Page 85 of Declan

It’s not a question so much as a statement, and she nods, then squeezes my shoulder one more time before she turns and walks off into the shadows. Matt, Dare, and Tony fall in behind her, and then Declan stands and looks at Joe as he says, “I’m trusting you with mywife, Joe.”

Joe looks him dead in the eyes and replies, “I got her.”

Declan stares at him for a few moments, then turns back to me, leaning over and kissing me on the lips so quickly I don’t have time to reciprocate. And then he’s gone, quickly disappearing into the shadows, and I’m alone with a veritable stranger.

“It’ll be okay, Ms. Munroe,” Joe says softly.

“Hughes,” I reply distractedly, and he laughs and replies, “Oh, yes. My apologies, Mrs. Hughes.”

My heart races in my chest, and I almost wish I’d asked for the blindfold as my eyes bounce around the room, looking for some indication that the assholes who want me dead have arrived, preferably alone.

“I understand why you’re nervous,” Joe whispers, his eyes focused on the other side of the SUV as he continues, “But I’m almost 100% certain they’re gonna show up on their own, without any help. And without their hired hands to do the dirty work, they’re useless. They couldn’t fight their way out of a nursery.”

I laugh, grateful for the distraction. I’m sure he’s telling the truth, and if it’s any of the people I think it might be, his assessment of them is accurate. Short of pushing around minors, they’re pretty useless.

A door slams, footsteps approach, and I freeze in the chair as a group of male voices draw closer. A bunch of familiar faces appear, and my lip curls in disgust, and, suddenly, I wish I wasn’t tied to this chair and that someone had given me a weapon.

My old manager, Tim, is the first one to speak, and he looks at Joe as he asks, “Where the fuck is everyone else?”

Joe smiles and replies, “They’re right behind you.”

They all whirl around, eyes widening as Dare and Declan come into view behind them. They stand there like deer caught in the headlights for a brief moment, then they all turn and move toward the other side of the SUV. They only make it a few steps before they pull up short, as they find Tony standing there, leaning nonchalantly against the back of the vehicle, cleaning his fingernails with a large knife.

Tim goes to speak, but Declan interrupts him. “Don’t speak. Your words aren’t welcome here.”

Tim closes his mouth, and the group of men stands there, looking scared, and I’ll admit, I’m not upset about it. This doesn’t mean I want to witness what’s about to happen, though, and I’m grateful when Jessica is there untying my hands and helping me to my feet.

I take a step toward Tim, and he eyes me coldly but remains silent, so I ask, “Was it worth it?”

He glares at me and spits out, “Was what worth it?”

“The harassment,” I snarl. “The abuse. The unrepentant evil that fueled your entire existence.”

He doesn’t answer my nonquestions, so I turn to the other men in the room, recognizing them from the meeting he had about selling my virginity to the highest bidder. They’re all there, assholes with varying levels of power then and now, and I can’t find it in myself to give one single fuck that they won’t be leaving here alive.

Declan walks over to me, stopping in front of me and lowering his head as he whispers, “You okay, doll face?”

I tear my eyes away from Tim, who’s still glaring at me, and I’m surprised when I answer honestly, “Yes.”

“You want them to apologize?”

I shake my head. “It would just be a final lie from their fork-tongued mouths.”

He gives me a faint smile as he raises his hand and strokes his fingertips down my cheek to rest over my pulse point, and I lean into him, taking more strength from that one light touch than one would believe possible.

He lowers his head again, and whispers against my ear, “I love you.”

He doesn’t give me time to respond, immediately straightening as he drops his hand and nods to Jessica, who steps forward. She takes my hand and leads me away, and we stop in the shadows, just out of sight as Declan says, his voice cold and cruel, “You have two choices here, gentlemen. The easy way or the hard way. You choose.”

Jessica’s hand squeezing mine draws my attention back to her, and she nods her head in the direction we’re headed, but I hesitate for a moment. Part of me wants to walk back in there. Part of me wants to watch. Part of me wants to give them the hard way with my own fucking hands.

And then, part of me knows that it’s one thing to walk the line of being a monster out of necessity and another to be a monster out of enjoyment, and I’m not ready to learn which side of that line I fall on.

So, I grip Jessica’s hand firmly, and we walk away.

31

Loose Ends

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