Page 113 of Mercenary
Kylie makes a choking sound from behind me.
Declan looks shocked.
But not as shocked as from what I do next. I wave the gun at him. “Put those pistols away or I’ll shoot you.”
“God, no, Madelyn. Don’t threaten him. You have no idea who you’re dealing with. Let me tell you a little story. About a dog he brought back to the Ranch during his first training camp.”
“Shut up, Kylie.”
“A cute mutt, a cocker spaniel–poodle mix. A cocker poodle, Jaxson said.”
“This place is surrounded by men. They’ll come to investigate and check in on Franco.”
“The pup had the loving nature of a spaniel and the attitude of a poodle. But Declan loved that thing. Fed it. Played with it. Let it sleep by his bed.”
“Tell her what happened to the dog.”
Kylie scowls.
I frown. “What happened to it?”
Silence. Oh my God, silence. No. I think about Pudding, how Declan let that puppy slobber all over his face. Kylie’s wrong about him. I’ve seen his heart hidden beneath that don’t-fuck-with-me exterior. “Let me tell you a story, Kylie. About a man who stopped three men from hurting me. About a man who sat outside our trailer . . . to protect me. He’s not the man you think he is. He didn’t hurt that dog. He loved that dog—I know it here.” I place my hand over my heart. “Think, Kylie. Why a man who pretends he doesn’t care would go to so much trouble for me?”
“Say good-bye to your sister, Madelyn.”
“If you break your promise, I’ll never forgive you. I’ll—” My voice wobbles. “—hate you forever.”
Our eyes collide. And using every ounce of strength I possess, I let mine fill with love. My love . . . for him.
And his reaction is priceless. It’s like I took a club and knocked him over the head. Cracked that big, thick, impenetrable skull of his right open. Exposing the real man inside. The stubbornness in his green eyes gives way to something else. Passion. Possessiveness. Love.
He tucks his guns away, one in his back pocket and one in the waist of his pants. Before I can guess his intentions, his arm shoots out and he grabs me, lifts me up and over the bodies, and sets me gently on the bed. Completely ignoring Kylie, he kneels before me, steadying my thigh with his hand while he assesses the bullet wound. Pulling the corner of the bedsheet closer, he dabs at the bright patch of blood on my thigh as he speaks. “Hayden ordered me to get rid of the dog. When I hesitated, he took the mutt away himself.”
“Jesus. You didn’t kill it?” Kylie asks.
“Fuck no.”
“That manipulative bastard said you did.”
“Why did Jaxson tell you that goddamn story?” Declan grumbles, then shakes his head and mutters, “Go.”
I stare at Declan like it’s the last time I’ll see him. Maybe it is, if what he’s offering rings true. Escape. He’s letting us escape.
“ You’ve been given a direct order . . .” Kylie scoffs.
Declan nods. “I promised.”
“You’ve lost your mind completely, haven’t you? Or should I say, your heart?”
“Jesus, do I have to open the door and shoo you out? Fucking go, before I change my mind.”
I release the long rush of air that’s been trapped inside my lungs. Reaching for him, I cup my hands lightly around his cheeks and lift his head. “So this is good-bye. Thank you, Declan.” Leaning down, I kiss him gently on the lips, then murmur in his ear for him alone. “I love you.”
“Come on, Madelyn. We’ll climb down the trellis.”
“No,” Declan snaps. “She stays with me.”
I stiffen. What?
