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“Once that’s taken care of,” Carter pauses, his gaze falling on me, “we won’t have anything to worry about on that front, right?”
“She’s not going to say anything. I don’t think she ever did.” I push the issue once more. It wasn’t her that leaked to Scarlet. I fucking know she didn’t do it.
Jase glances at me from his periphery, his brow arching too much for my comfort.
“There’s a rat somewhere in that bar; it’s not her though,” I tell them and stress it, my voice cracking.
“All that matters right now is getting you both the paperwork so the feds leave her alone.” He breathes out heavily before asking, “I imagine she has an idea of what she’s agreeing to?”
It’s a blow to my chest. They might protect her, but it’s only for me.
I have nothing in me now to fight or to argue. “Marriage is a contract and she understands the terms,” I tell them.
I’ll take care of her in every way she needs. I will carry every burden and love her in every way I can. And she’ll stay by my side…whether or not she wants to.
They’ll get to know her. We’ll figure out the truth. Or else I don’t know what will happen once all of this blows over.
My throat tightens when I add, “It’s not like she has much of a choice.”
My brothers are quiet. I wish they’d fucking say something.
“Is she okay?”
“No.” I put it bluntly and when I do, everything feels as if it tumbles out of me. “I wish I’d never touched her. She doesn’t deserve this.”
“No you don’t.” Jase leans back, huffing a humorless laugh. “We’re all too selfish to wish for something like that,” he murmurs and then, and only then, does he look at me. “All love is selfish.”
“Just make it better. Make it right and it’ll be okay,” Daniel tells me and his expression is sincere.
“I don’t know how to make it right in the ways that matter.” Carter opens his mouth to say something but I cut him off, “But I know there’s hell to pay and I want the fucking station to run red with blood.”
Carter’s lips slip into an asymmetric smile.
“I’ll happily help you there,” Jase says with a grin.
“Let’s start with that fucking detective,” I tell them and they nod, “he’ll lead us to the rat.” They don’t stop nodding in agreement and for the first time I feel slight relief.
“Ransack his office? Beat it out of him? What are you thinking?” They ask and I answer, “I’m thinking I have a lot of pent-up anger right now, and there are a lot of pricks I can take it out on. I’d like to do that personally and I made a fucking list.”
BRAELYNN
Iwake up to a soft noise in the room. At first, it’s gently pulling me from slumber…but then I remember.
My eyes snap open. The covers are pulled up tight around me warm and comfortable, although my heart is racing.Declan’s room.
The sound happens again.
I turn over and push myself up on my elbow. It’s early. The sun coming in through the windows is only just starting to come up, but Declan stands near the closet. He has pants on already and pulls a T-shirt over his head.
I could just keep watching him. If we were together, really together and not just…doing whatever this is while I’m not allowed to leave this house, then this is what it could be like in the mornings. He’d get ready to go, I’d watch him, and then go back to sleep. Or get started with my own day. I don’t know, exactly.
But I can’t keep watching him. He’s being quiet on purpose, which probably means he’s ready to tiptoe out of here without saying a word to me. I can’t be left alone again. I can’t let that happen.
“Declan?”
Slowly, he turns to look back at me. I could’ve sworn he slept next to me last night, but he has shadows under his eyes that make it look like he hasn’t slept at all. He lets out a breath when he sees me sitting up.
He licks his lower lip before telling me, “I have to go somewhere.”
