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“You’re going to give him a heart attack,” Declan laughs, nuzzling my neck.
“He will live,” I smirk and pull away from him, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you in a little while. I have some things to take care of.”
Walking out of the room with Finn hot on my heels, I step to the side so he can walk beside me. Glancing over at him, he looks nervous, and I shake my head. “Finn, listen, we’ve known each other for four years now. I’m not mad that you walked in on us this morning. Well, I mean, I kind of am, but just because we had to stop,” I say with a laugh.
“Next time I will call Declan before I come over,” he says with a nod.
“Wise choice.” I smile over at him and link my arm with his. “But, the reason I wanted to talk to you… I want to take Dec on a trip for his birthday tomorrow. Do you think that you could keep an eye on things while we are gone? I’ll catch you up to speed on what’s going on with the weapons, but I don’t have anything coming in for the next two weeks, so it should be easy.”
Finn nods and slides his hands in his pockets. “Whatever you need from me. It’ll do him some good to get away. All that man does is work.”
“I think so, too.” I look toward the front door as we approach it, and my steps falter slightly. Rian O’Connor is standing in the doorway. However, like I’ve been trained, I compose myself and give him a fake smile.
“Hello, Rian,” I say as we come to a stop in front of him.
He nods his head toward me. “Where is my son?” He asks, looking at Finn rather than at me.
“He is in his office, but I don’t think he was expecting you today,” I answer for Finn.
“He doesn’t have to be expecting me,” he snarls, his fists clenching at his sides.
Finn quickly steps between us. “He was actually getting on a business call. I can have him call you when he’s done.”
Rian looks from Finn to me before raising an eyebrow. “Yes, please do. I have some information that he may want to hear,” he turns and strolls back out the front door.
“You’re not going to tell him he was here, are you?” I ask, hiding a smirk.
“Not a chance. His father will find some way to talk him out of going.” He turns to face me. “Declan will have my head if he hears me talking to you like this. But, until Declan officially takes over, you need to be on your best behavior, Nat. You can’t be going toe to toe with the boss,” he says with a serious expression.
“One more day,” I mumble, running a hand over my face. “Sorry I put you between us.”
“The meeting to transfer ownership is technically tonight, so less than ten hours. Then you can be on your way to your vacation,” he reminds me.
“Great. I just need to get through these next couple hours,” I say as I walk toward the opposite hall where my office is. “If you come with me, I can show you everything you need to know for the next few days.”
Once I have filled Finn in on what I need from him, he excuses himself and goes to update the rest of the team on what’s going on.
Walking to Declan’s office, I go to open the door, but it’s locked. I take a step back and look at the door just to make sure I’m not at the wrong one. Nope. I’m right, it's just locked.Weird. Lifting my hand, I knock and wait for someone to answer.
When the door opens, I do not expect to see Rian on the other side. “Can we help you?” He sneers.
“Father, stop it. Come in, Natalia,” Declan calls from behind his large oak desk.
His father glares at me while I make my way into the room. “I was just coming to see what you were up to. I haven’t seen you in a few hours.” I sit down in the chair across from his desk. “What’s going on?” I ask, looking at his exasperated expression.
I take a moment to study him. He looks tired. His hair is disheveled, his collar is undone, and he has papers spread all over the desk.
Patiently waiting on an answer, I glance over at his father, who hasn’t taken his eyes off me. The pure disgust in his face makes my insides churn. Why does he hate me so much? He used to be like a second father to me before everything happened.
“Dec? Is there anything I can do?” I ask, turning my attention back to Declan.
“I’m busy, Natalia,” Declan snaps, using my full name.
Keeping my features calm, I stand with a nod and smooth out my dress. I don’t say a word as I turn and walk back out the door, ignoring Declan calling my name.
Chapter twenty-four
Declan
