Page 48 of Stolen Sun

Fuck. I can hear the desperation in her voice. I glare at Jaclyn.

She holds up a USB drive. “This has everything. I think it may be best that you see for yourself. Nate wasn’t perfect, but he was under a great deal of pressure to do what was necessary. Your father is really to blame.”

“What do you want?” I demand again.

“I want justice for my son,” she says through tears.

Just then, someone slams the door to the private dining room open, and I point my gun at the intruder. Noel screams in surprise as I glare down the barrel of my gun at her father, Conner Anderson.

“Declan, that will not be necessary,” he says calmly.

I manage to move Noel behind me and keep my weapon aimed at his head.

“Noel and Jaclyn, you’re both coming with me. It seems we need to have a family meeting, and this is hardly the place,” he smoothly commands.

I kick the server’s door behind Noel and me. Walking backward, I shove Noel into the hall until the door closes in front of me. I drag Noel away by her hand expecting Conner to follow us.

“Wait!” She protests.

“Noel, later."

Surprisingly, she doesn’t argue. I slip my gun into the holster inside my jacket before we walk through the restaurant. I practically drag Noel across the parking lot to my bike. Sliding our jackets and helmets on as fast as I can, I get us on the road.

“Noel, hold on to me tight. That’s right, sunshine, lock your fingers together. Lean when I lean,” I instruct through the headset.

I’m going much faster than she’s ready for in case Conner sends someone to follow us. She leans with me as I take an exit without slowing down.

“Perfect. You’re doing so good,” I say, trying tosoothe her.

We pull into my driveway in no time, and I’m confident no one followed us through the winding roads and extra turns I took.

When I take her helmet off to find tears rolling down her face, I growl. I rip my helmet off, throwing it to the ground. Her bright green eyes stare at me, tears spilling over. I wipe away her tears as best I can, but they’re steadily replaced by more. She gently rests her hands on my wrists, so I stop to hold her face.

“I was wrong, Declan. I thought I was ready for this, for you, but look at me. I’m crying over another man when you asked me not to,” she sobs.

I sigh, pulling her into me, letting her cry into my chest. Her hands fist into my shirt, and her body shakes violently. All I can do now is hold her and wait for the storm to pass.

When she begins to still, I lead her into the house. She maintains her grip around my body as we walk.

I guide her into the bathroom, silently raging on the inside. While the hot water fills the bathtub, I help her undress and get in. When I turn to leave, she stops me.

“Will you stay?” Her shaky voice pleads.

I pull my shirt over my head, and she watches as I shove my jeans off. She leans forward to indicate she wants me to sit behind her, so I sink into the warm water and pull her into me.

We sit in silence for a while as I rub her shoulders and trace my fingers down her arms. Her head lays back on my chest, and my chin rests on it.

My mind is busy planning my next move. I’m not sure if Noel understood everything, but one thing I am sure of is that I will be seeing Conner again very soon.

“How could I not have known it was arranged?” She whispers.

“You’ll never be forced to do anythingyou don’t choose for yourself again, I promise.”

“What justice could she want? Does she think his death wasn’t an accident?”

I don’t give her an answer to that. It’s too soon. Leaning forward slightly, I reach between her legs to let the water out. I help her out and dry her off. She doesn’t say anything else as I put her to bed and turn off the lamp.

With too much to do, I leave the room and head straight to my office.

---