Page 77

CHARLOTTE

Song- everything i wanted, Billie Eilish

B y the time I wake up, I’m alone. Sitting up, noticing how my body aches all over.

How long have I been asleep?

As I get out of bed, the first thing I do is head to the door. I wonder…

Pulling down the handle, to my surprise, it opens.

Is this another test? I have no idea where I stand.

If it is, it’s one I’m desperate to pass, because I need this man.

I’m done being part of everyone else’s games. Now we enter mine.

The one where I get my daughter back. Our daughter.

I step back and let it click shut, instead deciding to shower and freshen up. By the time I do that, I rub the towel over my hair to get rid of the dampness.

As I open the door, I stop in my tracks as I come face to face with a casually dressed Declan.

Black jeans with a black sweater, pushed enough up his forearms to reveal his tatted skin.

“Morning.” He looks down at his Rolex.

“Well, afternoon, I suppose.”

Jesus. I don’t know the last time I’ve slept that long.

He flashes me a grin and steps aside so I can go past him.

“You look pretty,” he tells me.

“In this?” I point at my modest outfit of leggings and a sports bra, finished off with a camel knitted cardigan.

“Yes. In that. In anything.”

He holds out his hand and I stare at it blankly.

“Come on, I’ve made breakfast.”

Linking my fingers through his, we head downstairs and the sweet essence of pancakes fills my nose, and my stomach rumbles on cue.

He directs us into the kitchen and pulls out a chair for me at his dining table.

There’s two placemats laid out, in the center a stack of pancakes and just about every assortment of toppings you could want. Sweet and savory. He’s done it all.

I take a seat as he rushes over to the refrigerator.

“I forgot the most important ingredient.”

I arch an eyebrow and cover my mouth with my hand to muffle my laugh.

A whole jug of it. As I study the purple packaging closer, it reads, Decadent Milkshake.

He pours two champagne glasses and hands one to me.

“Cheers. I guess?” I say.

Taking a sip, I moan. It’s the best I’ve ever had.

“Wow. That tastes like… an actual chocolate bar?”

He nods.

“We’ve been working on the recipe for a year now. I had to get it perfect.” He winks, holding up his own glass and knocks it back.

“You did a good job.”

He really did. It’s delicious.

“Thank you. Although, it would probably taste better if I was drinking it out of your cunt.”

I nearly spit my drink out, and he chuckles.

“What? That’s the only way you can get the full experience of a Decadent Milkshake. No glasses required, just a sweet pussy. Specifically yours, heartbreaker.”

I’m speechless. But undeniably turned on.

“It would probably taste good being sucked off your cock too.”

As soon as the words leave my mouth, my face is on fire. Where the hell did that come from?

He runs his hands across his neat stubble.

“Damn. I’ve never been this hard at breakfast before.”

Good.

“Eat. Before I throw it all off the table and spread you out on it instead.”

Chewing on my lip, knowing not to push it with him, I take a pancake and a spoonful of strawberries, pouring the chocolate sauce over the top.

“Thank you,” I tell him as I look up.

“No need to thank me. We’re here to talk, the food is a distraction.”

I look down, and suddenly, the crashing impact of my reality settles over me.

“How do you want to do this? Me just talk, or do you have questions?”

“Eat first. Then yes, tell me what you deem relevant for me to know. And then if I do have questions, I’ll ask them.”

I nod and cut a chunk out of the pancake. It’s yummy, but my appetite has gone.

So I force it in as quickly as I can, washing it down with the milkshake.

I take a deep breath and hold my hands under the table.

“Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

I blow out a breath and start from the top.

“I was taken by Vlad and his brother on my eighteenth birthday. I watched them murder my mom and kidnap my father. We were married that month. He kept me hidden from everyone for the first month, until Drago found me. He managed to cut a deal to get me out of that captivity, but honestly, even if I was out of a locked room, I was still in a cage. I was a good fighter. So he made me a better one. A useful asset to Vlad. If I did that, I kept my father alive. While Drago and I tried to find a way to escape.”

My hands start to shake. I’ve never really grieved my father’s death. I never get a chance to stop and reflect on the past.

My only thought every day is to simply survive and fight to find a way out.

“So, in Italy. I was sent on a mission with my handler, Misha. He was a complete asshole. Our job was to take and interrogate whoever Enzo was meeting. And then kill them. Vlad wanted to know what Enzo was doing and what he knew.”

Declan nods, fiddling with the rings on his fingers.

“But, Misha recognized you from the hotel. He knew more than I thought about my movements. He threatened to tell Vlad about us, and I couldn’t risk that.” I run my hand over the tattoos on my arm.

“I killed him. And that knife I planted, that was the knife I used. It was a panicked decision between me and Drago. I didn’t want to, but ultimately I had to save myself and make it look believable to Vlad that you had killed Misha. Otherwise, my life would have been over, Declan. And maybe yours too.”

I can’t look at him.

“Charlotte. Look at me.”

I shake my head.

“Now.” His tone is firm, and I snap my head up.

“I would do anything to save my father’s life. Anything. I understand. If he were still here and I was in your situation, I would have done the same thing.”

I blink at him, processing his words.

“I’m sorry my actions stopped you,” I say quietly, the weight of my guilt hurting.

“Maybe that was exactly how it was meant to go. My father died to protect Conan, to stop a war, and ultimately, probably save all of his sons. Perhaps I was never meant to stop that from happening. As shit as it is, I think we can both confirm that fate works in funny ways.”

Fuck.

Tears well in my eyes.

“I’m so sorry, Declan. I wish I could turn back time.”

He shakes his head.

“I don’t. Because we wouldn’t be here, right now, putting our past to rest. Continue.”

I blow out a breath.

“After I returned home, Vlad believed our story. Except, another thing happened.”

I swallow the lump in my throat.

“I was pregnant.”

“Isabella? That’s your daughter who you cried out for?”

I nod.

I’m waiting for him to realize.

“I tried to escape; it was my last chance before she was born, but it didn’t work. He killed my father as punishment, and I’ve lived in nothing short of hell since. I do everything I can to shield her. Thanks to Drago, Isabella is kept a secret from the rest of the family, she’s safe. I take the brunt of it all for her.”

Tears free fall down my face and Declan jumps out of his chair and rounds the table, taking the seat next to me.

When his arms wrap around me and I’m buried in his chest, a sense of calm washes over me.

“Shhhh. It’s okay, baby. Let it out.”

And I do. For the first time I let my emotions crash over me like a tidal wave, because I am safe here.