SYNDICATE - Season 1 - Episode 26

6 years ago

SYNDICATE - Season 1 - Episode 26

☆☆

“Kieran!” Lia cried. He opened his eyes, and dropped his fist immediately. Kieran was breathing hard. He frowned at Lia, clearly upset.
But something in Lia wasn’t afraid of Kieran. Something inside of her felt an immense sadness and destitution for him. He had lost so much in that one night, of course he was going to have nightmares. Lia’s heart felt like it was made of lead. And without thinking, she threw her arms around him. At first, he froze at her touch. But after a few moments, she felt his arms around her back. Her heart was beating so fast, she thought he would feel it for sure.
The sound of the alarm clock made Lia pull away.

“What are you doing in here?” Kieran asked.

“Lilly and I wanted to know if you would accompany us to the park,” Lia said timidly. Kieran was silent for a few moments. Lia saw his bright eyes gleaming, lost in his thoughts.

“When?” he asked.

“Soon. But we won’t be there for long,” Lia prodded. Kieran made eye contact with Lia.

“Okay,” he answered. “Okay.”

“Good! I can help you get ready!” Lia jumped up and beamed at him. Kieran laughed.

“That won’t be necessary. But I will have some breakfast. I’ll be right out.”

Lia nodded at him and hurried out of the room. When she got back, Lilly was still picking at her breakfast. Lia concealed her excitement.

“Where were you?” Lilly asked quietly.

“I had to go to the bathroom, I’m sorry. What were we talking about? Did you say yes to the park today?” Lia asked innocently. Lilly looked down at her food again and shrugged.

“I guess so.”

A minute later Kieran was at the door to the dining room. Lilly hadn’t noticed.

“I hope you don’t mind if we bring along a guest Lilly,” Lia said. Lilly looked up at her, and Lia nodded towards Kieran. When Lilly’s eyes found Kieran, her entire face lit up. A huge smile spread across the little girl’s face, and she jumped out of her chair to run over to Kieran, throwing herself in his lap. When Lia looked at Kieran’s face, her heart almost melted out of her body. Kieran had the most beautiful, serene smile on his face that she had ever seen on anyone. It was that moment that Lia realized that Kieran needed Lilly just as much as Lilly needed Kieran. She had assumed that raising another person’s child would be scary and unwelcomed by a twenty six year old man. But, when Lia looked at Kieran’s face, she saw neither fear, nor burden in his eyes. Kieran loved the girl.

It was enough to make Lia’s eyes water. She wiped away the tears before they were noticeable.

* * *

Riley was just about to call it a day when he received a phone call from Brennan.

“You son-of-a-b---h, you have a f-----g Benedict Arnold in your ranks!” Brennan was yelling into the phone.

“Yo! Calm down, what the hell?” Riley responded.

“Get your dumbass over here!”

“Where, the docks?”

“My place. Now.”

Riley listened to the line disconnect. He was still confused. By “his place,” Riley knew Brennan meant for him to go to Brennan’s usual headquarters. It was down by the docks, but in a heavily guarded warehouse.

It only took Riley fifteen minutes to arrive. When he walked in the door, he was met with a gruesome sight. There was blood on the floor, and many of Brennan’s men trying to either bandage their own wounds or the wounds of another. Riley found Brennan in his office behind his desk, with one of his men trying to put a bandage on his bleeding arm.

“What the hell?” Riley asked.

“What the hell is right, you a-----e,” Brennan spat at him.

“What happened?”