“He’s been out for a couple of hours.”
The news is a blow, since he hasn’t called or taken my calls. “Where is he?”
“Getting wasted in a bar a few blocks from here.” He lifts his chin. “Let’s walk.”
Kayden doesn’t strike me as the “getting wasted” type. “Where?”
“To go get his ass.”
“I don’t think he wants me there.”
“Bullshit. You’re exactly what he wants and needs. Let’s go before he finishes off the bottle of tequila he’s working on.”
He starts down the stairs and I hesitate to follow, but the truth is, he’s baited me with his comments about Kayden needing and wanting me. Praying it’s a good choice, I dart down the steps to catch up to him in the center of the circular driveway. “You don’t even want me here and now I’m suddenly what he needs?”
“What I want and what Kayden wants often don’t align. But he’s The Hawk, and we need him to be strong and focused.”
I’m not sure how I feel about that answer. I’m not sure how Kayden would feel about it, either. “How far away is Kayden?”
“A few blocks,” he says, ending this stretch of our walk at the edge of a stone gate with heavy metal spikes and lights glowing at various spots. He punches in a security code to unseal the entry and faces me. “As for me not wanting you here, I did some thinking about you this afternoon. You’re making him face the demons eating him alive, and in my book, that’s a good thing for us all.”
He doesn’t invite a reply that I don’t plan to offer anyway, motioning me forward. I gladly move outside the property line and away from him, wondering why every action and word from this man’s mouth seems to be framing an agenda that might not be in Kayden’s favor. Is he as angry at Kayden as Giada? Is Kayden too blinded by guilt to see it?
Adriel joins me, shutting the gate behind us, and we begin walking through what appears to be some sort of town square with a giant, stunning church opposite the castle, and a few people milling around here and there. “This way,” he says, and we cut left and onto a lively, extremely narrow cobblestone street, with restaurants framed by cute umbrellas and various shops marked with signs. “It’s busy for a Monday night,” I comment, relieved to be in a public area.
“This area draws the college crowd and tourists. You should see it on the weekend.”
Tourists. Weekends. Small talk. I don’t have it in me. “What happened with Gallo?”
“He accused us of threatening him. Our attorney accused him of harassment, and his excuse for the extra attention was worry for you.”
“So the harassment you mentioned is because of me.”
“You’re just one of many tools in his revenge chest. He’ll use anything against Kayden. He hates him.”
I want to ask for a reason, but I stop myself. Already, Gallo has stolen Kayden’s ability to tell me about what happened five years ago when he was ready. It’s Kayden’s right to tell me this when, and if, he’s ready. Adriel glances at me. “You aren’t going to ask why?”
“No. I’m not. Did Gallo run my prints?”
“He wouldn’t say.”
“That makes me nervous.”
“Matteo handled things. You know that.”
“You sound confident, but Nathan alluded to you two getting arrested to be there when he ran my prints.”
His jaw clenches. “Nathan needs to keep his mouth shut.”
“Is it true? Did you and Kayden get arrested on purpose?”
“Why or how we were arrested doesn’t matter at this point. What does is the end result. We didn’t get charged.”
“That’s good, at least.”
“And Gallo didn’t show his hand.”
“Oh. That’s not good. That sucks.”