet. Not the heavy, suffocating silence that Brielle had been wielding

against me for days, her way of cutting me down without ever saying a word. No. This was

different. Light. Mischievous. Dangerous in a way I couldn’t yet name.

I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, twisting the cap slowly while leaning against the

counter. Nothing stirred. No creaking floorboards. No murmurs behind closed doors. But a

knot in my gut told me I was being played. And I didn’t like it.

What I liked even less? Brielle hadn’t spoken to me since yesterday. Not a word. Not a

glance that wasn’t carved out of ice.

And then there was Mirren—showing up without clearance, walking in like she owned the

place. That hadn’t sat right with me either. They’d shut the door the moment they saw me

coming down the hall last night, voices dropping low. Now they were pretending everything

was normal.

It wasn’t.

When I finally spotted them in the hallway, I forced myself to sound casual. “Morning.”

Mirren beamed too brightly, sugar dripping from her tone. “Morning!” She was swimming in

one of Brielle’s oversized shirts, bare legs underneath, hair piled into a messy bun like she’d

just rolled out of bed.

Brielle’s version of “rolled out of bed” looked different. The bun was there, but the dark

circles beneath her eyes gave her away. She hadn’t slept. At all.

She didn’t answer me.

Mirren nudged her. “Aren’t you going to greet our host? You know, the man keeping us

safe?”

Finally, Brielle’s gaze flicked up to mine. Cool. Guarded. “Morning,” she murmured before

brushing past me into the kitchen, moving like I wasn’t even standing there.

The quiet sting of it burned worse than any insult.

I turned my attention to Mirren, though my eyes kept sliding back to Brielle’s stiff shoulders.

“I trust you’re… comfortable here?”

“More than comfortable,” Mirren chirped, pouring herself juice from the fridge like she lived

here. “I adore the constant security checks, the cameras, the little shadows following me

even when I go pee. Very five-star.”

“You weren’t invited,” I said flatly.

She sipped slowly, eyes glinting. “Neither was the drama.”

My jaw flexed.

Brielle stirred her tea at the counter, back to me, her favorite mug clutched tight in Mirren’s

hands instead. My patience thinned.

I stepped forward. “Are you planning something?”

Mirren widened her eyes in false innocence. “Planning? Like breakfast? Because I can make

an omelette that would blow your mind.”

“Brielle,” I said, ignoring her completely. “Are you?”

She turned then, her stare sharp enough to cut. Calm. Cold. Controlled. “Planning what

exactly, Desmond?”

I searched her face. Nothing gave her away. But I knew her too well. Too well not to see the

flicker under the mask.

“You’ve been quiet,” I pressed.

“You told me to rest,” she shot back smoothly.

“You haven’t. And your best friend just… shows up out here? In the middle of nowhere?”

Mirren leaned forward, setting down her glass with a smirk. “Hate to break it to you, soldier,

but your fortress isn’t that airtight. Might want to fix that.”

My eyes didn’t leave Brielle. “I don’t care if you’re angry. But if you’re thinking of doing

something reckless...”

“I’m not your prisoner,” she snapped, spinning to face me.

“No,” I said, lowering my tone. “But you’re not safe either. And Jaxon can’t protect you the

way I can.”

The second the name slipped from my mouth, I knew I’d made a mistake.

Brielle froze. Mirren’s grin widened.

Jaxon?” she echoed, mock surprise dripping from her voice. “Now why would you bring him

up?”

My gaze locked on Brielle. Her eyes darted for half a second... guilt. There it was.

So that was the game. They were planning to leave.

“Brielle…” I started again, softer this time.

She turned her back on me. “We’re just going to hang out. You said I needed space. I’m

taking it.”

The look I gave her would’ve shut most people down. It bounced off her like nothing.

“Brielle,” I said lowly, “I need you safe. If something happens to you...”

“You’ll what?” Her eyes cut back to mine, sharp as glass. “Feel guilty? Add it to your list of

lies?”

The words landed where they were meant to. I didn’t answer. I couldn’t.

Her chest rose and fell, steady but heavy. “By sneaking out with someone else? With some

boy?”

Mirren stood then, brushing hair from her face with a scoff. “Wow. Control issues much?

Guess now we know why there’s no Mrs. Desmond.”

Anger flared hot in my chest. “Don’t ever speak like that to me. You don’t know a damn thing

about me.”

She didn’t flinch. If anything, her smirk deepened. “Exactly. And maybe that’s the problem.

She doesn’t either. Every time she gets close to understanding you, you slam the door in her

face.”

“Brielle doesn’t need to know everything,” I growled. “She just needs to listen. That’s how

she stays alive.”

Mirren gave a short, harsh laugh. “God, your logic is insane. Keep her in the dark so she’ll

trust you? How’s that working out for you?”

My eyes shifted back to Brielle. She hadn’t moved, hadn’t spoken again. Just stood there,

watching us like she wasn’t really here at all.

“Brielle,” I said, softer now, stepping toward her.

Her hand shot up, palm out, stopping me.

“Enough, Desmond. You don’t get to lose your temper when I make choices that don’t

include you.”

“You’re here because of me.”

Her voice cut like ice. “No. I’m here despite you.”

The words gutted me.

Her shoulders shook faintly, but her eyes didn’t waver. “I asked you for the truth. You gave

me silence. I asked for clarity. You handed me half-truths wrapped in guilt. You don’t get to

be angry when I turn to people who actually show up.”

Mirren moved closer, shoulder brushing Brielle’s like a vow.

“We’re not asking for permission,” she said firmly. “We’re telling you. Don’t confuse the two.”

I looked between them, Mirren’s spark of rebellion, Brielle’s quiet, wounded defiance.

And for the first time, I realized I wasn’t just fighting an enemy outside these walls.

I was losing the war inside them.