By the time all that’s finished, it’s twilight beyond the wall of windows, and I’m tired.
Unusually tired. Unless I had a big night out with Nat, I’m always brimming with energy. Right now, I feel like someone sucked all my energy out with a vacuum.
That’s probably what Declan was doing right before I woke up next to him in bed.
I walk around the room three times, inspecting everything again, hoping to find any clue about its occupant I might have missed, but have no luck. I also don’t find anything I can use as a weapon. Not that I think Declan is going to hurt me, but there’s no telling when the desire to stab him will present itself.
I’m about to give up and go to sleep when the man himself returns.
I didn’t think it was possible for him to look angrier than the last time I saw him, but I was wrong.
He closes the door behind him with such force, I jump. Then he stands there, staring at me with glittering icicle eyes, trying to kill me with a look.
“What did I do now?”
“What exactly did you say to Spider?”
I pretend innocence. “Was that the tall blond guy? I didn’t say anything to him.”
“No?”
Uh-oh. He knows something. Shit, I wonder if there are cameras in here? “I simply thanked him for bringing me food.”
“And what did he say?”
“Only that he wasn’t supposed to talk to me.”
Declan moves toward me, one step at a time, never taking his blistering gaze from my face. I resist the urge to back up and square my shoulders instead.
His voice low, he says, “He wasn’t supposed to talk to you. That was a direct order. Yet somehow he left this room with little red hearts in his eyes and the strange urge to conspire with Kieran to get me to let you cook for them.”
“Oh. Really? That is strange.”
He keeps moving slowly closer, a panther stalking its prey.
I clear my throat. “Actually, he was quite intimidating. He’s really got that whole strong-silent-type thing down.”
“So you’re saying he was silent? He didn’t speak a word?”
I lift my chin and meet his challenging stare. “Yes. That’s what I’m saying.”
Declan stops only inches away. He’s so close, I feel the anger coming off him in heated waves. He gazes down at me, grinding his jaw.
“Why would you lie for him?”
Either there are cameras in here, or Spider confessed. Trying to bullshit him clearly isn’t going to work, so I tell the truth instead. “I don’t want him to get in trouble.”
Declan draws a slow breath through flared nostrils. He’s trying very hard not to grab me around the throat. “Why would you care if he gets in trouble?”
“I don’t want him to get in trouble because of me. Also, he seems nice.”
He repeats flatly, “Nice.”
“Yes.”
“He’s killed six men within the past seventy-two hours.”
“Oh. Hmm. That does seem like a high number for such a short period of time. But he is a gangster, so I guess it comes with the territory. Is there a quota they need to meet or something?”
He does the slow-breathing thing again. When he seems confident that he’s controlled the urge to break my neck, he says, “You’ve bewitched two of my men. One whose nose you broke. The other one you only spent minutes with. Kieran fancies himself your butler, and Spider fancies himself in love. I won’t be able to send anyone else in here for fear they’ll come out trying to kill me.”
I have to suppress my smile. If he sees it, he could explode. “Just because you’re immune to my charms doesn’t mean everyone else is.”
His voice deadly soft and his eyes burning, he says, “Aye, your infamous ‘charm.’ That must be the influence your crazy ex Stavros was operating under when he attempted to shoot his way into the building.”
I arch my brows. “Stavros tried to rescue me? Already?”
“Aye.”
My heart skips a beat. “Oh god. Is he okay? You didn’t kill him, did you?”
“Why do you care one way or another? He bored you so much, you broke up with him.”
“That doesn’t mean I want him dead! And I asked you not to hurt him, remember?”
“I remember. Which is the only reason he’s still alive.”
I exhale a relieved breath and press my hand over my heart. “Whew! What did you do with him?”
“Put him on a slow boat to China.”
I can’t tell if that’s the truth or if he’s being sarcastic, but I know he didn’t hurt Stavros. I can tell by his expression that he’s disappointed in himself about it.
“Thank you. I appreciate it. Sincerely.”
When he only stands staring at me with those blistering eyes, I feel defensive.
“What now?”
“You’re strange. And powerful. And aggravating beyond belief. I can’t decide if I should muzzle you for the remainder of your stay or unleash you on my enemies. I think you’d have them all eating out of your hand within an afternoon.”
After a moment, I say, “Funny, but that almost sounded like a compliment.”
“It wasn’t. I don’t like you.”
“I don’t like you, either.”
The space between us crackles with heat. His gaze is palpable, as if there’s a current of electricity attached to it, shooting into my body, straight down between my legs.
He looks at my mouth and moistens his lips.
That’s the last thing I remember before I wake up in the hospital.
16
Declan
“It’s a subdural hematoma. Small, but dangerous. The mortality rate on these types of brain injuries is high. If the blood clot doesn’t resolve on its own in forty-eight hours, she’ll need surgery to relieve the pressure inside the skull and repair the injured vessels.”
“What’s the mortality rate?”
“The frequency of death in a certain population over a specific period of time.”
I have to physically restrain myself from pulling out my gun and shooting this idiot doctor in the face. “I meant what’s the mortality rate for subdural hematomas?”
“Oh, sorry. Fifty to ninety percent.”
That stuns me. “You’re telling me that most people with this condition die?”
“At least half of them, yes.”
When I stare at him in horror, he quickly backtracks.
“But most of these injuries are seen in the elderly or in patients who’ve been in car accidents or other highly traumatic events. Considering the age and overall health of this patient, her chances are much better than average.”
I hear myself growl, “They better be. If she dies, so do you.”
Because he knows who I am, he goes white. I jerk my chin at Kieran, who ushers the doctor out of the room before he can lose control of his bowels.
When the door closes, I tell Kieran, “Lock this whole fucking hospital down. Post men at all the exits and entrances and outside her room. Vet every person who wants to access this floor, including staff. Call O’Malley at the precinct and tell him we’re in charge of Mass General until further notice. I don’t want police interference, and I definitely don’t want anyone trying to kidnap my captive.”