Page 63 of Declan

I hadn’t exactly covered my tracks, but I also hadn’t made it easy to track me to my hometown.

“I’ll let you in after you tell me how you found me.”

“Beth,” Ash answered.

“Right.”

I stepped aside to let Ash in, simultaneously thinking up a lie to tell my parents and trying not to get pissed at my friend Beth. I’d failed at both when my dad appeared sans my mother.

“Mr. Pierce,” Ash greeted. “What a pleasure to meet you. I’m Ashaki Maloof, a friend of Autumn’s.”

My dad stared at me and I gave him a tight smile and a nod. “Mom can come out. Ash is a good friend of mine.”

Two seconds later, my mom appeared, which meant she hadn’t stayed in the bedroom. I would’ve been annoyed if I hadn’t been so confused.

“Mrs. Pierce. Nice to meet you as well.”

“Ashaki, is it?” my mother asked and Ash smiled. “What a lovely name.”

“How do you know Autumn?” Dad inquired.

“We work together.”

What the hell was she doing?

“That’s great. Where do you work?” My mom looked between me and Ash and I frantically tried to come up with a lie.

But once again, Ash got in there first. “The CIA.”

“The Central Intelligence Agency? That CIA?” my mother gasped and I knocked my shoulder into Ash’s.

“Mom, I don’t—”

“Autumn’s a consultant. But yes, that CIA. We’ve worked together for years. Your daughter had been invaluable. She’s saved countless women from enduring the pain she herself endured. Her leaving the agency is going to be a huge loss.”

“What?” I turned to Ash.

“That’s why I came by, my sweet friend, to tell you it’s time for you to move on. You’ve done your part, now it’s time for you to start living.”

“I think we need to speak in private,” I hissed.

“No, it’s time you stop hiding. Your parents should know all the good you’ve done so in the future if you need to be reminded they’ll have that knowledge. The number’s close to seven-hundred, that’s how many victims of human trafficking your daughter has rescued. She’s put herself in grave danger, she’s sacrificed, and she’s done things that she’ll tell you she’s ashamed of. But I’m telling you, I have nothing but the utmost respect for your daughter’s courage.”

Ashaki turned to me, grabbed my hands, and tugged me closer. “Be happy, Autumn. Let go of the past. Leave it all behind. Find Declan. Oh, and you’re fired. If you call Beth, I’ve explained things to her and she won’t help you. As a matter of fact, I took the liberty of severing all ties you had and I put the word out you’re under Declan Crenshaw’s protection. And just to be safe, I dropped Zane Lewis’s name, too. No one is stupid enough to mess with either of those men.”

“I can’t believe you,” I seethed.

“One day you’ll thank me.”

“Don’t hold your breath.”

My mind reeled. My friend had betrayed me. I told the guys she could be trusted. She’d totally fucked me over.

“Barny Pollaski killed my family,” Ash said.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I didn’t want to admit that I couldn’t face him. I was too weak to do it myself. So I called you in. I didn’t lie—you saw the girls you saved that day. I just didn’t tell you he was the man who took my mom. It was him, personally, who killed all three of them. You gave them the peace I couldn’t. Now, my sweet friend, I’m giving you the peace you deserve. Go find Declan and forget everything else.”