Page 12

Chapter twelve

Declan

T he men who broke into Noel’s house last night sit tied to chairs in front of me. Zander and I are waiting for them to wake up, and I’m growing more impatient by the second.

Chance had been able to catch a plate from one of the outside camera recordings. He traced it back to one of these assholes. A little more digging got us the other one. After collecting them for me, he brought them to the warehouse.

The one on the right begins to move, so I grab the bucket of ice and toss the contents at him. He yells out and tries to jump up but almost knocks his chair over instead. Looking around the room, his eyes settle on me, and he tries to pull himself out of the ropes like a desperate animal.

“What the fuck is this?” He yells, panicking.

“This is what the fuck happens when you mess with the wrong girl,” I answer him.

Zander positions himself behind the man. The fucker slams his mouth shut, breathing heavy through his nose. Even better. I pull the knife out of my pocket and walk over to him.

“I was hoping you didn’t want to talk. I’m not in the mood for conversation, either. In fact, I want to try something out. ”

My knife clicks open when I get close enough to touch him. His chair clangs as he tries to move away from me. Zander presses down on his shoulders to keep him still.

Pulling his shirt away from him, I slice through it with the sharp blade. My pulse quickens as the tip of the blade breaks skin. The way it glides across without resistance quickly followed by blood calms my frayed nerves. The X on the right side of his chest looks as angry as I felt when I saw her fear.

He screams like a bitch, and I frown at him in disappointment. I was hoping he’d be harder to break.

His friend starts to wake beside us, so I retreat to toss ice at his friend’s face. Everyone deserves a proper greeting after all.

“You’re just in time, Mark. Colby and I were just about to play a game.”

“What the fuck is going on?” Mark yells, still fighting the ropes tied around his arms and legs.

“I just told you. I’m about to play darts with Colby.”

Colby fights harder against Zander and the ropes when my words sink in. Zander elbows him in the side of the head, and Colby hollers out but stops fighting. Mark starts yelling about letting them go, and it’s a whole fucking drama fest.

Instead of listening to this dumb shit, I pull my gun and point it at Mark. Everyone gets real quiet then.

“Rule #1: Stop fucking yelling,” I grind out through clenched teeth. “Now, I was trying to explain the situation to Colby. Since none of us are in the mood to talk about the break-in last night, we’re going to play a game instead,” I tell Mark.

“What do you want to know?” He starts out shouting but lowers his voice when I raise my eyebrow.

I stare at Mark for a minute before I nod my head.

“Alright.” I slip the gun back into my jeans and close my knife.

“What were you looking for last night?” I ask, my composure restored.

“Journals,” he answers plainly.

I look between Colby and Mark to decide if I believe him, and they both appear to be on the same page with that answer.

“Who wants them?”

Colby chimes in this time. “He will fucking kill us, Mark. Keep your mouth shut!”

I smile at that. “See, I knew we should’ve tried out that game first,” I say, pointing my knife at him.

“Fuck you!”

I flip the knife open and send it flying across the room to land dead center of the X on his chest. The warehouse instantly fills with Colby’s screams and Mark’s protests. Ignoring them, I walk over to retrieve my knife, wiping it off on his clothes.

Colby’s screams get quiet as he starts to sputter. His lung is either collapsing or filling with blood.

“You should probably save your breath,” I suggest.

Looking at Zander, I ask, “An eye next?”

“If you throw it too hard, it’ll kill him,” Zander cautions.

I click my tongue and look down at Colby. His head is hanging to one side, and his breathing is shallow. Zander picks his head up by his hair, but Colby only lets out a weak moan.

“Mark, we may need to hurry this up. Colby needs a doctor, I think,” I say to the man who hasn’t stopped cussing me out the past few minutes.

“Some guy named Rocky gave us each a grand to destroy the house and find some journals. We got a call that the girl was on her way home and to leave,” Mark says then spits in my direction.

Zander asks, “What about the alarm system?”

Mark glares at him. “He gave us the code.”

Fuck.

“Let us go. He needs a hospital,” Mark interrupts my thoughts.

“Eh, I’m not sure about that,” I answer him.

The cussing and yelling starts up again. If that’s all the information I’m going to get then the game is over. I throw my knife at Mark, landing it in his eye. His head falls forward, and the warehouse gets quiet.

“Hm, you were right Zander,” I say, amused.

Colby is turning blue from lack of oxygen, so I nod for Zander to finish him. If he can’t speak, he’s no use to us anymore. Zander twists his head from behind to snap his neck.

“Journals?” Zander asks.

“I don’t have a fucking clue. Let’s get this cleaned up."

When I walk into Noel’s house, I hear singing in her bedroom. The music is playing throughout the house, so I know she doesn’t hear me. I take the opportunity to find her cell. I transfer the information to a new one before smashing it and slipping it into my pocket. Then I walk to her bedroom to let her know I’m here .

Standing in the doorway, I watch them organize books on shelves. Kate is rambling on about who she’s fucking, so I decide to wait it out. I’m mostly curious if Noel adds her own stories.

“Elle, he’s the perfect situation for me. No commitment when he’s out of town, which is often, but he wants me with him constantly when he’s here. I think I’m in love,” she says as she pretends to faint.

Noel laughs. “Just be careful. As in protection. If he has relationships all over the place like yours, you might catch something other than feelings.”

Kate puts her hands on her hips. “I’m not new here. But you are. You were with Nate a long time, Noel. You know people still use condoms even if they're exclusive, right?”

Noel just stares at Kate, probably realizing she had my cock in her mouth this morning without bothering to ask if I was clean. Like I’d do a fucking thing to hurt her. I clear my throat.

Both of them jump at the sound and turn to look at me. Noel looks embarrassed, but Kate is unbothered by my listening in.

“Well, hey there, Declan! I hear the two of you had an eventful night." Kate grins, obviously proud of her clever remark.

I stare at her for a beat, giving nothing away before shoving off the door frame and walking over to Noel.

“Go get ready. I’ll keep working on this,” I say before leaning down to kiss her parted lips.

“Oh shit! I lost track of time. I don’t even remember where I put my phone,” she says, looking around the room. “Um, okay, thank you, Dec.”

She walks into the en suite bathroom, and I pick up where she left off. Kate continues with her stack of books when she realizes I’m not going to entertain her.

“Be careful with her,” she says without looking at me. “I know she’s hiding something about the history between you two, and she’s certainly not giving any details about what’s happening now.”

“You want details about me, Kate?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.

She stops and glares at me. “That’s not what I meant.”

I step toward her, deciding to test a theory. “You aren’t curious about all the details of our eventful night?”

She stands her ground, anger flashing in her eyes. “I don’t want to fuck you, Declan. She’s protective of the people she cares about, and she’s always been guarded around the topic of you. I just want you to understand what you’re getting yourself into with her. Now, kindly back the fuck off.”

I nod and step back, thankful she has at least one ally.

“I know exactly what I’m signing up for, Kate.” I keep my eyes on hers. “She’s been the center of my universe since I first laid eyes on her.”

“Hm. Sunshine, huh?” She asks, obviously understanding the meaning of my nickname for Noel.

I nod, “Sunshine.”

“Alright,” she says with a nod, obviously satisfied with my intentions.

Noel is still getting ready when we finish with the books, so we walk into the living room. Kate turns the music off, and I sit in a chair that isn’t ruined, pulling my cell from my pocket to check on some things.

“Let her know I’m a phone call away, will you?” Kate says, picking up her keys from a table.

“Mmhm,” I answer, reading through an email.

When I finish answering emails, I decide to go check on Noel and find her putting on makeup. She looks to be ready otherwise .

“I found your phone,” I say, handing her the replacement phone I picked up earlier today. I don’t know who was tracking her, but they won’t be anymore.

“Thanks,” she says and smiles at me through the mirror as she stands to check the rest of her outfit. Turning to face me she says, “I’m ready.” With a deep breath, she takes my hand.

“I’ve got you,” I reassure her and rub my thumb across her hand as we walk through the house out to her driveway.

When she catches sight of my bike, she stops and stares at me. “Declan, no.”

I slip my jacket and gloves on while she stares at me in disbelief. Then, I hold hers out, waiting for her to put her arms in the sleeves.

“Dec, I can’t…,” she breathes out.

“We can do whatever we want, sunshine,” I say and wink at her.

She relaxes and smiles but doesn’t move to put the jacket on, so I lift it slightly to prompt her. Sighing, she turns to let me put it on her. I pull her into me with her back against my front and kiss her ear.

“Good girl.”

She hisses in a breath and leans further into me.

“Let’s go,” I tell her.

When we get to the restaurant, the host brings us to a private room. Noel squeezes my hand tighter, and I squeeze back to reassure her.

The woman waiting for her stands but doesn’t smile. She looks at me with sadness before speaking to Noel.

“I didn’t realize you’d bring someone. I’m not sure what I need to say should be discussed in front of company,” Nate’s mother says disapprovingly .

“Not leaving,” I clip, pulling out a chair for Noel.

Instead of joining them, I stand against the wall and study the room.

“I apologize for making you think you needed a bodyguard to meet me,” she says to Noel.

I scoff but say nothing.

Ignoring me, she continues, “How have you been, Noel?”

“Why am I here, Jaclyn?”

That’s my girl.

Jaclyn smiles and nods her head, looking down at her fingers on the table.

“I get it, but I’m not your enemy. Nate and I resolved our past and built a relationship. Why do you still hold it against me?”

“He may have forgiven you, but he took it all out on me,” Noel says, her voice dripping with anger.

I push off the wall, my whole body tensing up at her words. “What did you say?” I ask through clenched teeth.

“He didn’t hit me, but there are other ways for spouses to inflict pain. I didn’t notice so much in college. For a while, I even thought it was sweet the way he’d get jealous of my spending time with friends.

Eventually, he was asking for reassurance so often that it got annoying. No matter what I did or didn’t do, he took everything to mean I would leave him. I didn’t even realize how much effort I was spending convincing him of my loyalty and love until he was gone.” She says every word without breaking eye contact with Jaclyn, holding her responsible for the broken man she married.

“I’d be careful where you place blame, Noel. Especially since you don’t know the entire story,” Jaclyn counters.

I grunt at her. “Then fucking enlighten us.”

“Did you know Grant and I had a daughter?” She ignores me, only looking at Noel.

“What?” Noel asks in shock.

“She died when she was two. Losing a child can destroy a marriage. Grant wanted more children, and I couldn’t bear the thought of having another little girl. Grant loves you like the daughter we lost, and he doesn’t want you to know the truth.” Jaclyn unloads all the heavy shit in one go.

“The truth about what?” I can hear Noel’s sympathy in her voice. I’m not letting this woman manipulate her, so she better say something that means a fuck next.

“Keep in mind that Nate truly loved you, okay?”

She waits for Noel to agree, and I’m sure I know exactly what’s coming next. But I’m not sure how Noel will react. I uncross my arms and fist my hands, bracing myself for the moment this woman goes too far.

“Your marriage was arranged when you were both fifteen. Nate insisted on moving here to let things happen naturally, so you wouldn’t feel forced to be with him,” Jaclyn explains.

“What the fuck?!” Noel raises her voice, and I take a step forward. She holds her hand up to me.

“Your father’s estate has certain stipulations,” she adds.

“What stipulations?!” Noel screams, lifting herself up with her hands on the table.

“Marriage to a specific type of family. A child,” Jaclyn whispers.

“I’ve heard enough,” I threaten. “What the fuck do you want?”

Noel tries to take back control and cuts in, “Wait, Declan, I need to understand!”

Fuck . I can hear the desperation in her voice. I glare at Jaclyn .

She holds up a USB drive. “This has everything. I think it may be best that you see for yourself. Nate wasn’t perfect, but he was under a great deal of pressure to do what was necessary. Your father is really to blame.”

“What do you want?” I demand again.

“I want justice for my son,” she says through tears.

Just then, someone slams the door to the private dining room open, and I point my gun at the intruder. Noel screams in surprise as I glare down the barrel of my gun at her father, Conner Anderson.

“Declan, that will not be necessary,” he says calmly.

I manage to move Noel behind me and keep my weapon aimed at his head.

“Noel and Jaclyn, you’re both coming with me. It seems we need to have a family meeting, and this is hardly the place,” he smoothly commands.

I kick the server’s door behind Noel and me. Walking backward, I shove Noel into the hall until the door closes in front of me. I drag Noel away by her hand expecting Conner to follow us.

“Wait!” She protests.

“Noel, later."

Surprisingly, she doesn’t argue. I slip my gun into the holster inside my jacket before we walk through the restaurant. I practically drag Noel across the parking lot to my bike. Sliding our jackets and helmets on as fast as I can, I get us on the road.

“Noel, hold on to me tight. That’s right, sunshine, lock your fingers together. Lean when I lean,” I instruct through the headset.

I’m going much faster than she’s ready for in case Conner sends someone to follow us. She leans with me as I take an exit without slowing down.

“Perfect. You’re doing so good,” I say, trying to soothe her.

We pull into my driveway in no time, and I’m confident no one followed us through the winding roads and extra turns I took.

When I take her helmet off to find tears rolling down her face, I growl. I rip my helmet off, throwing it to the ground. Her bright green eyes stare at me, tears spilling over. I wipe away her tears as best I can, but they’re steadily replaced by more. She gently rests her hands on my wrists, so I stop to hold her face.

“I was wrong, Declan. I thought I was ready for this, for you, but look at me. I’m crying over another man when you asked me not to,” she sobs.

I sigh, pulling her into me, letting her cry into my chest. Her hands fist into my shirt, and her body shakes violently. All I can do now is hold her and wait for the storm to pass.

When she begins to still, I lead her into the house. She maintains her grip around my body as we walk.

I guide her into the bathroom, silently raging on the inside. While the hot water fills the bathtub, I help her undress and get in. When I turn to leave, she stops me.

“Will you stay?” Her shaky voice pleads.

I pull my shirt over my head, and she watches as I shove my jeans off. She leans forward to indicate she wants me to sit behind her, so I sink into the warm water and pull her into me.

We sit in silence for a while as I rub her shoulders and trace my fingers down her arms. Her head lays back on my chest, and my chin rests on it.

My mind is busy planning my next move. I’m not sure if Noel understood everything, but one thing I am sure of is that I will be seeing Conner again very soon.

“How could I not have known it was arranged?” She whispers.

“You’ll never be forced to do anything you don’t choose for yourself again, I promise.”

“What justice could she want? Does she think his death wasn’t an accident?”

I don’t give her an answer to that. It’s too soon. Leaning forward slightly, I reach between her legs to let the water out. I help her out and dry her off. She doesn’t say anything else as I put her to bed and turn off the lamp.

With too much to do, I leave the room and head straight to my office.