Page 64 of Declan

Dare nods, a look of relief on his face as he adds, “Which is great. At least you won’t have to worry about her saying something incriminating without even realizing it.”

“Does she know this?” Tony asks. “Last I knew, everyone thought you all were fake married, so did anyone explain to her that you duped her and tricked her into marrying you for real?”

“I’m sure Jessica told her,” I reply. “She’s the one who gave me the heads up that the police would be coming around, so I told her to tell Issa so she wouldn’t get blind-sided.”

“Good thinking.”

“I thought so,” I say smugly, pleased that I thought of it.

Penny clears her throat, giving me an impatient look as she sighs again and shakes her head. “She waived it, Declan,” she says matter-of-factly.

I frown, raising my brows at her as I say, “Waived what?”

“Her spousal privilege,” she replies tiredly. “Her lawyers even reminded her that she didn’t have to answer any of their questions due to spousal privilege, and she waived it. She agreed to tell them anything they wanted to know.”

My eyes move to Darius, who’s watching me intently, likely the only person in the room who knows my calm exterior is hiding the inner chaos of a madman.

I give him a curt nod, and he exits the room without comment, Tony right behind him, then I turn to Penny and reply, “Just get me out of here. That needs to be your only concern right now.”

She nods, packing up her papers and stuffing them back into her briefcase as she stands and exits the room without saying another word, her two clerks trailing behind her.

All I can do is wait for Penny to get me released, something that shouldn’t take too long, considering the serious lack of evidence they have against me.

But that doesn’t stop me from stewing over why Issa would waive her spousal privilege, and I have to push down my inclination to overreact and assume the worst because I know that’s exactly what these assholes want me to do.

I take a deep breath, leaning forward and bracing my forearms on my thighs as I rationalize every possible reason why she wouldn’t betray me.

And then I remember our unspoken deal.

If we have a question, we ask directly.

And that’s exactly what I’m going to do.

24

A Gentleman Stalker Comes Calling

Declan

Jessicatellsmewhereto find her, and I’m waiting on the sofa in her living room when she enters. She doesn’t notice me immediately, but instead walks past the doorway and down the hallway into the kitchen where she runs the tap, likely washing her hands as she normally does upon arriving home. The cupboard door opens and closes, and then the water dispenser on the fridge whirs before her soft footfalls head back in my direction.

I remain seated in the middle of the sofa, likely looking bored, and when she comes around the corner, she jumps, almost dropping the full glass of water onto the floor as a small shriek escapes.

Her free hand comes up and presses against her chest as she curses under her breath, and after a few moments, she drops her hand and glares at me.

“You shouldn’t be here, Declan,” she hisses, her eyes wild as she looks around the room. She rushes over to the window, places the glass of water on the table there, and pulls the curtain back, looking out into the yard before stepping back and pulling the shade down completely.

I give her a bored look, not at all concerned with someone seeing me here, and after a beat passes, I say, “That’s all you have to say to me?”

“Do you trust me, Declan?”

I scowl, annoyed to have my own words thrown back in my face, but it eases some of my anger as I rise from the sofa and stalk toward her.

She doesn’t flinch or attempt to back away; instead, she stands there with her chin out obstinately, waiting for me to answer, and when I don’t, she adds, “Have I ever given you reason not to trust me?”

My frown deepens, our conversation from just a few nights ago still fresh on my mind, and it pisses me off to have it used against me.

I stroke my fingers down her cheek, reveling in the small shiver the touch earns me as I glide a path down her neck to her collarbone.

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