Chapter 24 #3
Declan watched me, his eyes softer than they'd been moments ago when we'd been discussing murder. He reached up and gently brushed a tear from my cheek with his free hand. “We'll be okay, Bella. I promise.”
“Okay, we're all here.” Cassidy's breathless voice crackled back through the speaker. Muffled shouts filled the background, and a door slammed.
“Jesus, bro, where the hell are you?” a male voice barked down the line.
“Hey, Mitch. It's good to hear your voice.” Declan's expression softened more. “We're trapped in the diamond mine.”
“What the hell are you doing down there?” Kayden’s angry voice boomed through the speaker.
“Long story, Kayden. Bella and I are stuck at the bottom of the main shaft. Someone cut the lift cable.”
“Shit.” Cassidy's voice pitched higher. “Are you hurt? Is Bella okay? Who cut the cable?”
“Was it the bastards who shot the cows?” Kayden demanded.
“Yeah, Declan, what the fuck's going on?” Mitch added. “Does this have something to do with Frank?”
Declan's gaze flicked to me, and his expression shifted to protective, almost possessive, like he wanted to shield me from their questions.
“I'll tell you everything later,” he said firmly. “Right now, Bella needs medical treatment. She's burned her hands, and she's been through hell. I need you to get a rope down to us ASAP.”
“Okay. We're on it.” Cassidy sucked in a breath. “Glad you're okay, buddy. But I can't wait to hear this story.”
“How do we get you out of there?” Kayden asked.
“You know the main shaft access?” Declan stayed amazingly calm.
“Yes.”
“We're in the lift chamber at the bottom. You'll need to lower a rope down the main shaft and secure it to a winch at the top. Bring a harness.”
“Where the hell’s the harness?” Cassidy's voice went sharp with panic. “Someone tell me it was put back properly!”
“Cass,” Mitch said flatly. “Calm down.”
“Right. Okay. I'll get the supplies ready.” Her voice was steadier now, focused. “Hey, Dec, don't tell them anything until I can hear, too.”
Declan's lips twitched with a hint of a smile. “I won't.”
“And you better tell us everything, or I will personally throw you back down that stupid mine,” Cassidy added.
A tiny laugh slipped out of me before I could stop it. It came out wobbly and cracked, like my body had forgotten how.
Declan looked at me, and the warmth in his eyes almost undid me completely.
“Quit worrying, Cass,” Declan said. “Just hurry up and get us out of here.”
“Okay. We're coming. See you in a minute, Dec. Love you, bro.”
“Love you, too, Cass.”
“And Bella. I'm glad you're okay, too.”
“Thank you.” My voice sounded hollow. They loved Declan so fiercely and so completely. They were going to hate me once they knew about the danger I'd put him in.
“Okay, Dec, walk us through what to do.” Mitch was back on the line, all business.
As Declan explained how to reach us and how much rope they'd need, the lights flickered and dimmed.
“Mitch, bring flashlights. The generators are about to die.”
“Generators?” Kayden snapped. “They're still running?”
Declan mouthed shit at me. “Yeah. Surprised the hell out of me, too.”
He glanced around the shaft as if mentally cataloging what else we'd need. As he rattled off instructions and his brothers fired back questions, I realized the impossibility of what was coming next. We couldn't explain what happened without mentioning Rocco and Pike.
Declan pulled the handset closer and scowled at it. The battery indicator showed one bar. “Listen, we don't have much power left. The genny's running low.”
Static hissed down the line, a low crackling hum that made my skin prickle.
He spoke faster, giving them landmarks, measurements, and warnings about the unstable ground near the shaft entrance. His brothers kept interrupting with questions, clarifications, and confirmations.
Declan lowered the handset. “Shit. Battery's gone.” He jiggled the cable, tried the transmit button again, then shook his head. “I hope they got all that.”
He pressed the handset back into the case, then removed the bag of uncut diamonds and slipped them into his jeans pocket. “This is all the evidence we need.”
I nodded because my throat wouldn't work. Because my mind was spiraling through everything that would come next.
The blood in the kitchen. The shattered gate. The tire tracks. The dead cows. Every question they'd asked would need an answer. Every question would lead to Rocco and Pike.
Declan moved to the crumpled lift and peered up the shaft like he expected the rope to come tumbling down any second.
A strange ache settled in my chest; part grief, part longing.
I'd come here to destroy his family.
However, they were the most loving family I'd ever known.
Declan and his siblings would die for each other.
My mother had been wrong. The Bransons weren't the ones I needed to stay away from.
They were everything I'd ever wanted. Love, loyalty, and belonging, all tangled together in a fierce and unbreakable bond.
Except for Frank.
Declan was right. Frank needed to be stopped.
And I don't care what Declan said.
If he’s going after Frank, then we’re doing it together.