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“We will have to fix the chain, but one of my men found this after we left.” He hands me the broken necklace, and my eyes begin to water. It was still here.
“The chain can be fixed,” I whisper. “Tell whoever it was, thank you and then give them a nice bonus.” I clutch the necklace in my hand and hold the only tangible piece of my brother I have left to my chest.
In an attempt to change the subject, I gesture between the two of them. “So, how exactly are you two not killing each other right now? Isn’t that your job?”
Declan glances up at my father before he looks back at me. “We have come to a sort of understanding,” he tells me, squeezing my hand gently.
“This is weird…” I trail off and rub my head, “Dad, do you think you could give Declan and I a few moments alone?” I ask, laying my head back on the pillow.
“Sure, I’m going to go talk with my men and see what they’ve found about Jared Sullivan and this Viktor guy.” He awkwardly squeezes my hand, we aren’t really the sentimental type so there is an uneasiness between us as he leaves.
“Nat…” Declan begins, but I look over at him and shake my head.
“Thank you for trusting your instincts.” I squeeze his hand. “I don’t know how long it would have taken them to find me, or if it would’ve ended the same way Dmitri’s abduction did.”
He stands and scoots me over on the bed before kicking off his shoes, sliding in beside me. “Natalia, I would have found you before that happened to you.” He says, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. The way he touches me is so comforting, just enough to offer reassurance. Yet still he avoids any of my tender areas despite the fact that I am clothed. Almost as if he memorized where each of my wounds were.. “I told your dad that I wanted to marry you,” he says after a beat of silence.
“I told you the day you came after our weapons while we were burying Dmitri that the deal was off,” I remind him with a glare as he stares at my lips. He may have just saved my life, but the actions that day are unforgivable.
“Yes, I remember,” his eyes narrow as he searches mine. “Butmo ghrá, an agreement is between two people, and I did not agree to the termination of that agreement.”
“You are infuriating, Declan O’Connor.” I look away from him, sighing heavily.
“Obviously you feel something for me, Natalia, or you wouldn’t have sent that message to me.” He stands up and puts his shoes on. “I’m not going to push you, but Nat, you have less than a month before you will be expected to marry someone.”
“It was a moment of weakness, Declan. I will figure it out, like I always do.” I glance over at him, watching him grab his soiled suit jacket. “Thank you for saving me. I’ll repay you somehow.”
“Oh, I already know how to collect my debt. But, I will let you think of your own little plan. You’re cute when you scheme,” he teases as he leans down and kisses the top of my head. “I will be back in a few hours. I’m going to check on Finn’s progress in tracking Viktor down.” He gives me a smile and leaves the room.
“I’m not marrying you!” I shout after him as he walks out the door.
I let out a huff, falling back into bed. “This is ridiculous,” I grumble.
A few moments later, my father walks in the room. “Natalia,” he nods toward me. “Declan says you have rejected his proposal.”
“Have you forgotten that he was the one who sabotaged our weapon shipment the day that we buried Dmitri?” I cross my arms. Although I forgave him for his actions, I never agreed to reinstating the agreement.
“I have not, but you know what else he has done?” He asks as he sits down on the side of the bed. “When he got that message from you yesterday, he immediately had men looking into your location. He didn’t hesitate to come and alert me. He came into our home unarmed.” He rubs his temple. “He has more nerve than any of the men you have brought home in the last four years, Natalia. Stop being so difficult.”
“I’m sorry, I just can’t forget that…” I trail off, looking away.
“You get one more shot and if it doesn’t work… you will marry Declan.” His face is serious, and I know I’ve lost this battle.
“Well, luckily I know how to cover these,” I gesture to my cuts and bruises. “So, I can start dating again next week.”
“Are you ready to go, Natalia?” Houston’s voice snaps me out of a haze.
I nod and glance over at my father, who has a displeased look on his face. “Yes, I’m ready. But do you mind if my driver takes us?” I ask, chewing on my lip.
I’m still a little skittish because of what happened last week with Jared, but I’m determined to not let Declan win. I’ve pulled out my favorite long sleeve, dark gray dress. It’s all lace, with a nude slip covering the areas my bra and underwear would show. It covers my healing cuts, and other scars well, but if you look close enough you can still see them.
“Yeah, that’s fine.” Houston raises a dismissive eyebrow but shrugs, leading me out to the car.
We arrive at the restaurant, and my security follows us closely. Apparently, they are just as paranoid as I am because they don’t take their eyes off us. While waiting on our food, we make small talk. I try my best to stay engaged in the conversation, but my mind just keeps wandering to Declan. The way he saved me, the feeling of being in his arms and knowing I was okay.
“Don’t you agree?” Houston asks. I give him a slight smile and nod, having no idea what I’m agreeing to. This is the most dull date I’ve been on thus far, so the agreement couldn’t be anything too terribly exciting.
Saving me from carrying on any more of this mundane conversation, the waiter finally arrives with our dinner. Considering the fact that our food is now sitting here before us, Houston oddly excuses himself. While I eat I take the time to scan the restaurant. My eyes fall on a familiar man coming out of the bathroom.Finn. How did they find me this quickly? I need to up my game.
