Page 12 of Declan

My phone rang, pulling me from the ugliness that was my life.

Zane Lewis.

Fuck.

“Yo, Zane.”

“In five minutes Tex is gonna call you with new intel on Ashaki Maloof. But before he does, we need to talk.”

I bowed my head and clenched my jaw. Zane wasn’t about dramatics—if he had something to say, he said it. He wasn’t the type of man to mince words or care about shit like feelings. The fact he’d prefaced whatever it was he needed to say with ‘we need to talk’ and the way he’d softened his tone told me I didn’t want to hear a damn thing he was going to say.

“Zane—”

“I know.”

“You know what?”

“Everything.”

“Come again?”

“When you came to work for me I looked into you. I found what I was looking for and didn’t dig deeper. Then all that shit went down with Erin and I was giving you the Gold Team. I dug deeper. So I know—everything.”

“What the fuck? You had no right—”

“I did, Declan. I needed to know before I gave you a team you were prepared to lead it. I figured it was the CIA that had fucked you up, but I had to know where your head was at.”

“Right. So you know.”

“I know,” he unnecessarily confirmed. “I didn’t share. I did the research myself, I did it safe, and not a single person knows what I found or that I was looking.”

“And you’re telling me this now…”

“I’m telling you this now because I’ve given you time to readjust. To get to know your sister, to build friendships, to bond with your men. And now it’s time for you to let them in.”

Too late for that.

Whatever bonds had been built, whatever trust had been gained, was gone. I’d kept something from the team knowing they’d be pissed. I’d been selfish and I would continue to be selfish. I didn’t give the first fuck if it pissed Thad off, but I wasn’t giving up Autumn. I couldn’t. The only thing I had to live for was those few hours she gave me. Those hours were the only time I felt human, and there was zero chance I was letting that go.

“Zane, you gotta know, if you haven’t already you probably will be getting a call from one or all of the team.”

There was a heavy sigh and string of colorful expletives before Zane said, “They found out about Autumn before you could tell them?”

My body went stiff and my fist tightened around my phone.

“Have you been following me?”

“Fuck no. But I’ve been tracking Autumn since she saved your sorry-assed life and I promised Emerson I’d do what I could to get her sister clear from the path of fucked-up revenge she’s been living. So I knew when she arrived in Annapolis. I knew where she lived, who she talked to, where she went, and what visitors she had. I hoped you’d have a chance to tell them before they figured it out. I take it that didn’t happen.”

My mind raced with the knowledge that Zane knew.

“Why didn’t you say something?”

“To who? You? Figured you already knew you were hitting her house five nights a week.”

Christ, Zane could be annoying when he was being sarcastic.

“Why didn’t you tell me you knew, or tell Thad or Emerson that Autumn was in town?”