Page 100 of Stolen Sun

“Don’t leave me,” she pleads.

“I’ll be right back,” I promise her.

Walking back into the house, I already see a lot of the damage has been taken care of. The three man crew works quickly to remove all evidence and replace broken items. Zander is helping one of them stuff the woman’s body into a bag.

“Who was that?” I ask him.

“His mom,” he says, looking up at me.

Nodding at him, I turn and find myself gravitating back to the room with Nate’s corpse to make sure I didn’t miss anything. The music box sitting on the mantle had been playing “You are my Sunshine” while the TV showed pictures of me fucking women in the past. That’s some fucked up shit.

The stack of journals sits next to the music box. I open one up and start reading about a conversation that sixteen-year-old me had with Noel. It was one of the many times I told her that I would take her traveling when we were old enough. Flipping the pages around, I can see it’s more of that, her catalog of our conversations.

After I finish the clean up in the room, I grab the journals and tell Zander to let the crew finish what’s left without us. We walk out to the Tahoe Noel is waiting in.

“Drive us back,” I tell Zander when it’s obvious he’s walking toward the passenger seat. I’m not driving shit if I can be next to my wife.

We join everyone except the clean up crew at the plane. Instead of waiting on them, I give them a call to remind them about the hanging man in the hangar and tell them to catch a flight home when they finish up.

“Get us the fuck outta here,” Isaiah calls out to the pilot.

Noel sleeps safely in my lap where she belongs as we take off.

Chapter twenty-five

Noel

Gasping, I sit up in a dark room. I feel around, relieved that I’m not tied up. A light turns on, and I can see I’m in bed, Declan’s bed,ourbed. Taking a deep breath, I look over at him sitting up beside me.

His hair is messy, and his eyebrows are pinched into a worried expression. His face is covered in thicker stubble than I’ve ever seen it, and his eyes stare into mine.

I reach across the bed with the hand closest to him, and he takes it into his gently. His touch is warm and strong and real, and I collapse into him. He pulls me onto his lap, running his fingers through my hair.

“How long will it haunt me?” I search his face, not sure if I even want to hear the answer.

The image of Nate’s hands attempting to stop the life from pouring out of his own neck is burned into my memory.

“You saved my life,” Declan’s answer comes after a moment’s pause. It shines a little light into the darkness of my heart.

My throat tightens along with my chest, but I refuse to cry anymore. I made my choice, and I’d do it again to save him. I place my hands on either side of his face and kiss his perfect lips. The smell and feel of him is everything.

Placing my forehead on his, I close my eyes to memorize this moment.

“Declan, I have questions.”

“You can ask anything.”

My head is spinning. I’m not even sure where to begin or what matters most.

“There’s plenty of time. Come take a shower with me,” he suggests.

“What time is it?” I ask, confused by how dark the room is.

“It’s close to 9:00. You’ve been asleep all afternoon.”

“Okay.” Looking down, I see that I’m naked. “I didn’t even wake up when you undressed me?”

“No. Come on,” he coaxes me out of bed and into the bathroom.

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