Irish Promises

Chapter Eight

Cian

It's literally ten minutes to eight and I'm pretty sure if Stas doesn't walk through that door by eight on the dot my brothers are actually going to self combust.

Hugh and Blake stormed in here quite literally slamming the door so fiercely behind them it could have taken it right off its hinges.

As for Finn he's been pacing the living area for the past hour checking his watch every 5 minutes. Completely on edge and at the point where he'll explode any minute.

I get it they're all pissed and worried about what her being around Volkov will mean but the problem is the more they act like this the worse it'll get.

You'd think by now they'd all have learnt that backing Stas into a corner only brings about more problems than it does solving them.

Do I want her around Volkov? Absolutely not but restricting her movements and keeping her locked up in this house was only going to cause her push against it just like she has done today.

Had any one of listened to me when I said this I'm pretty sure we wouldn't be in this position right now. Not having a clue of where she is or if she's okay. Had they given back her phone we'd be able to contact her to figure out as well.

But no I was out voted 3 to 1 on it all.

And now look where we are.

Hugh's phone rings drawing in all of attentions and he quickly answers the calling listening to whatever's being said for a moment before he's snapping back at whoever it is.

"Well fucking let her through then" he snaps ending the call and shoving his phone in his pocket.

Rising from his chair he heads over to the window peeking through the blind as car tyre crunch against the gravel outside.

"That fucker gave her a car" he growls and I know whatever's going to go down when she walks through that door it's going to be explosive and in more tension that it will solve anything.

"He what!" Finn roars his body vibrating with rage and a car door slams and then moments later there's a knock at the door.

Hugh swings the door open clearly about to go in on her but in true Stas fashion she doesn't give him chance.

"Will you look at that I had to wait for agreement to be let through the gate" she scoffs shoving past him, her hands filled with numerous shopping bags. "And I even had to knock to get into my own house" she dumps the bags on the floor and even though there's sarcasm laced in her next words there's also hurt there as well as she says "aren't I a lucky girl"

"You fucking let him take you shopping" Blake growls from the other side of the room and the way she spins round to glare at him tells me she has no intention of back down from this fight.

"No I didn't" she snaps planting her hands on her hips "but I did give it a good attempt at maxing out that card you gave me" she then says with a smirk and that it Blake explodes.

"You think this is funny?" He snaps back at her.

"Again no" she snaps and then her voice softens as she says "but what I do find funny is the fact that somewhere along the line you all assumed that you owned me and could dictate where I could go and who with"

I can tell she's trying to be brash and confident but is finding this way harder to keep her composure which tells me everything I need to know.

She has no intention of going anywhere, on leaving us for him. This is where she wants to be but she wants to be our equal.

Which she has every right to be.

"That's not what this is" Hugh attempts to reason with her but he's wrong because that is exactly what's been going on.

Yeah it's been for her own protection and to stop Volkov getting his claws in any further but she's never going to see it that way.

"Is it not?" She asks turning to face him. "Because that's exactly what it feels like" she then admits

"She's right" I finally add from where I'm seated causing everyone to turn to me.

My brothers look pissed as hell but it's Stas' reaction that's all that matters.

Relief.

Relief that someone is listening to her, understanding where she's coming from.

"We all agreed that we would make decisions as a family but that's not been happening" I explain pointing out the biggest flaw right here.

Yes it's obvious Volkov is playing on Stas' heartstrings using this false soft approach to fool her, but because we can't be a solid unit it's working.

When my brothers all glare at me clearly pissed with the fact I'm agreeing with her I hold my ground.

"Come on let's go for a drive in that car of yours then" I say standing and taking Stas' hand as I move past her.

"We haven't finished talking" Hugh grunts but it does stop me as I stead Stas on the door.

"Yeah we have" I call back and squeeze her hand knowing she'll need that added reassurance that everything will be fine.

She wants us to understand her and be on her side so that's exactly what I plan on doing.

I expect Finn to follow and join us but when we reach the car and see he's stayed inside I know that's definitely hit hard with Stas. Especially when she takes a deep breath and her eyes flicker up to the sky like she's willing herself not to cry.

"Well there's no scratches on it yet so I'm taking that as a good sign" I laugh to lighten the mood.

It only works slightly as she glances over to me and gives me a meagre smile. Then we're both climbing in and pulling away from the house.

The both of us in complete silence. The type I know she finds comfort in, the silence she needs in this moment.