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“Of course, Miss Furnari.” She smiles kindly before looking back at Declan. “See you in two days.”
“Bye, Ailish.”
With a wave, the doctor exits the study. Nolan follows. I assume to let her out.
Once we can no longer hear their retreating footsteps, Liam says, “It’s safe to say if Ailish knows about Santiago, the majority of the city is aware of what happened.”
“I thought the same thing,” Jane confesses. The brunette leans back against the couch cushion, crossing her arms with a contemplative frown. “But how? Juan would’ve kept it quiet. At least for now. Until the gang’s leaders decided what to do next.”
“What happened?” I interject. “Was he involved in the explosion?”
Crickets may as well be chirping.
I look at my bodyguards and Jane. All three avoid my gaze. Left with no other choice, I finally let my attention return to my distractingly handsome fiancé who elicits so many conflicting emotions in my head that I have whiplash.
His contemplative expression gives me pause. He looks at me like he’s writing a pro and con list in his head, debating whether or not to share the words that sit on the edge of his tongue.
Seconds pass. Nolan returns to the study. When my bodyguard is once again situated at my side, Declan finally speaks, “Yes, Enrique Santiago was with us when the bomb went off.”
I note that he doesn’t tell mewherethey were.
“And the explosion injured him?” I prompt. “Is he...” I swallow the lump in my throat. “Dead?”
“Yes,” Declan answers without preamble. “But not from the explosion.”
“What do you mean?”
“Enrique Santiago died while receiving treatment at the hospital. It was an unexpected heart attack, but his grandson believes he was assassinated. I’m inclined to believe him.”
My eyes widen. “Assassinated in the hospital?”
“Yes.”
“So the bomb was intended to kill him?” I guess aloud.
Jane jumps in, “I doubt it. The bomb wasn’t assembled with enough firepower to cause lethal damage. Right now, it looks like whoever targeted Santiago only did so because he saw an opportunity.”
I let the information sink in, and I’m reminded of the interrupted lunch with my father. “Is this why I was dragged away from my father’s house?”
“Yes,” Declan answers.
“Can you explain?”
He watches me for a beat, once again debating what to say. He settles on, “Santiago was an ally. We have reason to believe whoever planted the bomb planned for us to be there when it detonated.”
My forehead furrows. “As a warning?”
“Until proven otherwise, that is the assumption.”
I nod. “So, what does that mean for us?” I look at Jane and my guards before returning my gaze to Declan. “Are we in danger?”
His carefully neutral face twists with wrath. “No one will touch you,macushla. I promise.” The intensity of his words rocks me to my core, as does his determined expression. I resist pointing out that he isn’t God. He can’t control everything. Something tells me he won’t respond well to that.
“Okay.” I nod again. “So… what does that mean? Classes don’t start for a while, but they will eventually. And I still need to work.”
“You don’t need to work.”
“Fine. Iwantto work,” I correct. “How is that going to work with this new threat? Do I get more bodyguards? Maybe some more badass than these two?”
