I drop onto the closed toilet, and my phone falls out of my pocket and onto the floor. It’s still on, but Kathy is gone, and I have no one to call. I depress the power switch, and tears fall as the phone turns off.
“Are you going to make me break this door down?”
I wonder if he would really do it and decide he probably would. I don’t want to deal with a broken door reminding me of this day, so I wipe the tears off my face and open it. I don’t look at Deklan as I move past him and into the bedroom.
He follows me.
“Are you going to talk to me?” he asks.
“No.” I reach into a dresser drawer and pull out pajamas. I start to head back to the bathroom when Deklan grabs my arm.
“Is that how you cope with shit?” he asks. “Just ignore it?
I look down at Deklan’s fingers wrapped around my arm. For a moment, I feel other hands grabbing at me. I see the inside of a windowless van before things go dark inside my head, and my focus is back on my husband’s grip.
“Well, I’m married to a murderer,” I say simply, “so what else am I supposed to do?”
Deklan goes still for a moment, but I just keep staring at his hand on my arm.
“Don’t you dare judge what I do.” Deklan’s voice is quiet and almost monotone, but I can hear the anger behind it.
For once, I don’t care.
I shake my arm out of his grasp and turn toward him, throw the pajamas on the floor, and face him with my hands on my hips. I have to tilt my head to glare into his eyes.
“Then don’t you dare judge how I choose to cope!”
His eyes widen, and he takes a step back as if my words punched him in the gut. I back away from him, my voice rising.
“You’ll take his side over mine, won’t you?”
“Whose side?” Deklan shakes his head in confusion. “Sean’s?”
“Who else?” I step closer to him but not close enough to touch. “Are you going to do it, Dek? Are you going to give me to him?”
“Kera, he’s not serious about that.”
“He is. He’s told me as much.”
“What?”
I don’t reply.
“Kera, you’re my wife…” Deklan starts to reach for me but stops before making contact.
“So? I’m only your wife because he told you to marry me. It’s his ring I have on my finger, so I suppose he can have me whenever he wants!”
Deklan stills and stares at me for a moment.
“What do you mean, ‘it’s his ring’?”
“He told me. One of the times he was harassing me, he told me he bought this ring for me, not you.”
Deklan closes the gap between us and grabs both of my hands. He leans down a little and looks into my eyes as he speaks.
“What has he said to you? When have you even seen him when I wasn’t around?”
“It doesn’t matter.” I shake my head and try to push away, but Deklan holds fast.
“Kera, do not make me ask again. What has Sean said to you before?”
“Just…a lot of similar, suggestive stuff.”
“When?”
“A few times.”
“I swear to God, if you don’t stop being so vague, I’m going to end up punching a hole in the wall.”
“I don’t know where to start!” I finally say. “The first time was at the wedding reception. Then he came into the coffee shop. A couple of times at his house. Whenever I’m around him and you’re not, he says something.”
“He came to the coffee shop?”
“Yeah, when I first started working there.”
“How did he even know you had a job there?”
“I thought you must have told him.”
“I didn’t. What did he say to you at the coffee shop?”
“He just…scared me.”
“How? What did he say about the ring? Give me the damn details, Kera!”
“He grabbed my arm, and he said he bought my wedding ring. He said that he picked it out for me.”
“Motherfucker.”
“I figured that was true. I understand. It’s not like you had time to go shopping. I would have figured it out myself eventually.”
“He still shouldn’t have told you that.”
“There are a lot of things he shouldn’t have said to me.”
“Come here.” Deklan pulls me close to him before leading me to the edge of the bed. We both sit, and he strokes the side of my face. “I would never let him touch you—you have to know that. I love you, and I wouldn’t let anyone hurt you, not even Sean.”
I want to believe him, but I’m not sure I can trust his words. When it comes right down to it, if Deklan has to make a choice, I’m not sure which way he will go.
“Please, Kera.” “I’ll keep you away from him,” Deklan says. “I swear I will. You will always be at my side, and you will never be alone with him again.”
“Do you think that will stop him?”
“Yes, I do.” He hugs me to his chest. “If it doesn’t, and he says something to you in front of me, I’ll take care of it.”
“What does that mean?”
“I will make it clear that I won’t put up with that.”
“He might not listen.”
“Let me worry about that if the time comes.”
“Maybe I should just stay away from the Foley place completely.”
“No, it will be easier for me if you are close by. Working for the family is a good thing for you, and Teagan approves. That’s important. Besides, you were right about needing a job. I can’t keep you locked up here under twenty-four hour guard even though it is tempting sometimes.”
I press my head to Deklan’s chest, finally letting myself be comforted by him. I want to believe everything he says. I need to believe it all. If I don’t, I’ll go as mad as Sean already is.
“Please don’t be angry with me.” Deklan runs his hand over my back.
“I’m not,” I say quietly. “Not really.”
“You’re scared.”
“Yes.”
“I am, too.”
I’m startled by this admission, and I lean back to look into his eyes. He is scared. I can see it all over his face as he strokes my cheek, but I don’t know if he’s scared for me or for himself—maybe both.
“I need you,” Deklan says. “Everything’s falling apart around me, and you’re the only thing I have left to hold onto that makes any sense.”
Chapter 35
Gentle rain patters on the pavement as Deklan and I enter the Foley mansion, wipe our feet, and head to the study. Teagan is waiting for me. She’s going to show me the rest of the accounting software today. As we work, Deklan, Sean, and Brian talk quietly off in the corner. I can’t hear them, and Deklan didn’t give me any idea why they are meeting today.
“The numbers here update another spreadsheet,” Teagan says. “I know it seems complicated, but once you figure out how they tie together, it will all make sense. It’s actually pretty easy to run the numbers when you need to.”
“It seems pretty straightforward,” I say. I flip from one spreadsheet to another. “I’d like to get a look at the backend database. I think I could learn faster if I did.”
“You fancy yourself a database girl?” Teagan smiles. She obviously loves her tech, and I think she appreciates having another technical person around. “I’ll give you access, but it will be read-only so you don’t have to worry about fucking it up.”
“Cool. I just want to look at the structure and relationships.”
Teagan shows me the database and then joins her brother and the rest of the guys. Deklan comes over a few minutes later.
“We’ve got some business,” he says. He doesn’t make eye contact with me, and I’m not about to ask him where he’s going or what he’s going to do. “I don’t like the idea of leaving you here, but Sean will be with me, and Teagan is in the house if you need anything. Are you going to be all right?”
“I’ll be f
ine. I’m still learning the system, and I need alone time with the computer to get the hang of it.”
“I don’t know how long we’ll be gone. It might be a while.”
“I’m fine, Deklan, really.” I am, too. As long as Sean is with Deklan, he can’t bother me. “I’ve got plenty of work to keep me busy.”
“Okay.” Deklan takes my chin between his fingers and kisses me lightly. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
I glance over and see Sean watching us with narrowed eyes. I shiver slightly. Deklan glances over his shoulder and then looks back at me.
“Love you, babe,” he says loud enough for anyone in the room to hear.
“I love you, too.” My voice isn’t as loud but probably still audible enough. Deklan smiles and kisses me once more.
All the men leave. Teagan heads into another part of the house, and I go back to my work. Teagan comes into the room once or twice to answer questions, but for the most part, I am on my own for the afternoon. I’m finally getting the hang of the spreadsheets and how they interconnect, and it’s nice to have something to focus on for a while.
I’m also getting an interesting view of the Foley family enterprise. Between racing and stud services, the horses are a major source of legitimate income as are the investment firms and a chain of delicatessens. Interestingly enough, I see funds set aside to buy out a list of car wash facilities, one of which is owned by my father.
Out of curiosity, I look at the plans for future business acquisitions and notice that most of my father’s businesses are on the lists of places to be purchased. In fact, some of them have already transferred ownership.
Is this my Dad’s way of getting into the family?
I remember Deklan’s response to my father’s involvement in my kidnapping, and I’m sure he wouldn’t allow my father to profit from business sales. I check the numbers, but I don’t know if the offers are high or low.
I shake my head. I don’t want to think about my father.
As early evening approaches, it starts to rain harder. Thunder rattles the windows, and the lights flicker before going off altogether. The power outage only lasts a couple of minutes, and I’m grateful for the laptop’s battery. I’ve lost my connection to the database, but at least I haven’t lost any work.
When the lights come back on, I can’t get the damn laptop to connect to the Wi-Fi and eventually give up. Before the power went out, I was really close to being done with the last task Teagan gave me for the day, and I want to finish. I know there has to be another computer around here, so I head into the room behind the office where Deklan and Sean hold their conferences.
I see a laptop on a desk facing the far wall. The computer is still illuminated from whoever might have used it last. I’m surprised to find that it’s not password protected, and I wonder if I will even be able to access the server.
There’s a thick cable coming from the floor under the desk, and I see the laptop has a wired connection to the server, which is perfect. It’s not at all secure, and I make a mental note to talk to Teagan about security in general.
I look at the icons on the desktop, hoping to find the software I need, but the icon isn’t there. I start to browse through the files to find the right program but stop when I see a folder with my name on it.
I can’t help it—I double-click the folder to open it.
There are pictures inside. Nothing too interesting—mostly pictures of me working at the coffee shop and a few from the wedding reception. Still, a creepy feeling runs up my arms as if I’ve just walked through a spider’s web. I assume these are pictures that Charlie Grange took while he was spying on me. Looking at them leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
I’m about to close the folder when I see that one of the files is a video. The preview image is dark, and I can’t make out what’s in the frame.
Only one way to find out.
My hand shakes as I press the play button.
The video has obviously been taken on someone’s phone. I recognize the hallway immediately—it’s the one leading up to the apartment where Deklan and I live. The video jumps around to the rhythm of soft footsteps before it stops at the door to our apartment. A man’s hand reaches out and fits a key into the locks—first the deadbolt and then the doorknob.
Inside, the apartment is dark. The video shifts to the kitchen and then the hallway to the bedroom. A moment later, I see myself lying on the bed with my arms wrapped around Deklan’s pillow. The image focuses on my sleeping face and bare shoulders for a moment before the hand returns, grips the top of the sheet and blanket, and slowly pulls it away from my nude body.
“Oh, God,” I whisper. I know instantly when the video was taken. I remember waking up in the middle of the night, blankets on the floor, and hearing the front door shut. “It was him.”
“Kera, Kera, Kera.” I recognize Sean’s voice on the video. “So fucking gorgeous.”
The image pans back and forth over my body as my heart begins to pound. I watch Sean’s hand reach out again. He touches my shoulder lightly with his fingertip and then moves lower, circling one of my nipples. It hardens as he touches it, and a wave of nausea hits me hard.
“Should I just fuck you right now? Have you wake up with my cock buried inside of you? Would you cry? I’d fucking love it if you cried.”
I can taste bile in my throat, and I have to swallow hard.
“Deklan won’t like the idea of sharing. Someday, though—someday he’s going to screw up. He’ll beg for my forgiveness and offer you up to me. Then I’m going to make him watch.”
I cover my mouth with my hand as my stomach turns. I swallow again and again just to keep from throwing up. My head starts to pound along with my heart as I stare at the screen.
He’s touching me. He’s touching me. He’s touching me.
“What the everloving fuck is that?”
I startle, nearly scream, and swivel in the chair to see Deklan standing over my shoulder, staring at the screen with wide eyes and his hands balled into fists. He turns his glare at me, but as soon as he sees my face, he closes his eyes. He turns his head away for a moment, gritting his teeth and flexing his arms.
He takes in a long breath before he looks at me softly. He reaches out and brushes a tear from my cheek.
“Show it to me,” Deklan says quietly.
“What?”
“Go back.” Deklan turns the chair so I’m facing the computer again and then places his hand on my shoulder, rubbing gently. “Go back to the beginning. I want to see it all.”
I swallow hard before I drag the cursor over the screen to bring the video back to the beginning. It starts up again, and the nausea comes back. I can’t watch, so I look down at the keyboard instead. I can still hear Sean’s words though, and they echo in my head even after the video ends.
Deklan turns the chair until I’m facing him again. He drops to one knee and takes my face in his hands.
“You said you had a dream. You said you woke up and thought someone was there, but you thought it was just a dream.”
“I thought it was.”
“He…he was there, in our apartment.” I’m not sure if he’s asking a question or not. Deklan closes his eyes and shifts his head away. “You never knew?”
“I didn’t know.” Tears continue to fall down my cheeks, and Deklan wipes them away with his thumb. “How could I have known?”
Deklan closes his eyes and grits his teeth again.
“Teagan was right,” he whispers. “I have been blind to all this. I’ve been blind to him. Other than Brian, he is the only other person who knows about the new place. He has a key, too.”
Deklan takes out his phone. His hand is shaking as he punches in a number.
“Brian?” he says. “Gather everyone together—Teagan and Mac, too. Everyone but Sean. I’ll meet you in an hour.”
Deklan shoves the phone back in his pocket, rubs his eyes with his hand, and then turns to me. He leans over and takes my face in his ha
nds and speaks his words slowly.
“This ends now.”
Chapter 36
At the warehouse, everyone has gathered. Teagan sits on top of the desk, configuring her new phone. Brian and Mac sit next to one another at a folding card table, mumbling too quietly for me to catch their words. They go quiet as Deklan and I take our seats across from them. Lucas is the last one to arrive. When he takes a seat at the table, they all look at Deklan.
“We have a problem,” he says.
“We’ve had one for a while now,” Teagan replies. “I’m glad to see you’re finally willing to recognize it.”
“Well, I had a bit of an eye-opener.” Deklan watches me closely as he tells everyone about the video I found on Sean’s laptop.
I glance at Brian as Deklan relates the details of the video. His face has gone completely white, and it’s clear he knows exactly what night this occurred. He glances up at me for a second, and it looks as though he’s about to cry.
“It’s my fault,” he says. He clears his throat and then looks at Deklan, repeating the words louder. “It’s all my fault, Dek. I never should have—”
“It’s Sean’s fault,” Deklan says. He looks sternly at Brian. “He’s violated my wife, and it’s not going to happen again.”
Brian leans forward with his arms across his knees. He looks like he’s about to vomit.
“Let me be clear to all of you, but especially you, Teagan. This family has been my life for a long time. Kera is now a part of that, and any affront to her is an affront to the family. I don’t claim the Foley name, but—”
“Dek, I’ve never given a shit about what your last name is.” Tegan scowls at him.
“I know.” Deklan nods and gives her a quick smile. “I just want to be clear that this isn’t all about me or my wife. Sean killed his own flesh and blood. Most of you were there when he did it.”
“You’re talking treason, boss,” Mac says quietly. “Are we really going there?”
“I’m open to suggestions,” Teagan says, “but I don’t know what other choice we have.”
“Teagan is on our side, and Neil is dead,” Deklan says. “Sean is the only other Foley left, and my loyalty to him is broken. One thing Sean is right about—no one just walks away from this.”