Page 31 of Savage Hearts

He growls, “I’ll order the men to keep you on the property.”

She lifts her brows. Regal as a queen, she says, “Do you really think they’ll listen to you over me?”

Declan’s face turns red. A vein pulses in his neck. His jaw is as hard as stone, and he’s grinding his molars again.

I think his head is in danger of exploding.

“Goddammit, woman—”

“End of discussion. Let’s get going.”

She wrenches herself free of his grip and heads to the door.

He turns, glaring at her back.

I eat another Twizzler, anxious to see what will happen next.

Apparently, Declan realizes he’s lost the battle. He drags his hands through his thick black hair. Muttering a curse, he stalks off after her.

“Hey!”

Halfway out the door, they turn and look at me.

“What amIdoing? Are you gonna fly me home now?”

At the same time, the two of them pronounce, “You’ll stay here.”

“Here?” I look around the enormous bedroom in horror. “Bymyself?”

Sloane says, “You like being by yourself, remember?”

“Yeah, in my own place with all my own stuff. Not in the Bermuda Triangle Colosseum.”

Declan says sternly, “This is the safest place for you at the moment, lass. Nobody on earth knows about this location.”

The underlying message is that majorly bad guys would do majorly bad things to Declan and whoever’s in his vicinity if they knew where he was.

For the first time, I understand how dangerous Sloane’s situation is. She’s literally risking her life to be near him.

She’s risking her life for love.

I stare at her in disbelief. In a history full of reckless decisions, this one takes the cake.

She snaps, “You’re not leaving, Smalls.”

“But—”

“You brought your laptop so you could work from here. Right?”

I’m starting to get panicky. I donotwant to stay here alone in this castle with only echoes for company. I’m a city girl. My apartmentat home is smaller than nine hundred square feet. This much open space creeps me out.

“Yeah, but I thought I’d be staying only a few days. How long will you guys be gone?”

Declan says, “I don’t know.” He points a finger at the floor, as if about to make a final, irrevocable declaration. “But until this situation is settled, you’re staying right here.”

Then they turn around and walk out, slamming the door behind them.

The bastards!