Page 14

Chapter fourteen

Declan

I sit in my office cooling down from my workout when my phone vibrates. Zander’s name appears on the Caller ID.

“What’s up?” I answer.

“Got some info on Veronica Panetti.”

“Let’s hear it,” I say, looking at the closed door wondering if my girl is up yet.

“She hasn’t been back to Cordeliers since Nate died.”

“Is she dead?” I ask.

“Nope, but she’s pretty fucking pregnant.”

“The fuck? Did Leah tell you this?” I ask.

“Nope. Haven’t heard from her since you brought her to the warehouse,” he says.

I guess I know what I need to do today.

“Thanks. I’ll see you at the warehouse in a couple of hours,” I tell him and hang up.

Next, I dial Chance. He picks up right before it goes to voicemail.

“I need you with Noel while I handle some things today.”

“Got it." He sounds like I woke him up.

“Put Garrett on your tail. She may try to dip. Let her think she has if she tries, but be ready to intervene if she goes to either of her parents.”

He chuckles. Stalking is his favorite assignment.

“Got it. Later,” he says and hangs up.

Downing the rest of my water, I walk down the hall to wake her.

My bedroom is still dark as night thanks to blackout curtains, so I prop them open to help her along. She’s almost completely uncovered, spread out across my Alaskan king bed. Her honey and chestnut curls fan out across her pillow. The room smells of her soft, vanilla scent.

Sitting in a chair across the room, I decide to wait a little longer. After last night, I’ll be damned if she goes back to her own house. Even though Isaiah agreed to work with me, I don’t trust him not to take advantage of the situation. Conner’s desperate to keep his money, and she’s only ever been a fucking pawn to him. Isaiah stands to gain a lot by taking his offer.

Noel could take things one of two ways this morning. She’s either going to distance herself and stick to her plan of handling shit on her own, or she’s going to wake up resigned to letting me deal with it.

Personally, I hope she chooses to fight. Not that I will let her handle any of it on her own, but she needs to find her voice in all of this. I want him to pay in blood for keeping her from me and threatening my family, but I won’t take away her opportunity to fight her own war.

The light filters in through the blinds, landing on her face. I’ve imagined this moment for years. Since I was sixteen falling asleep to her voice on the other end of the phone, I imagined how she’d look when she woke up from our first fuck. Years haven’t changed my obsession with her. I may have chained her up last night, but I’ve been wearing her chains far longer.

She moves, and the light is now directly on her eyes. They flicker open a few times. When she keeps them open, she lays perfectly still looking up at the ceiling. Finally, she sits up. She looks at me, smiles, and stretches. That’s when I see the pain flash across her face. She stops mid stretch then lowers her arms back to her sides.

“Good morning.”

She swallows hard. “Good morning,” she says cautiously as the memories of our night seep in.

I stand slowly then stalk toward her, limiting the time she has to make up her mind about this plan of hers. She maintains eye contact as I close in on her, and right before I get to her I see her decision flash across her beautiful face.

Her sweet smile doesn’t touch her eyes as she takes my outstretched hand. Lie better.

“Sleep well?” I ask, brushing my thumb under the corner of her eye.

She blushes as I help her out of bed. “What time is it?” She asks then reaches for her throat.

“Come on. Coffee will soothe your throat,” I tell her, trying to hide my smirk as she wobbles to get dressed.

Her eyes question me, and her cheeks flush.

“Don’t be embarrassed. Your screams are my new favorite sound. I heard everything you don’t want to say in them,” I stare into her eyes, searching into her soul for what I know she’s already buried back down deep.

I kneel to kiss her thigh and help her into her shorts. After I’ve buttoned them, I look up at her from my knees. They say eyes are the windows to the soul, and hers are burning with desire.

“Do what you think you need to do, sunshine. As long as I know your fire burns for me, I will do the same.”

She remains perfectly still, trying to decide how to respond. I stand and take her hand to lead her into the kitchen, not bothering to wait for a response.

She sips her coffee slowly, and I take the time to send some texts and emails .

“Declan, I have to ask you something,” she says, clearing her throat.

“Anything.”

She pauses, trying to find the right words. “How many women have you brought into that room?”

Looking for a fight, I see. I chuckle. “That room is my home gym, Noel. You’re the first to ever be in my house.” I smile.

The dumbfounded look on her face has me chuckling again.

“Why do you have handcuffs and a chain in the ceiling of your gym?” She asks, heating up because her easy way out didn’t work.

“The chain is my spot when I lift, but the handcuffs I did buy for you,” I explain, watching her face redden and her eyes flash.

“Why?”

Licking my lips, I smack them together. “If you’re restrained, you won’t be able to get away from me again.”

The flames burn in her eyes.

“Did you like it?” I ask, sauntering over to her, my thumb tracing the outline of her parted lips.

Bright green eyes glare up at me. “Yes,” she breathes.

“Good.” I lean down to take her lips.

She holds back. Then she breaks the kiss and turns her head.

“I would’ve done anything, Declan. For you. For us. You should’ve told me,” she says, her voice shaking.

“It doesn’t matter now,” I whisper, pressing my forehead into hers.

“It does! You want me to believe you just let me marry someone else? He couldn’t send me away after I turned eighteen! Why didn’t you step in?” she presses.

Fuck.

“My hands were tied. You don’t understand,” I offer, knowing it isn’t the explanation she deserves.

“No! You don’t understand!” She tries to push away from me, her anger building.

I hold her to me, not willing to let go.

“You were there when I closed my eyes the first time he kissed me. You were there when I closed my eyes the first time he made love to me. No matter what I did, I couldn’t get rid of you, not all the way. He deserved better. It took me so long to love him, and I had to live with that guilt. Because of you. Because it should’ve been you.”

She slaps at my chest every few words, trying to push me away. I can’t bring myself to let go.

“He didn’t deserve your love, Noel,” I growl.

She stops shoving me away, but the distance in her eyes might as well be a slap in the face.

Her voice chills me to my core. “But you do?”

What the fuck do I say to that?

My eyes bore into hers. I may not deserve her, but she's mine. I'll do whatever it takes to right the wrongs—to make it up to her.

“Take me home, Declan."

“Noel,” I stop before I even begin. My jaw clenches shut.

“Do you plan to handcuff me to your bed? Keep me without giving me the option?” She asks, pointedly.

I take a few steps back, raising my hands in surrender. She’s fucking right. I promised her she'd only do what she wanted from now on. I'm no better than them if I force her to stay.

The drive to her house is silent other than the radio. She finally breaks it when we pull into her driveway.

“I don’t know that truck,” she says nervously.

“I do,” I say, meeting her eyes. “Chance is going to be with you today as a precaution.”

“What?” Her voice squeaks out in surprise.

“I won’t leave you unprotected,” I tell her.

She huffs and gets out of my truck. Chance greets her, nods at me, and follows her inside.

I pull out of her drive and go straight to the warehouse where Leah is waiting to see me before her shift at Cordeliers.

When I walk into the office, I see she’s doing her best to win Zander over. He’s standing as still as a statue while she circles around him, touching him everywhere. She stops when she hears the door but only to look at me with a pout.

“I want to renegotiate,” she says.

“Don’t fucking care,” I clip.

“Keep the money,” she continues before turning to face Zander again, “I want you.”

He winks at her and walks away.

“You gonna save me some money?” I ask him to fuck with her.

He scoffs and looks at her. “Whores aren’t for me. I don’t share well.”

“Keep me in a cage, baby,” she suggests.

“Now, that is tempting,” he says as if he’s considering it.

“Leah, where the fuck is Veronica?” I ask—too pissed to listen to them dance around whatever this is between them.

“She got knocked up and decided to keep the baby. She hasn’t come to work in about six months,” she says as understanding dawns on her. “Oh, fuck. I didn’t think you’d care since you only asked me to keep tabs on Conner and get information about Noel.”

“You didn’t think Veronica having Nate’s baby might pertain to Noel?” I ask, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

“If he didn’t get his wife pregnant, he probably didn’t get Veronica pregnant either,” she snaps back.

“Ever seen this man?” I ask, holding up my phone with a picture of Grant Williams and ignoring her attitude.

“Nope,” she says, as she smacks the “p” at the end of the word.

Well, fuck. I was hoping he was involved, so I wouldn’t have to deal with the pregnant chick directly.

“Do you keep in touch with Veronica?” I ask.

“Of course. She will be back after the baby is born,” she answers as though I’m an idiot for not knowing how it works.

“Give me the address,” Zander says, stepping into her.

She nods, all sarcasm—even words—gone.

Neither of them back away from the other as she reaches into his pocket to take out his cell phone. She holds it up to his face to unlock it with facial recognition then types something in. When she’s finished, she presses the phone against his chest and stares up at him.

“Good girl,” Zander says as he tucks a piece of hair behind her ear.

He takes the phone and gives her his back a few feet away.

“Run along, pet ,” he says without looking at her .

She leaves without another word.

“All bark and no bite,” he says as he locks up the office.

Grabbing my phone as soon as we get into the truck, I scroll through my messages to find out that Noel did already slip Chance. She ran straight to her father-in-law. Interesting.

“Are we really about to rough up a pregnant girl?” Zander asks.

“Didn’t I just witness you agree to lock an actual whore in a cage?” I ask, utterly confused by him implying he lives on the right side of wrong.

“She’s already going to hell, Dec. The unborn is different,” he tries to reason with me.

“We aren’t going to lay a finger on the pregnant girl, Zander. I just want to know who’s paying the bills now that she’s not working. I’m sending someone to watch the apartment. You and I have other shit to do."

I peel out of the parking lot and call Isaiah.

“Hey, Dec, your old man is fucking awesome with this shit,” he answers cheerfully.

“So I hear,” I answer. “Has Conner come by to see you yet?”

“Yep. Yesterday. I signed everything, and it was exactly what you thought. When is this all gonna blow?” He asks.

“Soon,” I say and hang up.