Chapter 4
Declan
“Lee Lee, what the hell?” I say, rushing toward her, my arm already wrapping tightly around her trembling shoulders as I lead her inside.
She flinches. “Please, don’t fucking call me that,” she hisses, her voice cracked and thick with tears. They fall faster now, streaking down her already-red cheeks, her whole body shaking like she might fall apart right here on the porch.
My stomach drops. I’ve only seen her like this one other time, and the memory of that night claws its way to the front of my mind.
Panic digs into my spine, sharp and sudden, as I guide her gently to the couch.
I don’t let go. I can’t let go. She’s barely holding herself together, and I’m the only thing keeping her from breaking completely.
I sit down beside her, still holding her close. My arm stays locked around her shoulders, a silent promise I won’t let her face whatever this is alone.
“I’m sorry. Talk to me, Lena,” I plead, my voice softer now, steady even though my heart is anything but.
She slowly lifts her gaze to mine, and what I see there, raw, open fear, nearly stops my heart.
Her red-rimmed eyes are wide, glassy, and full of a kind of sadness I don’t know how to fix.
“I did something and now I’m in trouble,” she whispers, barely audible, her head shaking slowly like she’s trying to deny her own words.
“Trouble? What kind of trouble?” My whole body goes rigid. My mind is already racing, a dozen worst-case scenarios flooding through me. But I keep it together for her.
Lena is Wesley’s little sister, but she’s never been just that. She’s been mine, in all the ways that count, since we were kids. We’ve both seen more shit than most people survive, and she’s had it just as hard as Wesley and me. Maybe harder. I’ve always looked out for her. Always.
I reach up and gently move her hair out of her face, tucking the soft strands behind her ear. My fingers brush her cheek, and she leans into the touch like she needs it to stay grounded.
“Lena, talk to me,” I say again, firmer this time.
She inhales a shaky breath, and then the words fall from her lips like they hurt coming out.
“I did some gambling and now I owe money. Money I don’t have. They want it tomorrow, or they want me as payment.”
A strangled cry escapes her, and she collapses against me, burying her face in my chest as the dam fully breaks.
“I’m scared, Declan.”
Fuck.
I hold her tighter, cradling the back of her head and rubbing slow circles into her spine.
My jaw is clenched so tight it aches, but I don’t say a word about how reckless she was, how dangerous this could’ve been.
I want to yell, I really do. But when it comes to Lena, the protective part of me always drowns everything else out.
It always has.
“How much do you owe?” I ask, my voice low and calm even though my pulse is thundering.
She sniffles. “Five thousand.”
Fuck. That’s not pocket change. That’s the kind of money people break bones over.
“I’ve got you,” I say instantly, my hand still smoothing down her back. “I’ll pay it.”
She jerks back, eyes wide with shock as she shakes her head furiously. “No, Declan. I can’t take that kind of money from you.”
I let out a breath of disbelief and chuckle softly, trying to ease the tension in her. “I’ll get it back from Wesley. He owes me a few favors anyway.”
Her panicked reaction is immediate. She grabs a fistful of my shirt, clutching it like it’s the only thing keeping her afloat.
“No! You can’t tell Wesley. Ever.”
I close my eyes, trying to stay calm even as her desperation claws at my chest. Her hand shakes against me, her grip trembling.
“Lena, he’s my best friend.”
“And he’s my brother!” she fires back, voice cracking. “I’ve already disappointed him enough. He’s always worrying about me, always picking up the pieces. If he finds out about this, about what I did, it’ll crush him. This will be the breaking point.”
Her eyes lock on mine, pleading. “Declan, please. I’m begging you. Keep this between us.”
This gir, she could very well be the end of me.
Because I’ve never been able to tell her no. Not once. Not when she cried over a scraped knee when we were kids. Not when she begged me to cover for her sneaking out as a teenager. Not now, when the stakes are so much higher.
My loyalty to Wesley runs deep. But Lena?
She owns me.
She’s as much my family as he is, more, maybe. Because I’d do things for her I’d never do for anyone else, including him.
I exhale slowly, brushing a tear from her cheek with the back of my knuckle.
“Okay, Lena. I won’t tell him. But you need to let me help you. Let me take care of this.”
Her bottom lip trembles, but she nods, finally, and leans back into my chest like she’s letting herself breathe for the first time all night.
And I hold her. Tighter this time. Because whatever hell is coming, she won’t face it alone.
Not on my watch.
I reach out, my fingertips barely brushing Lena’s arm in a gesture meant to comfort, but the moment I make contact, she flinches, sharp and immediate, like she’s been burned.
My brows knit together, as my voice drops to a dangerous low. “What was that?”
Lena pulls her arm back and tugs her sleeve down instinctively, but she’s not fast enough. I catch a glimpse of the ugly purple and yellow bruising blooming beneath her skin.
My stomach twists, a fire sparking in my chest. “Lena, what the fuck happened to your arm?”
She looks away, shame washing over her face in waves. “It’s nothing, Declan. I’m fine.”
“That’s not nothing. Someone put their hands on you,” I say, my voice is ice, lethal in its calm.
She hesitates, gnawing on her bottom lip, clearly torn. But I lean in closer, my jaw clenched tight. “Tell me who did it. Right now.”
Her voice is barely above a whisper. “It was the guy I owe the money to.”
My whole body tenses, and I push back slightly to look at her fully. “He did this to you? He laid hands on you?”
She nods slowly, and guilt floods her eyes. “He came to remind me that the clock was ticking. Said if I didn’t pay by tomorrow, I’d regret it. I told him I was working on it, but he didn’t care.”
I stand abruptly, pacing now with my fists clenched at my sides, rage thrumming in my veins. “What’s his name?”
“Declan, please?—”
“Lena, I swear to God, you don’t tell me, I’ll find out anyway. Just make this easier.”
She hesitates, then finally whispers, “Jason Woods.”
The name hits me like a freight train. I stop mid-step, turn slowly, and stare at her like she just set off a bomb in the room.
“Jason Woods?” I repeat, my voice barely controlled. “That piece of shit put his fucing hands on you?”
Lena nods, swallowing hard. “I didn’t know what to do. I was desperate.”
My eyes blaze with fury, but my mind is already spinning. I tried to be nice and give this guy some extra time and this happens. This feels a lot more personal. If I would’ve grabbed him yesterday this never would’ve happened. It’s over for this asshole. Fucking over.
A plan forms dark and exact.
“You’re going to text him. Right now. Tell him you’ve got the money. Tell him to meet you at that old gas station off Route 9. He’ll come.”
“Declan, what are you going to do?” she asks, her voice laced with fear.
I kneel in front of her, grabbing her hands gently but firmly, as my eyes lock onto hers with blistering intensity. “You let me worry about that. You don’t owe him anymore, not after tonight.”
“But—”
“Lena. He touched you. That makes this personal.” My voice drops lower, darker. “And no one touches what’s mine to protect.”
Her breath catches at that, but she doesn’t fight me. She nods, fingers trembling as she pulls out her phone. “When should I tell him to meet you?”
“In an hour. First, I want you to shower and get something to eat.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“I don’t give a shit. Text him and get it set up. I’ll put out something for you to change into while you shower. We’ll eat something and you will stay here until I say further.” I glance down at her hand holding the phone. “Text him, Lena.”
This mother fucker is done. No one touches Lena and gets away with it.
“Declan, this is beginning to feel a little too familiar,” she whispers, keeping her eyes on her phone.
“Lena, don’t.”
She lifts her sad eyes to mine and sighs. “Wesley is going to ask questions.”
I take a calming breath and sit down next to her, grabbing her phone from her hand. She has Jason’s text pulled up and I shoot the text, setting this in motion.
I don’t wait for a reply because I know damn well he’ll be there.
He needs the money more than Lena knows.
But she’s right, Wesley and all the guys are going to ask questions.
I was the one who said give him more time and now I’ll be the one dragging his ass in.
Fortunately, I know how to keep secrets hidden to keep Lena safe.
“Let’s go. You need to shower and relax,” I say softly, reaching for her hand and gently helping her off the couch. She’s moving slow, her body still tense, like she’s holding herself together by a thread.
“I have leftover pizza you can eat when you’re done.”
A small smile tugs at the corner of her lips. Barely there, but it’s something.
“Cold pizza is my favorite,” she says, her voice quieter than usual but warmer now, like the storm inside her has eased just a little.
“I know,” I whisper, walking ahead of her and pulling open the drawer to grab an old T-shirt.
It’s worn and soft, one of my favorites, but I hand it to her without hesitation.
“I probably have a pair of basketball shorts that are too small. You can roll the waistband or whatever to make them fit. I’ll find them while you shower. ”
She nods, her fingers brushing mine as she takes the shirt. That tiny touch still manages to send a jolt through me. She doesn’t say anything else, just turns and heads toward the bathroom. The door clicks shut behind her, and a few seconds later, the water starts running.
The moment it does, I sink down on the edge of my bed and drop my face into my hands.
Fuck.
The weight of it all presses down on me like a goddamn cinder block. The guilt is suffocating. Jason Woods put his hands on her, bruised her, terrified her because of me. Because I wasn’t paying attention. Because I didn’t see it coming.
Watching him get his ass handed to him in the ring will help, a little. But it will only be temporary. Brutality doesn’t cancel out regret. It doesn’t unmake a bruise.
And now I’ve got Lena here, safe, for the moment, but keeping her here means keeping secrets. Dangerous ones. If Wesley finds out, when Wesley finds out.
Shit.
Keeping secrets is hard. But I’ve been doing it my whole life. You just have to know how to bury them deep enough that no one goes digging. And I will. I’ll bury this one if it means protecting her.
I just need to keep her here until this blows over. That’s all. Once I know she’s okay, really okay, I’ll let her go back to her place. But until then, I need her where I can see her. Where I can keep her safe.
Because she’s bruised because of me.
And nothing else is happening to her on my watch.
I blow out a breath and push to my feet, crossing the room to dig through the back of my closet. I pull out an old pair of gym shorts, the drawstring frayed but still usable. They might be her best bet.
She’s so small. Always has been.
I’m six foot, solid muscle, and she’s this tiny five-foot-three firecracker. She walks into a room and doesn’t even try to take up space but somehow, she always does.
Slim frame, delicate waist, and that ass. Jesus. That perfectly round, heart-shaped ass that makes every pair of jeans look illegal. And her tits? The kind that tease just enough cleavage to make a man forget his own damn name.
I drag my hand down my face and shake my head, trying to scrub the thoughts away.
Get a grip, Declan.
Just because I notice how gorgeous she is, how she’s grown into this confident, sexy-as-hell woman, doesn’t mean anything.
I’m a guy. Guys notice these things. That’s all it is.
But as I pull the shorts from the closet and place them on the bed, I already know I’m lying to myself.
Because I don’t just notice her.
I see her.
And that might be the most dangerous secret of all.