Kieran doesn’t even glance at him. “Iamhelping.”
“Withwhat?”Nico shoots him a glare.
“By not fucking things up.”
Nico exhales sharply.
“Ugh. You’re so annoying without Laura,” Kieran mutters.
That gets Nico’s attention. He looks up slowly. “Shut the hell up, Kieran. Help me, you son of a bitch.”
Kieran rolls his eyes, but he gets up anyway, wandering over to the table and peering down at the screens. “Fine. But if this explodes, it’s on you.”
Adela snorts.
Nico turns his dark gaze on her next. “Listen, you and Rafe are going to have tonotbe fucking loud. I already miss my girl too much.”
Adela laughs. “What are you even talking about?”
“You know damn well,” he answers swiftly, typing something else.
She grins. “It’s like real-life porn, Nic.”
He makes a disgusted sound that could only come from a man deeply offended on multiple levels. “You’re revolting.”
She laughs and finally notices me standing there. “Hey. Come look at this menu. We’re ordering tonight. Groceries tomorrow. But I don’t feel like doing any of that today. Jet lag.”
“And hungover,” Nico laughs.
“Ugh, I’m going to put a bullet between your eyes if you don’t stop pissing me off,” she mutters.
Before I can say anything, Nico cuts in again, glaring at the laptop. “Motherfucker.”
“Jesus.”She raises a brow. “Kieran’s right. Youarea miserable oaf without Laura.”
He groans.
I smile despite myself. That must be his girlfriend.
“You settled in okay?” she asks, softer now.
I nod. “Yeah. This place is beautiful.”
Rafe ends his call and joins us, slipping the phone into his pocket. “I bought it because of the river,” he says, calm and matter-of-fact. “It’s peaceful out on the back porch. You can hear yourself think.” His gaze flicks briefly toward the water again. “Which, for me, is important.”
“Yeah, hearing the screams of all the bastards you’ve killed,” Kieran says flatly, looking confused at the wires in his hands. Nico slaps him away, frustrated.
I tense slightly, remembering how easily Rafe killed that man. Like he was nothing. No one.
He slides a hand to Adela’s lower back. “Did I hear Nico bitching about us,mon amour?” he asks, kissing her cheek.
She giggles. “He’s always bitching.”
“Hey!” Nico protests. “Fuck you guys.”
The tension bleeds out of me slowly, like my body finally understands we’re allowed to breathe here and that I’m safe.
Adela taps the menu again. “Pick what you want. We’ll relax and get some rest tonight.” Her eyes sharpen just a little. “Tomorrow, we work.”