Page 36 of Veiled Vengeance (The Devils of New York #3)

DAHLIA

R eaching high above my head, I set the last mug in the cupboard. I look around at my new apartment while August plays with his toy trucks that Hayes bought him. In fact, Hayes purchased most of what we needed to furnish the apartment, much to my chagrin.

Unpacking is a bitch—not that we had much to begin with.

There’s a knock on the door, and I immediately pull out the gun I have hidden on the top shelf of the cupboard.

“Baby, take those to your room and play.”

“Okay, Mommy.” August struggles to gather the trucks in his chubby little arms.

I can’t believe he just turned three.

There’s another knock after August shuts the door to his room. I approach on quiet feet and squint, looking through the peephole.

“Open up, Dahlia. I know you’re in there.”

Oh my hell.

Keeping the chain lock in place, I open the door a couple of inches. “What do you want, Hayes?”

“Can we talk, please?”

Resisting his crystal blue eyes is impossible. They’re my kryptonite.

“I’m not going to change my mind.”

His dejected puppy look is a kick straight to the gut. “I know.”

I yield to his request and undo the chain lock, letting him inside, but I don’t move further into the apartment. I don’t want him to think this is a long visit.

He gives the gun in my hand a questioning look.

“I’m a single mom living in the city,” I explain. It’s not a lie, but not the whole truth.

He raises his brows, letting me know he sees right through my bullshit. But he doesn’t push the question further. He scans the room and asks, “Where’s August?”

“Playing with his trucks in his room. Thank you again for getting those for him.”

“Of course.” He gives me a small smile then turns more serious. “In Boston, you said we couldn’t be together because it wasn’t safe.”

“That’s right.”

“But Anthony Cole is dead. Pierce Murphy is long gone. Isn’t it safe now?”

Pinching my lips together, I think through my answer. “No, it’s not. I’m sorry.”

I wish I could say yes. I wish I was a normal young adult. I wish I didn’t have the thought of my upbringing looming over my head.

But one day, The Company will come for me. They’ll find out where I am and expect me to pay my dues, and I can’t let Hayes get on The Company’s radar. They’ll use and exploit him to get me to do what they want. I already had one psycho do that to my son. I can’t let that happen again.

Mother always said that to love is to show weakness. She made sure I learned my lesson over and over. If only she could see me now, with a son and a man I’m completely in love with.

“Why not?”

Sealing my heart behind a metal door, I prepare myself for this conversation. “There are other people who want to find me. Because of them, it’s not safe.”

“Who?” he insists.

“I can’t tell you.”

His jaw tightens in frustration. “Can’t, or won’t?”

“Can’t.”

Hayes runs his hands through his hair and paces back and forth for a moment. “You’re not the only one with secrets, you know.”

“I know.”

He’s getting flustered. He came here to convince me that we should stay together, but my mind is made up. If I never want The Company to find out about Hayes, then I need to create some distance.

My hands clasp behind my back to prevent myself from reaching for him, even though I’m desperate to fall in his arms. “I knew from the beginning that you were hiding something, but I decided that I didn’t need to know because I couldn’t share my own.”

“While we were in Boston, did you . . .”

“Yeah. I heard Kieran call you ‘Declan’ one night when I was looking for you.” I shrug.

Hayes— Declan rubs the back of his neck and sighs. “My father is?—”

“I know. Once I heard your last name, I knew,” I interrupt him.

“How?”

Biting my lip, my eyes dart away from his. “Don’t ask me that, please.”

Declan’s lips twist into a frown. “Why weren’t you afraid?”

“I knew you’d keep us safe,” I answer sincerely.

He reaches for me. His hands cup my cheeks, and he rests his head against mine. “Just don’t shut me out. I can’t handle that.” His honesty punches me in the gut.

“I won’t,” I whisper.

“You still going to show up for work at Abstract Dreams?”

Letting out a sarcastic laugh, I reply, “Definitely. It’s my only legitimate work experience, and I don’t have a sugar daddy to live off of.”

His smile is sad. Then he wraps his arms around my shoulders and pulls me close. I bury my face in his chest and finally allow a single tear to slip free.

When he lets go, he darts for the door, as if he’ll cave if he stays a moment longer.

“Bye, Dahlia. See you tomorrow.”

My real name on his lips is a shot to the heart. He knows some of my darkest moments, and he still wants to be with me.

“Goodbye, Declan.”