Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Detective Parker Ellis stood on the threshold of Declan’s hotel suite. The detective had been pounding on the door, and Declan had reluctantly answered when the pounding persisted. The last thing he felt like doing was talking to this prick again.
But, there they were. Face to face.
Parker raised one eyebrow. “Wanted to come by and update you on the scene at Marley’s place.” He craned to look over Declan’s shoulder. “Marley is here with you, isn’t she?”
“She’s sleeping.” And she needed to remain undisturbed. The woman had been up for well over twenty-four hours. Declan didn’t like the shadows that darkened her eyes. He also sure as hell hadn’t liked the pain that he’d seen flash in those eyes—and on her beautiful face—when she saw the wreckage at her home.
I knew they’d go after her. The minute Marley had saved him, she’d put a giant target on her back. Now, he had to protect her. At all costs.
He didn’t need a PI. Hell, he had a whole security team. No BS. But he did need Marley close. And if hiring her got him what he wanted…
Hello, my new PI.
“Sleeping, huh?” Parker rocked back on his heels. “And here I thought she’d be out tracking down the guys who took you. Being a one-woman army as she tries to prove that she’s a real PI.”
The detective was such an annoyance. “She is a real PI.”
Parker’s gaze slid to Declan’s face. “I can’t help you when you’re withholding information from me.”
I don’t particularly want your help. I will locate the bastards on my own. After all, what was the point of having limitless resources if you didn’t use them to hunt your enemies? But he couldn’t say that to the detective. “We called you as soon as we realized what had occurred at Marley’s place.” Because Marley had insisted on informing the detective. “She believed the wreckage at her house was tied to my abduction. If the perps left evidence behind, Marley was under the impression that you and your colleagues could find that material.”
“That’s what crime scene teams are for.”
He was well aware of what crime scene teams were for. “I believe we went over all of this at Marley’s place.” Time to shut the door in the cop’s face. “So unless you’ve come to give me new information…” Declan began to push that door closed.
Parker’s hand flew up and slammed against the wood of the door. “I get that you don’t like cops.”
Oh, he got that, did he? Declan had been mildly worried that the detective wasn’t aware of that important fact.
“I also get that you aren’t some squeaky-clean businessman.” Parker’s nostrils flared. “You think I haven’t seen your record?”
“My sealed record, you mean?” Because any crimes he’d committed as a minor should have been thoroughly sealed. Plus, of course, there was the fact that certain powerful individuals owed him—so those people had made sure Declan’s past was as dead and buried as it could possibly be.
Just as dead and buried as my bastard of a father.
Parker’s gaze had drifted to the scar that sliced over Declan’s face. “Self-defense,” Parker murmured. “At least, that’s what people say.” A pause. “Are they going to say the same thing when the bodies of your abductors turn up? And isn’t that the real reason you’ve got Marley close? You know they’re pissed at her for interfering. So pissed that they broke into her place and left that lovely knife shoved through her photo. They’re coming after her, so you figure you’ll be there when they do show up to punish her. And you’ll have your chance for some ice-cold vengeance.”
He hadn’t heard the creak of the bedroom door opening behind him. The suite was huge. The sprawling area included a dining room, a kitchen, a den, and two bedrooms. Plus, a grand piano and a pool table because, why the hell not? Marley was currently sleeping in the bedroom down the hallway to the right. Or at least, she should have been sleeping.
Unless Parker’s incessant pounding on the suite door had woken her.
But I didn’t hear the creak of the door to let me know she’d tiptoed out of the bedroom.
As for the charge that Parker was leveling at him…Declan rubbed his chin. “Unless I’m mistaken, I believe that I am their target. They kidnapped me once, after all. I don’t need to use Marley as some sort of bait.” He was doing the exact opposite. Trying to protect something that was precious. “I got away, so it stands to reason another attempt will be made on me. Marley is part of my protection deal.” No, she wasn’t. “When they come after me, I have to make sure they are stopped.” Permanently.
“You’re withholding intel,” Parker gritted out.
Prove it, cop.
“You want to hunt them on your own. You want to make them pay for what they did.”
Declan let his eyes widen. “Well, I can assure you, I am a bit unhappy with being drugged, kidnapped, and nearly tortured to death. Don’t know many individuals who would be thrilled with those events.”
Parker glared. “The cops can handle this.”
The cops had better get out of my way. This shit is personal.
“I know you remember more from last night.” Parker was a dog with a favorite bone. “You sent your goon running from the hospital fast enough. Gave him orders, and he took off like a hound on the hunt.”
“Tell me you’re not referring to James.” Declan winced. “He will be horrified to hear that you called him a goon. And then a hound. Offended to his very soul. He will never like you again.” Not that James had probably ever liked the cop in the first place.
“ You sent him running with instructions, didn’t you?” Low. Biting. “You told him what you remembered from the night of your abduction. He probably got a team to round up your suspects for the attack.”
The detective was not as clueless as Declan had feared.
“Let the cops handle this,” Parker urged him. His hand still pressed to the wood of the door. “We will arrest them. They’ll be locked away for what they did.”
Will they? “They may have already fled the city. If they are smart, that’s exactly what they’ve done. My guard was lowered when they took me.” A foolish mistake because he’d damn well been suffocating and had needed an escape. One night to disappear into a crowd and pretend he was someone else. But that didn’t happen. “It will not be lowered again.” Never again. Kidnap and nearly murder me once, shame on me. Come after me twice, and I’ll put you in a grave.
“We’re searching for that van. Marley got a partial on the plates, and we’re going to track it down. We will find them.” A grim vow from Parker. “Just don’t do anything foolish until we do, got it?”
“I’m not a foolish man. Quite the opposite. But thanks for the insult.”
Parker grunted. “You think I don’t get that you’re holding back? That I don’t realize you’re going for some vigilante justice BS?”
“And the insults keep coming.” Declan’s voice was mild. James would say that the more mild his voice became, the more dangerous his mood. “Do you always speak to crime victims this way, or am I special, Detective Ellis?”
“We interviewed the bartender at Abyss.”
Declan didn’t blink.
“Based on the location of where Marley saw you get thrown in the gray van, I had my team backtrack through the area. Cops went in all the bars and clubs. Found a waitress who remembered you at Abyss. I’m afraid that scar makes you hard to forget.”
“You don’t say. And here I thought it was completely unnoticeable.”
A muscle jerked along Parker’s jaw. “We pulled in the bartender who served your drink last night.” Parker’s stare was far to watchful. “Of course, I know you don’t remember him, right?”
“Um.”
“But we brought him in for interrogation earlier. His name’s Keith, and Keith swears he served you a completely normal drink. His boss even turned over surveillance footage so we could watch the encounter ourselves. There is no sign you were drugged at Abyss.”
Again, Declan made no movement. Nothing to tip off the detective that he did fully remember the name of the club and the SOB of a bartender who’d given him the drink. The only drink he’d had that night.
“You walked out of the place under your own steam. No stagger. No stumble. And you only took a few sips of your drink. You didn’t even talk to anyone except the bartender.”
The detective had been far more thorough than Declan expected. Kudos to the man. Slightly problematic, but still, he’d have to remember not to underestimate Parker Ellis again.
“Is any of this ringing a bell for you?” Parker pushed.
“The night is still foggy,” Declan said.
“That wasn’t a yes or a no.”
Right. It hadn’t been. “Perhaps I will recall more later.”
“Perhaps you will.” Parker’s nostrils flared “We had to let the bartender go after the interview. Keith has no record, and there is no evidence he did anything to your drink.”
I’ll find evidence on my own.
“Again, this is not a vigilante situation.”
“Detective.” Declan sighed. “What is it about me that makes you believe I am going out to seek vengeance on my own?”
“Your family. Your past. The fact that you’re far, far too calm for a man who was abducted and nearly murdered. Got to tell you, you’re not acting like any victim I’ve ever seen.” Suspicion darkened each word.
“That’s because I’m not like any victim you’ve ever seen before.” And the people who made me a victim? Oh, absolutely, they will pay. “Thank you for the update on my case.” Declan looked pointedly at the hand on the door. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to Marley.”
The hand on the door fisted. “I thought she was sleeping.”
“Yes, but why does she need to sleep alone?”
Parker’s teeth snapped together. He took a hard step toward Declan.
Declan didn’t back up. He never retreated from anyone. Hadn’t, not since he was sixteen years old. The year he’d learned to stand his ground.
And the year he’d learned how to kill.
Ah, was it any wonder the detective thought Declan had dangerous intentions toward both Marley and the people who’d made the mistake of taking him? The man was not wrong.
“Is there a problem, detective?” Declan asked, voice silky.
“You aren’t her damn fiancé.”
“No. I’m not. But I am her new client.” They’d even shaken hands on the deal. Not quite a signed contract situation, but he’d be taking care of that technicality immediately.
“Because you’re her client, you think that means you’re going to fuck her?”
Oh, there it was. Jealousy. Right out in the open. The detective had a very conflicted relationship with Marley, that was clear to see. “I think what we do together—or how often we fuck,” a deliberate provocation, “is none of your concern.”
Parker’s eyes were chips of fury. “Word of warning about Marley.”
As if he needed a warning where she was concerned.
“I’ve known her for a long time.”
“Have you.” Not a question. Declan would be investigating the detective—and Marley—and soon he’d know them better than they knew themselves.
“She has this tendency to think that she can fix the world.”
That seemed right. He’d already noticed that do-gooder trait in her.
“She’s drawn to broken things.” Again, Parker’s gaze dipped to the scar on Declan’s cheek.
Oh, you bastard. You think I’m broken, do you? You have no idea. “Good to know.” He smiled. Declan knew the smile would stretch his scar in a most terrifying way.
Parker jerked his stare back to Declan’s eyes. “Those broken things she wants to fix so badly? They break her. ”
Tension knifed straight through Declan’s gut. “She doesn’t seem broken to me.”
And he heard the creak of a door opening behind him.
“Appearances can be deceiving. If you don’t believe me, ask Marley why she isn’t working on that Ph.D. of hers any longer.” Parker took a step back, finally. “She shattered inside a while back, and she’s still weak now. You can’t count on her for this case. I told Marley that she should have just stuck with the pastry chef job. It was safe and easy. She’s not made for darkness.” His head snaked to the side, and his gaze cut over Declan’s shoulder. Declan knew the detective had Marley in his sights. “You’re not made for this kind of work, Marley. Didn’t you learn your lesson before?”
Declan heard her sharp inhale.
“Leave it to the professionals,” Parker advised her. “And both of you—don’t withhold evidence from me. Put all the cards on the table. I can’t help you if you’re not shooting straight with me.”
Declan could feel Marley closing in, but she didn’t speak. The scent of jasmine and amber teased him.
“You aren’t Ophelia,” Parker added darkly. “She might enjoy fucking killers, but that doesn’t mean you have to do the same.”
Well, someone had just crossed the line. With his words, and he’d literally crossed back into the hallway enough so that Declan could now?—
Slam the door in the detective’s face.
And he did. With a smile still curving his lips, Declan shut the door right on the annoying detective. He flipped the lock, pulled in a breath, and slowly turned toward Marley. “Did you have a nice rest?”
She blinked at him. Then looked at the door. “You slammed the door on a cop.”
“He was boring me.” And annoying the hell out of him. Declan took a step toward her. There were still shadows under her eyes. She’d clearly needed a longer nap. “He woke you up.” Asshole.
“I never sleep for long.” Marley tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Do you have questions for me?”
“Questions?”
“About the stuff Parker just said.” She braced her legs and straightened her spine. The pose didn’t make her look any bigger. With his six-foot-three frame, he towered over her.
Those broken things she wants to fix so badly? They break her. Parker’s words rolled through Declan’s head. The cop clearly thought Declan was just another broken thing that wanted to hurt Marley.
He doesn’t know me. He doesn’t know what I want to do with her.
But Marley was staring at him with those big, deep eyes of hers. And he nodded. “I do have questions.”
“Fair enough. You’re paying me a lot of money for my services, and I want you to know that you can count on me. I will not turn and run when things get dangerous. Parker is wrong about me.”
He eliminated the distance between them. Almost helplessly, his hand lifted, and his knuckles skimmed over the silk of her cheek. “I know that already.”
“You do?”
“You didn’t run at that shitty cabin, did you?” It would have been so easy to leave him. Yet she hadn’t.
Her fatal mistake.
“No, I didn’t.” She wet her lips.
He stopped touching her. But didn’t move back. “Have a big question for you.”
“I’m not broken. Well, maybe bent and banged up in a few places, but who isn’t?”
Declan shook his head. “The big question I have is…why in the hell did you ever date that prick?” And what did you do with him on that date? Because if that jerk put his hands on you ? —
“Oh, I-I thought he was safe.”
His brow furrowed. “Explain.”
“He’s a detective. No record. He protects and serves. Does the whole routine of safety. And he is a good detective, by the way. Thorough and determined. He puts criminals away. He upholds the law.”
Not like he wanted to hear her go on and on praising the douche. “If he’s so perfect, then why aren’t you two in wedded bliss somewhere?” More rage stirred at just the thought. He tamped it down. His voice was mild. Almost bored.
“He’s not perfect. Neither am I.” Her hands rubbed along the front of her jean-clad thighs. “And I don’t like it when someone tells me I’m broken and that I should stick to making pastries and that I should never have put myself into a situation that was dangerous in the first place. I don’t like it when someone treats me like I’ll shatter at any moment.” A shake of her head. “Parker and I have known each other since high school. Like I said, I thought he was safe. But I guess safety wasn’t what I wanted.”
Declan wanted to touch her again. Instead, he shoved his hands into the pockets of his dress pants. “What do you want?”
“I—” Marley stopped.
Say you want me. Say it. If she did, he’d take her right then and there. Nothing would stop him. Not if she just said those precious words.
“I want to solve your case. I want to prove that I can do this job.”
Hardly the passionate declaration that he’d craved. But they’d get to that declaration, sooner or later. He could be patient when he wanted something badly enough.
He wanted her very badly.
Marley swallowed. “I want to show that darkness doesn’t scare me.”
“Darkness can scare anyone.”
Her lashes flickered. “You’re not a safe man, are you, Declan?”
“Not even close.” He wouldn’t pretend on that issue. “If safety is what you crave, you should walk away from me now.” Because he would never be safe. When it came to Marley, he would be demanding. Possessive. Possibly obsessed.
He’d never had someone like her in his world before.
“I told you, I thought I wanted safety.”
“But what you really want is to fuck a killer?” The words just rumbled out. It’s what I am. What I’ve been since I was sixteen years old, and Parker—damn him—knows that dark truth about me.
She flinched. “Okay, below the belt. Parker is a straight jerk on that score.” Her brows beetled. “First of all, my cousin Ophelia is married to the man she’s, uh, involved with. And Lane Lawson was cleared of the charges that originally put him in jail. He was not a serial killer.”
Lane Lawson. The name rang some bells. A lot of them. Once upon a time, Lane Lawson had been hunted by the FBI because the Feds believed he’d been a serial killer. He’d been locked away, only to later be released. His sister and the lead FBI agent who’d locked him away had been the ones to free him. Except… wait, didn’t the tricky bastard break out of his cell before he was actually cleared?
“Parker mentioned Ophelia.” The lock of hair had slid forward again. Once more, Marley tucked it behind her ear. “Ophelia is my cousin. Second cousin, actually. She’s a great PI. It’s because of her that I got interested in the work—and in the Ice Breakers.”
Okay, shit. The distant bells weren’t just ringing. They were clanging hard in this head. “The Ice Breakers?” Surely not. Surely, she was not involved with?—
“They are a group that solves cold cases.”
Sonofabitch. How could the world be this small?
“They started online. Everyone came from different backgrounds. A reporter, a bounty hunter, law enforcement—you name it. Different people, but the same goal. Closing cases that have remained opened for years. Helping families solve mysteries that have haunted them.” She turned away. Walked toward the floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out over the city. “With my background in psychology, I thought I could help build victim and perpetrator profiles. I started working with them thanks to Ophelia’s connections, and then I decided to get my PI license as I became more involved.”
He didn’t speak. Mostly because he wasn’t sure what to say. Should he reveal his own connection to the Ice Breakers? Could he trust her with that intel?
“The Ice Breakers have made the news a great deal. The more cases that they solve, the more attention they attract. Like I said, the group started online, but it’s grown by leaps and bounds. Now Archer Radcliffe finances the operation. Families in need don’t pay a cent. Archer takes care of everything.”
He knew Archer. Billionaire. Secretive SOB. Once suspected of murder himself, only Archer had been cleared of the charges. Courtesy of the Ice Breakers.
Declan and Archer occasionally traveled in the same circles. Never friends. Business rivals. Sharks who understood not to swim too close to one another.
Declan’s gaze skimmed over Marley as she gazed out at the city. Darkness had fallen. It would soon be time for them to hunt.
You don’t have to tell her about your connection to the Ice Breakers. You don’t have to tell her anything.
She glanced over her shoulder at him. “We should get started on your case. Let’s find the bartender. Talk to any other staff members who were at the club you visited. Then we can scout the area around it. We’ll hit up any potential witnesses we find.”
“I know about the Ice Breakers.” A confession he hadn’t intended to make until the words actually slid from his mouth.
A nod from Marley. “Like I said, they make the news a bit so?—”
“My brother is friends with a few of them.” Again, an admission that he hadn’t planned to offer. He didn’t talk about his brother with anyone.
She’s not just anyone.
Marley whipped around and faced him fully. “Your brother? I didn’t know you had a brother. I thought I’d read you were the sole heir to your father’s—” Marley broke off, as if uncertain how to end that particular statement.
“Twisted nightmare of a legacy?” he finished for her, trying to be helpful.
“That wasn’t what I was going to say.”
No, of course not. Because Marley was nice. “This is confidential information.” Once more, he closed the distance between them. “As in, it doesn’t leave this room. Understand?”
Her head tipped back as she stared up at him. “Consider me a vault.”
And, oddly, Declan thought he could trust her. Don’t betray me, Marley. You won’t like the way I respond to betrayal. “I didn’t know my brother was alive.” He’d hoped that the guy was but after so many years of searching, hope had pretty much been a memory. “He disappeared when I was a kid.” His brother had been two when he vanished. “Over the years, I hired dozens of PIs to find him. To turn up something that would lead me to him.” But there had been nothing. “James told me I had to move on. That my brother was dead. Just like my mother was. They both supposedly died in a fiery car crash. No bodies were ever recovered because the car went down a ravine and exploded. Empty caskets were put in the ground. Everyone else bought the story of their deaths, but I didn’t. I couldn’t.”
She reached out and curled her fingers around his hand. Marley didn’t offer words of sympathy or comfort, but he could see both in her expression. She stared at him as if she wished she could take his pain away.
Uncomfortable, he almost stepped back.
Don’t retreat. Not from anyone. Declan cleared his throat. “Then I turned on the news one day, and, lo and behold, I saw him. All grown up, of course, but it was him. Hell, it was like looking into a mirror.” His free hand rose and brushed over his scar. “Minus one big difference, of course.”
She didn’t even look at the scar. “You must have been so happy.”
Happy? Yeah, he guessed that was how he felt. Maybe. Hard to say for sure because he hadn’t been happy many times in his life. Not real certain what happiness feels like. Maybe he’d just been stunned. “He didn’t remember me.” And I could never forget him.
Her hold tightened on him.
“He had a new name. A new life. A new family.” His lips twisted. “Even a new brother.”
She didn’t just hold his hand. She threw her arms around him and held on tightly.
“Marley?” Why was she hugging him?
“You can have more than one brother,” she declared as she held him as if her life depended on it. “And you can love them just the same.”
His hands hovered over her back. Was he supposed to embrace her, too? The embrace she was giving him wasn’t passionate. Wasn’t about sex at all. He didn’t normally embrace women if sex wasn’t involved. This hug was odd. And it made him feel different. Too uncertain.
“Don’t give up on him. Doesn’t matter who else is in his life now.” She gave him another squeeze, then seemed to realize that he wasn’t holding her in return.
She pulled away just as he began to curl his arms around her.
Marley took a quick step back. She almost bumped into the window. “Don’t give up,” she urged again. “Some people are worth fighting for.”
He nodded, slowly. “They absolutely are.”
Her smile flashed at him, and Declan stopped breathing. It was a real smile. Big and beautiful. Maybe the most beautiful thing that he’d ever seen in his entire life. It lit her eyes. Made the darkness shine, and he realized that Detective Parker Ellis was dead wrong. There was nothing broken about her.
There was only beauty.
A beauty that he would happily kill to protect.
She is going to be mine.
And Declan never, ever gave up what belonged to him.
“Are you ready to hunt the bad guys?” Marley asked him.
Oh, darling. You’re staring straight at the worst guy out there. Maybe she’d figure out that truth at some point. Maybe she wouldn’t. After all, he was very good at pretending. So Declan just nodded once more and said, “Absolutely.”
I’m not just going to hunt these fools. I am going to destroy them. By the time Declan was done, they’d be begging for mercy. Too bad for them, he had never been the merciful sort.
If his father was still alive, he could have vouched for that truth. Sometimes, Declan’s father’s cries still played in his head. The way his father had begged at the end…
Don’t, please…don’t!
But his father had died. And Declan had walked away, covered in his blood and with a scar to remind him that a monster had truly been born that long ago day.
“I heard what Parker said about the bartender.” She grimaced. “Don’t hate me, but I was eavesdropping.”
He wasn’t sure he could hate her.
“I’m not sure the guy is going to cooperate with us after being grilled by the PD.”
“He’ll cooperate.” Declan was certain on that point. “He’ll have no other option.”
“You…just so you know, you kinda sound scary.”
He laughed. “Darling, I am scary.”