Page 45 of Declan

“I never said that, but I have no problem with the man being dead.”

“So, you did kill him.”

I shake my head, slightly annoyed at her insistence that I had anything do with his untimely demise. “I absolutely did not kill him. How could I have killed him when I was with you when they found his body?”

“The article clearly states he had been dead for like three weeks when they found him,” she sputters, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.

I sigh, my patience wearing thin rapidly as she continues to stare at me accusingly. “I swear, Issa, I did not kill him.”

She frowns, uncertainty crossing her features, but then she sticks her chin out obstinately as she replies, “Even if you didn’t do it yourself, I bet you know who did.”

I roll my eyes, anger boiling up inside me that she won’t believe me when I say I didn’t do it. I pull my phone from my pocket, opening up my FAAFO group chat, and type a message, hitting send, and setting the phone screen up on the table, where she can see it.

Declan: Did one of you kill the blowhard?

Antoinette: You told me I couldn’t kill him.

Issa reads Antoinette’s reply, her eyes widening at the insinuation, and she gapes at me. “You got Antoinette involved in your little crime spree?”

I frown, then laugh loudly, remembering that I’ve yet to relay Antoinette’s origin story to Issa. “Believe me, doll face. Antoinette manages her own crime sprees just fine.”

She frowns at me and shakes her head as the joke goes over her head. I don’t bother elaborating, knowing this is definitely not the time for me to regale her with the criminal history of my delightfully sinister sister-in-law. “It doesn’t matter. But if she didn’t do it, then I truly have no idea who did.”

She squints at me, then turns her attention back to my phone, picking it up and typing out a message of her own before setting the phone back down.

Declan: And you’d listen to me?

Antoinette: Hi Issa :)

Issa frowns at the phone, pulling the chair out and sitting down before picking the phone up and typing another message.

Declan: How’d you know it was me?

Antoinette: Declan knows I’d listen to him. It wouldn’t be a question he’d ask.

Declan: You take orders from him?

Antoinette: *laugh emojis* Well, no, but I don’t tell him how to handle his business. He said to give the asshole a chance to do the right thing and leave him alive, so that’s what we did.

Issa gives me a look, not quite as suspicious as before but still wary. Then, she glances back down at the phone and starts typing again.

Declan: What do you mean, do the right thing?

Antoinette: If I need to explain that to you, then Declan has done a shit job showing you how much you mean to him.

Issa sighs, setting the phone down without replying, her eyes sad as she stares at the table in front of her. Then another message comes through, and she chokes on a breath as she reads it.

Antoinette: And for the record, I wanted to gut the motherfucker.

Her jaw drops open, and she turns wild eyes on me as she jumps up from her seat and turns on me. “What the fuck kind of crime family have I accidentally become a part of?”

I roll my eyes, immediately realizing my error as she shrieks at me, “Don’t roll your eyes at me, Declan Hughes. This is serious!”

I sigh again, having to physically work not to roll my eyes again. I get why she’s being a bit unreasonable, but that doesn’t detract from my feeling that she’s making this into something bigger than it needs to be. Not that I’m stupid enough to tell her this or anything, so instead, I say, “Fact of the matter is, doll face, I didn’t kill that douchebag nor did anyone I know. That should be all you need to know.”

She gives me a look, obviously still not convinced I’m innocent. I clench my jaw, my arms crossing over my chest as I stare her down. Finally, I ask, “Why the fuck do you even care?”

She gapes at me, then stands, her hands coming out in front of her as she exclaims, “How could I not care? I was going to marry the man for fuck sake.”

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