Page 77 of Mercenary

“God, when he showed up in Dayton with you in tow, I nearly lost my mind. I was minutes away from stepping inside when you came out of his motel room. Alone. Bet he didn’t see that coming. But you did me a favor by escaping him. He’s one of the reasons we need to get going. Declan isn’t a guy you can get away with fucking over. I might be a lot of things. But know this: I love you, Madelyn. You’re the only person left who I care about. I’m sorry I couldn’t confide in you. So damn sorry you’ve been dragged into this mess. If he hurt you in any way, I’m going to shoot him in the balls.”

My eyes widen. Although Pop taught her how to use a gun, I can’t imagine my beautiful, loving sister shooting anyone. “He didn’t hurt me. A matter of fact . . . ” I pause and decide to share a bit more information with her, “he protected me. I called him to help me.”

“You . . . called . . . Declan . . .”

“After Luciana was cut up. I didn’t have anyone else to turn to.”

Kylie rubs her fingers across her jaw. “He gave you his number?”

I nod.

“And you called that cold bastard?”

“He told me to—in case of an emergency.” I frown as she begins pacing the room.

“Freaking terrific. I don’t understand any of this.”

I step in front of her, blocking her from preceding forward. “Neither do I.

“But I bet he was laughing all the way to Shelby knowing he had the perfect ploy for getting me to resurface. You.”

Disappointment, more than anything, washes over me. I believed him. Trusted him. Opened up to him. Gave a piece of my heart to him. My body.

“Why would he use me to get to you?”

She shakes her head. “It’s complicated.”

I fold my arms across my chest.

“It’s better if you don’t know.”

“That’s what he said, I mutter. ” Unbelievable. I give her that I’ve-got-all-day look and hold my ground. What do I have to do . . . say . . . to get a straight answer out of her? “Okay, then. Who is Jaxson?”

I watch as she cups her stomach as if I’ve landed a sucker punch and stolen the breath out of her. “My lover. They think I set him up to be killed,” she whispers in a voice so low, my ears strain to hear her.

“Who thinks you did this?”

“The organization I work . . . worked . . . for. Remember the money I was bringing home to Mama? Did you really think I was running wild while earning that kind of cash?”

I frown, remembering how expensive Mama’s treatment had been. The hassle Kylie’d gone through arranging for alternative care even after National Insurance denied us. There’d been a steady supply of pills, right up until Mama passed away. And my sister’s telling me she paid for it all by doing what? Jeez, I’d been so relieved over the possibility of how a different type medication might help Mama that I allowed my sister to easily brush me off and downplay where the money was coming from.

“For the longest time, I protected you from them. Never mentioned you. Didn’t offer up any personal information about you. I prayed Hayden wouldn’t dig too deeply and if he did, he’d leave you alone. Now everything is spiraling out of control. Hayden will never let Jaxson’s murder go unanswered. He already believes I’ve been talking about his goddamn organization and the ranch located just outside of Shelby. I was late. Jaxson was murdered. And now you’re in danger, too. God, how I wish you never returned to Shelby.”

“And Declan?” I manage. Oh God. Oh my God.

“He’s the most ruthless out of all of us. Jesus, there’s probably a hit out on me.”

“A hit. Like an order to kill?”

“Yeah. I can only hope they’ll want to talk to me first.”

“And Declan . . . used me . . . to get to you . . . to kill you.”

“God, I’m praying they’ll question me before . . . but they’ll have to catch me first. Declan will do anything to get the job done.”

“That bastard.”

Kylie’s mouth drops open for a split second. But I’m too upset to keep my hurt hidden from her.