Page 58 of Vow of Vengeance
"Thanks, doll. I need to borrow your husband for a couple hours. You can keep my wife as a show of good faith. You know, collateral so you can be sure I'll bring him back in one piece?"
My jaw drops open when I turn to Declan, but he's laughing easily enough to calm me. Despite his attempts to stay stony and cold, I can sense that Wes is turning on the ‘good old friend’ charm, and it seems to be working. Honestly, I’m relieved at the thought of him getting Declan out of my hair a while. I love him, but if he doesn’t stop jumping every time I move and scrambling to offer me things, I’m going to go insane. A damn nail through the hand, and he's been treating me like an invalid since we left the hospital.
"What did you say you're doing again?"
"Coding." Declan shrugs. "Idiot here needs me to patch a leak for him in his security mainframe. I'll have to go to his satellite office to do it, though. It may take a few hours."
"Okay." I nod slowly, turning my gaze to Violet as she brandishes a knife from the cutting block and takes a moment to admire the sharp point of it.
Declan and I exchange a slow glance, but he offers me a reassuring nod as Wes walks around to wrap his wife in his arms. I take the opportunity to pull Declan close.
"You trust these people?"
I'm not sure why Violet would pose any threat to me. She doesn't make me uneasy, but Wes' claim that she's a psycho combined with how lovingly she looked at that blade just now, I do have to wonder whether she won't try to turnmeinto the meal when they leave.
"Yes." Declan nods. "Because Wes is smart enough not to cross me. And his wife..." He hesitates, glancing over my shoulder. "I think she looks like she needs a friend."
As long as she doesn't plan on pulling out my organs and packing me with newspaper, I suppose I can do that.
I'm not sure I even remember how to be a friend. I've been a shitty one since I lost the baby and Vin all at once, and an even shittier one since I've been consumed with Declan. I was so bad at it that I didn't even realize my best friend was missing until it was too late.
"And I'm leaving this with you." He pulls away to hand me the gun.
Up close, it's not as sleek as it looks. It's more of a matte black, with little ridges on the handle that he's holding out for me. I take an immediate step back. "I don't want that."
"Just in case." He says calmly. "Tony's still been quiet. I don't like leaving you, but you need to rest, and I need to do this."
I swallow, glancing from his face to the gun he holds in his hand, fingers wrapped around the barrel.
"Take it." He says, "And I'll show you how to use it."
My hands shake, but I take it anyway.
This feels surreal.
He adjusts my grip on the gun, taps the back of my elbow to make my arm straighten up, and then slips behind me. I'm keenly aware of his presence, his slow breaths on the back of my neck sending a chill down my spine.
"This is the safety. It stays on at all times, unless there's an active threat. Got it?"
I nod, unable to find my voice to say okay. His hand covers mine before guiding my finger to the trigger.
"The trigger. You don't put your finger on it unless you're going to shoot. And you don't shoot unless you plan to kill."
I open my mouth to tell him I never plan to kill, but he cuts me off with a gentle kiss on the side of my neck.
"You shoot to kill if anyone threatens you... ever." He presses another kiss lower. "I don't care who it is. Your friends, mine." Another kiss. "If they try to hurt you, you fucking shoot. No questions asked."
I can hardly think straight with his kisses wrapping behind my neck, but he stops on the back of my spine. My eyes flutter and a small moan slips past my lips.
Declan stops and spins back in front of me; before I can even think of something to say, he grips my jaw. His fingers angle me so that he can kiss me hard, and he practically fucking devours me. It's too much, and yet too good to pull away. He's the one who breaks the kiss, popping one last small one on my lips before stepping away as if he'll never be able to leave if he doesn't put some space between us immediately.
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice we have an audience.
"Hot." Violet says simply, nipping at her bottom lip and fanning herself dramatically.
That makes me laugh, thawing the discomfort and awkwardness of knowing they saw something so intimate.
"Don't get any ideas about touching my wife." Declan warns her.
