Chapter 18
18
Declan
T he silence of my cabin feels oppressive, almost mocking. I texted Jade hours ago to confirm our date and haven’t heard anything from her all day. I’ve been staring at my phone for the better part of an hour, willing a response to appear on the screen. Nothing. No text. No call. Radio silence.
My gut twists, and I can’t shake the growing sense of unease. We’re often playing phone tag with each other, but she always responds eventually. Something feels off.
Not for the first time, I start to wonder if she even wants to see me again. I’ve been pushing off our date for weeks to better heal, and I know that’s frustrating. If I were her, I’d probably assume that I’d lost interest, though that isn’t remotely the case. Before I met her, I felt like I was drifting in life, not anchored to anything at all in this world. That’s how lost I was after Cassidy’s death. After those two days with her, though, I finally felt like there was good in the world again. Like I was grounded to something again.
I’ve been trying to play it cool, trying not to push too hard, but the truth is, I miss her a lot. Maybe it’s ridiculous, but I don’t care. We spent two perfect days together, and since then she’s all I can think about. We fit together perfectly, like she was a piece of my puzzle that I didn’t know I was missing until now. I would’ve gone the rest of my life thinking that there was no one else in the world who could make me feel that way. I’ve been desperate to see her again, to touch her again and feel that instant spark.
But now I’m scared she’s ghosting me. I would get it, honestly, but it would break my heart to not see her again.
I tap out another message to her: Jade, you okay? Let me know if you need anything.
I hit send and stare at the phone, hoping for those three little dots that mean she’s typing. But the screen remains stubbornly blank. The minutes drag by, my anticipation growing with every passing second. Suddenly, an entire hour has passed and she hasn’t answered me. Screw it. I scroll to her name in my contacts and hit the call button.
The phone rings once. Twice. Three times. I’m sure it’s about to go to voicemail when she finally answers.
“Hello?” Her voice is choked, shaky, and my chest tightens instantly. She’s crying.
“Jade?” I ask sharply, already on my feet and heading toward the door. “What’s wrong?”
I knew something was wrong. I felt it in my gut.
“I can’t talk about it,” she stammers. Her words come out in a rush, as if she’s not taking the time to properly breathe. “Declan, you need to stay away from me. Please. It’s not safe. You were right, I’m dangerous.”
“Dangerous? Jade, what are you talking about? Tell me what happened.”
“I can’t,” she sobs again uncontrollably.
“Jade,” I whisper her name softly, almost like a prayer. “Please talk to me. I want to help you.”
“You can’t help,” she answers tearfully. “I never should have gotten involved with you; I knew I would only hurt you.”
Her words hit me like a punch to the gut, all of my worst feelings being realized. Has she somehow figured out who I am? Is she afraid of me? But then I realize that I’m giving in to my own insecurities. She isn’t afraid of me. She thinks I should be afraid of her. Something clicks in my mind, and my blood begins to boil.
“Did someone threaten you?” I ask, thinking of my brother or any one of his many associates. I can’t say for sure that he’s involved, but she definitely sounds like someone’s spooked her.
There’s a long pause, and then she whispers reluctantly, “Yes.”
I grab my keys and walk out the door, ready to go to war with anyone who’s come in contact with her.
“Who was it?” I demand. “What did he look like? I’m coming to you, we’re going to figure this out.”
“I can’t tell you,” she whispers hoarsely. “I just need you to stay away, okay? I don’t want you getting hurt.”
“Not happening,” I say firmly. “Where are you?”
“Declan—” she tries to protest, but I cut her off.
“Tell me where you are,” my voice is sharper than I intend, but I don’t care. She’s in trouble, and I’m not about to let her handle it alone.
She hesitates, and for a moment, I think she’s going to hang up. But then she says, “I’m at work. At the hardware store.”
“Stay there,” I tell her, though I feel more like I’m begging. I need her to stay put until I can get to her. “Don’t move. I’m coming to get you.”
I don’t wait for her to respond. I hang up, already starting my truck and pulling out of my driveway.
The drive feels like it’s taking forever, every red light and slow-moving car testing the limits of my patience. My mind is racing, running through worst-case scenarios. Who threatened her? Why? And why the hell does she think I should stay away? The idea of her being in danger, of someone hurting her, makes my hands tighten on the steering wheel until my knuckles turn white.
If Patrick has somehow found her and threatened her, I’ll kill him. I don’t care if he is my brother, I’ve already lost one woman I care about because of him. I’m not going to lose another. But the longer the drive takes, the more I can calm down a bit and see reason. Of course Patrick isn’t involved. He’s not here yet. And even if he were, how would he even know about her?
This is something else, something that happened prior to me.
As I grip the steering wheel, another thought creeps in, one I’ve been avoiding. If Jade’s in danger, if someone’s coming after her, she deserves to know the truth about me. About my past. I’ve kept it buried, locked away, but maybe it’s time to let her in. She’s already in my head, my heart. If I’m going to protect her, she needs to know where I’ve come from and what my family is capable of. I just hope that it won’t scare her away.
When I pull into the parking lot, my eyes immediately scan the area. She’s standing outside the store, her arms wrapped around herself, her head darting from side to side like she’s expecting someone to jump out at her. My chest tightens at the sight of her, small, vulnerable, and terrified. I throw the truck into park and barely have time to open the door before she’s running toward me.
The moment she reaches me, she throws her arms around my neck, and I hold her tightly, feeling the way she’s trembling. Her breaths are quick, shallow, her face still wet from her tears. My arms tighten around her, as if I can shield her from whatever’s out there, whatever has her this scared.
In my arms, it feels like no time at all has passed. I feel exactly the same way I did when we were together for the first time. Whole.
“It’s okay,” I murmur against her hair. “You’re okay now. You’re safe.”
She pulls back just enough to look at me, her eyes wide and the tears running down her face.
“Declan, I…”
“We’ll talk in the truck,” I say gently, cutting her off. “Let’s get out of here.”
She nods, climbing into the passenger seat. As I pull out of the parking lot, I keep an eye on the rearview mirror, scanning for anyone who might be following us. Jade keeps glancing back too, her anxiety palpable. I reach over and place a hand on her knee, trying to steady her.
“You’re safe with me,” I say firmly. “No one’s going to hurt you. Not while I’m here.”
Her lip trembles, but she nods, her hands twisting together in her lap. I can tell she’s holding something back, something big. But I don’t push her. Not yet. Whatever it is that’s going on, she’ll tell me when she’s ready. The most important thing is that she’s here with me, and I know that nothing will happen to her. I won’t let anything happen to her.
I glance over and notice her face is paler than normal, apart from the splotches of red from where she’s been crying. Her hands are trembling still and I grab the one closest to me, pulling it to my lips and kissing it. I can’t take her pain away completely but damn it if I don’t want to try.
She finally calms down enough to stop crying, her breath returning to normal as she wipes her face with her sleeve. Though her small hand is still slightly trembling in mine, it feels as if she’s stilled a fraction. I’d like to believe that it’s because she feels safer with me.
As my cabin comes into view, I grab my phone to activate the security system. The cameras light up, and I set the motion sensors to high sensitivity. If anyone so much as breathes near this place, I’ll know about it.
I gently help her out of the car and guide her inside, where I turn on all the electric locks and set the inside security system so that no one else can get in without setting off a million alarms. It may take the local police a while to get here, but I do have a few firearms hidden around just in case. Old habits and all that.
This is my fortress, a shield from the outside world and the dangers of my past. Now it’s hers, too.