The Heart That's Meant to Love You

Chapter 70: Eavesdrop

Kieran closed his eyes and managed to find the first full breath since he had walked into the women's bathroom. In the past, he had always managed to keep control of himself no matter the situation. Why, then, did he become so reactive when it came to Naomi?

It didn't matter, he decided, so long as Naomi listened to his advice and left this party. With the angry way she stormed off, Kieran could wager that he had won that battle.

Now, he should forget, even though he wanted to go teach Idiot Oliver a lesson.

Kieran opened the door to leave.

An annoyingly familiar man stormed past the open door, a phone pressed to one ear. "I'm on my way now. Don't make a scene. Do you understand?"

Kieran raised his brows. Oliver sounded outraged, a tone that Kieran doubted he would use with Naomi. Oliver seemed to hold ulterior motives for keeping Naomi close. He wouldn't risk pushing her away. Which meant...

Oh, what fun. Oliver must be meeting up with someone else entirely. Knowing what he now knew about Annoying Oliver, Kieran could be nothing but suspicious about this behavior.

So he followed Oliver down halls and to a private room in the very back of the club.

Going inside wasn't an option, but the door was cracked. Eavesdropping was always encouraged in Kieran'sworld.

Nonchalantly, Kieran leaned his shoulders against the wall and propped a foot up. His arms folded across his chest. Head back, eyes closed. As if he had simply stopped to rest for a moment.

That was hardly the case.

Though he had closed his eyes, Kieran opened his ears.

"What are you doing here?" Oliver spat. "I didn't invite you."

"You think that can keep me out? Don't you know who I am?" This voice, too, rang familiar, but Kieran didn't take the time to place it yet.

"Of course I know. You're just an annoying cling-on."

"Ouch. I'm so hurt." The woman's voice held a heaping helping of sarcasm.

Oliver sighed heavily. "What do you want from me? Name your price."

"Oh, I'm not here for money. There are other things worth far more to me than cash." A laugh. "If I were to name a price, I think I'd say... you."

"Don't push it. Leave before I call security." Oliver's footsteps turned toward the door, clacking their designer way across the hard surface.

"What's the matter, Ollie?" the woman's voice rose, loud enough to be heard perfectly outside the door even if one wasn't eavesdropping. "Scared? Afraid that your little rabbit will find out you're just a big, mean predator?"

Annoying Oliver stopped walking.

The conversation had already piqued Kieran's interest. Now, it had his full attention. Not everyone could stop a man with a few choice words, but this woman had. Annoying Oliver must truly be hiding something.

"Go ahead," Oliver scoffed, "pull her into this. We'll see who has the last laugh when I tell her all about your little secrets, too."

"My secrets?" the woman laughed again. "See, that's the difference between you and me, Ollie. I don't care about that anymore. After all, I'm... how did you put it? Oh, yeah. Too needy for anyone to keep around."

"Glad you remember," Oliver snarled. "But don't dare tell Naomi anything. I can't be held responsible for what happens if you do."

As Oliver's footsteps marched for the door, Kieran slid sideways into the alcove created by the door the next room over. He didn't have to wait long for Oliver to evacuate.Only then did he step into the hall again.

The door to the room opened to allow the woman—sporting an asymmetrical bob haircut and boots that laced up to her thighs—to step out.

"I won't stand for you hurting her, you know," Kieran declared.

Claire spun to face him, her eyes wide as if she hadn't expected to get caught. She recovered quickly when she recognized Kieran. "If I could hurt her, I would have done so by now."

Because that wasn't foreboding at all. Kieran didn't like the way she had phrased it, much less the ominous tone behind the words.

Kieran leveled his angriest scowl at Claire's face. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"What it sounds like. You think I wanted to be her friend for no reason?" Claire scoffed. "It was a revenge plan, but you've met her, too. Once you know more about her, there's no way you can bring yourself to hurt her."

Claire made a valid point. Kieran had meant to steal from her, and he barely brought himself to do that. Naomi had a way of worming into people's hearts and emotions. Plus, she looked like she had been hurt enough already.

"Look, I don't care what you're doing with that idiot." Kieran jutted his chin toward the direction Oliver had disappeared. "But if you're really Naomi's friend, you'll tell her what's going on. Before I figure it out and tell her myself."

"Ooh, feisty." Claire wrinkled her nose in amusement.

"I'm not joking."

"I know."

"So, when are you going to tell her?" Kieran kept his arms folded and his stare level. Had he aspired to go into law enforcement, he would wager that he would have had the best interrogation stance.

Claire rolled her eyes, but Kieran recognized her attempt to hide her guilt. "Next time I see her."

"Tomorrow."

Though she made a face, Claire nodded. "Fine. Tomorrow."

"Good. Now that we've gotten that out of the way..." Kieran loosened his arms and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Whatever your plan is, if it involves taking the idiot down a notch or protecting Naomi from whatever plans he's made, call me for help any time."

And as Kieran stalked past Naomi's friend—knowing full well he was taking all of this far too personally—he thought he saw her lips spread into a knowing grin.

Whatever. So long as she brought things out into the light, Naomi would be fine. Once Naomi knew Oliver's true colors, she would stay away from him. She had never been stupid.

But a nagging forewarning sat in the pit of Kieran's stomach, telling him that making a clean break with Naomi would never be that easy.