Chapter 25 #2
“What?” Cassidy scrunched her brows. “Like who?”
“Nobody, just checking.”
“You’d better elaborate on what’s going on, Dec, or I swear—”
“I will, Cass,” I said. “I promise.”
Bella looked up at me, and the terror in her eyes made my chest ache. She knew, as well as I did, that there was nothing we could do to stop the questions now. I’d been foolish to think otherwise.
Cassidy drove right up to the main house back verandah steps. Gus, our senior ranch hand, jerked awake from where he'd been sleeping on the floorboards, scrambling to his feet.
Cassidy laughed as she jumped out. “Looks like I scared the shit out of him, too.” She marched toward him. “What are you doing here?”
I helped Bella out of the truck while Mitch and Kayden climbed down from the back.
“Oh, you found Declan,” Gus said, squinting against the setting sun. “Where was he?”
“He fell into the old mine, but he's fine,” Cassidy said, clapping Gus on the shoulder. “Go get some sleep. Take the night off.”
Gus picked his cowboy hat up off the verandah. He glanced at me with an expression that said he knew damn well he'd been fed a lie, then shoved his hat on his head and strode to his horse, Orion, tied to the railing.
As I led Bella inside, she swayed on her feet a fraction, as if the adrenaline that had been keeping her awake for the last two days had suddenly gone. “Okay, let's get those hands looked at properly.”
“I'm fine,” she muttered, voice thready.
“You're not fine. You need proper medical attention. Your hands—”
“Are bandaged.” She lifted them slightly. “They'll be okay for now.”
“Bella—”
“Declan.” She looked up at me, her expression fierce despite her obvious exhaustion. “I'm fine. I just want a shower. And clean clothes. And food. In that order.”
I wanted to bundle her into my truck and drive her straight to my place, but the stubborn set of her jaw told me I'd lose that fight.
“Fine,” I said. “But after that, you're coming back to my place, where I can keep an eye on you.”
A tiny smile touched her lips, but it didn't reach her eyes. “I like the sound of that.”
That easy agreement made my chest tighten and my heart dance.
Cassidy appeared in the doorway. “Bella, come on. I've got the shower running in my bathroom. Mitch and Kayden, make yourselves useful and rustle up some food for everyone. We'll meet back in the kitchen.”
Bella glanced at me one more time, and the pleading in her eyes made me want to pull her close and promise her everything would be okay. But Cassidy hooked her arm around Bella's shoulder, and I watched until they disappeared down the hallway.
Someone whistled behind me, and I turned.
“You’ve got it bad,” Mitch said, smirking.
Kayden stood beside him, both of them wearing knowing looks.
“Doesn't look like it was all bad being trapped together in the dark,” Kayden said, waggling his eyebrows.
“Shut up,” I said, though I couldn't knock the smile off my face.
Kayden grinned. “Never seen you like this before, bro. I like it.”
Yeah. I like it, too. A lot.
“Go shower,” Mitch said, his expression sobering. “You smell like roadkill. Use the guest bathroom, I’ll grab a change of clothes from your place.”
“I’ve got clothes in my office.”
Mitch nodded, like he half expected that. “We’ll get some food together. Meet you in the kitchen.”
“Thanks, guys.” Racing to beat Bella back to the kitchen, I had a hot shower, scrubbing off days of dirt, sweat, and grime. Afterward, I ducked into my office and changed into clean jeans and a button-down shirt.
I was heading back to the kitchen when I spotted Bella, framed by warm light in the hallway, and my brain forgot how to function.
She'd changed into a simple blue dress that hit just above her knees, and her damp hair fell in coppery waves around her shoulders. Even from here, I could smell the floral-scented soap Cassidy had given her.
She looked nothing like the terrified woman I'd held to my chest in the mine.
She looked like sunshine after a storm.
“Hi,” she said softly.
“Hi,” I managed. “You clean up nice.”
A smile tugged at her lips. “You, too.”
She tucked her hair behind her ear, and my breath caught. She'd removed the bandages.
I reached for her, turning her hands over in mine. “Jesus, Bella.”
Angry red burns cut welts across her palms. Blisters swelled on the ends of her fingers and thumbs. Some had burst, leaving loose skin flapping over raw flesh. Her wounds were much worse than I'd thought. Much worse than she'd ever let on.
“It was worth it,” she said quietly, meeting my eyes. “Every single second.”
My heart skipped a beat. No… a dozen beats.
As we stood there, I had the wild urge to scoop her up and carry her straight to my place, where I could kiss her properly without an audience.
But Cassidy's voice cut through the moment. “Get in here, you two! Food's ready!”
My stomach growled on cue.
Bella laughed. “Come on. Let's eat.”
I pulled her close, leaning in to whisper in her ear. “Listen, I know I promised to keep Rocco and Pike a secret—”
“Declan, don't worry. I know we have to tell them. I'll tell them everything.”
“No.” I gripped her arm gently. “Let me. I have a plan.”
She eased back, frowning. “What plan?”
“Trust me.”
She tilted her head, capturing me with those stunning eyes. “Declan, you're the only person in the world I do trust.”
My chest tightened. Her statement was so matter-of-fact and so sad. It truly hit home just how tragic her life had been. Well, it was time to turn that around. I raised her chin, making her look me in the eye. “You can trust Mitch, Cass, and Kayden. They'll have your back. I promise you that.”
She blinked, bit her lip, then nodded. “Okay.”
“Good. Now let me do the talking, okay?”
“Okay.” She held up her damaged hands with a small smile. “At least I can show them how I helped you.”
I caught her wrists carefully, holding her gaze. “You have no idea how much you've helped me.”
Her eyes softened, and for a moment, the rest of the world fell away.
“Oy,” Cassidy yelled. “We’re waiting.”
“Damn, she’s impatient,” I said as I hooked my arm around Bella’s narrow waist and led her into the kitchen. The bloody mess we'd left when we’d run for our lives was gone, and the only remnant of that lethal fight was the chunk taken out of the timber beam next to the counter.
Cass, Kayden, and Mitch stood around the central island, all with open beer bottles in their hands.
My brothers had assembled a feast that would make any teenager happy—crisps, cheese, crackers, biscuits, and Vegemite sandwiches.
No fruit or vegetables, and nothing resembling the incredible meals or cupcakes Bella cooked.
Would she return to cooking in this kitchen after what had happened here?
I truly hoped so.
“Sit,” Cassidy ordered, pointing at two empty barstools positioned at the counter. She shoved two steaming black coffees toward us. “Now eat. And start talking. We want all the details.”
“Yeah, like what the hell happened in this kitchen?” Kayden said, then shoved a whole Anzac biscuit into his mouth and washed it down with a swig from his beer.
“When I saw all that blood and those bloody knives, I thought… I thought, well, just tell us what happened,” Cass said, reaching for a Vegemite sandwich.
Bella and I sat facing them as if we were before a grand jury.
My heart hammered in my chest because I had no idea whether we were innocent or guilty.