Page 10 of Declan

“Please.”

Shit.

It was the gentle ‘please’ that had me giving in.

“Okay.”

“You’ll stay in the house? No matter what you hear?”

“No. I’ll stay in the house until I hear things breaking.”

“That the best you can give me?”

“Yep.”

With a nod, he lowered his forehead to mine. “Thank you.”

Then he let me go and strolled out of the room. I didn’t move until I heard the back door slam. And when I turned to face Max, Brooks, and Kyle, I wished I would’ve stayed staring down the empty hallway.

The three men stared at me like I was the slimiest pissant they’d ever seen. As if on autopilot my shoulders snapped back and I braced for their ire. I knew what they thought of me and I didn’t care. A few days tops and they’d be a memory.

“I don’t need—”

“Drop it,” Max snapped.

“Excuse me?”

“Drop the bullshit, tough-chick-nothing-fazes-me act.”

“I think you might have me mixed up with someone else, Max. I’m not acting.”

“You’re a total fraud.”

“Damn right I am. My whole life is one big lie. I’m the master of fake. I’ve spent years perfecting my lies. I’m so full of shit, you can’t believe anything that comes out of my mouth. I wouldn’t know the truth if it smacked me in the face. I’m so deep in the deception that is my life I cannot be believed. But there is one undeniable truth—there’s nothing in this world that fazes me. My faith in humanity ran out when my innocence was stolen, when I was beaten, raped, sold, and used. The sooner all of you start to believe me when I tell you I don’t need to be saved, instead of doing what my sister thinks she wants, the faster Emerson will let me go.”

Max pierced me with his blue gaze and shook his head. “I can sniff a liar a mile away. And, Autumn, you reek of one. I didn’t get it, even after Declan explained why he was spending time with you. I understood the connection but I didn’t get how he could put the team in jeopardy. Why he would lie to his teammates to protect you. Now, I see it.”

I was reeling from the fact that Declan had shared with Max, even more at his “connection” comment. But still I asked, “See what?”

“Why he’d risk everything for you. If there was ever a woman who needed to be saved, it’s you.”

“I don’t need anyone to save me,” I choked out, and swallowed the giant lump in my throat.

I had to get the hell away from Max. He saw too much. Things I didn’t want him to see. I was tired, so damn tired of living a lie, running from everything, shit scared that at any moment my life was going to crash around me. I just needed to finish off Strotherby then I could disappear. Live quietly away from people.

“Bullshit. You not only need it, you want it. You want it so fuckin’ bad you reached out to the one person you knew who could do it. Someone who won’t judge you, because he lives with the same demons. The only person who would pull you from the catastrophe but not ask questions. And you found him, Autumn. The only thing I ask is, while he’s saving you, you return the favor. You do that and I’ll take your back.”

My vision was hazy, my breaths were coming out in choppy pants, and I hated Max for seeing what he saw. He had no right, saying what he said. Knowing what he knew.

“You’re wrong.”

“About which part?”

“All of it. And if you think Declan would allow anyone past his fortress, you don’t know him very well.”

“He already has,” Kyle entered the unfortunate conversation. “He lets you touch him.”

That was an odd thing to say. So odd, I had no idea what Kyle was talking about.