Page 11 of Declan
“Because it’s none of my business that she spends all her fucking time at clubs. She’s allowed to, and I shouldn’t have judged her for it.”
“But you did judge her. You don’t like the way she spends her time, do you?”
Christ, Janey’s eyes feel like laser beams. “No, I guess I don’t.” Or, more accurately, I wish she was someone who would be happy hanging out with a guy like me. A guy who breaks out in hives in big crowds. But that’s not fair, even I can admit that.
Janey smiles sadly. “Maybe that’s the bigger problem then. You’ve looked at her life and decided she’s not living it right. So why does it matter if you barely speak anymore? You don’t seem to respect her or like the way she spends her time. And that’s ok. You don’t have to have anything to do with each other. There’s no rule that says you have to be close with your employees.”
Employee. Yeah, technically, Cara is an employee, but she was never in that box. From the day she started here, she was always crossing the professional line with me. The guys made fun of me for it, and I didn’t always handle it well, but she was bright and sexy and in your face all the time. I fucking hate seeing her so withdrawn.
“She’s not just an employee,” I admit.
Janey nods, unsurprised. “Then, if she’s more, you need to stop avoiding the problem. I’ve learned that the longer you leave a wedge between two people, the harder it is to fix. Unless …” She bites her lip, studying me. “Do you think she did something she needs to apologize to you for?”
“Fuck no. I was an ass. She had just been through something awful, and I said some shitty things to her. It doesn’t matter whether I believed them or not. I should never have said it.”
She smiles slightly and pats me on the arm. “Then fix it. Don’t wait any longer. I’ll ask one of the security guards to walk me out.” She turns and leaves me standing there, staring at Cara like a creeper.
Fix it. It’s not that hard. Just go up to her and tell her I was a colossal ass, and say sorry. Then we can go back to the way we used to be. I can do that. But my feet don’t move. I stand there, like a fucking idiot, taking her in.
She’s always been stunning. A wild mane of blonde hair and sharp blue eyes. From day one, she dressed like a sex goddess with deep v-necks and tight skirts that emphasized her curves and her soft belly. She favors leather, lace, and silk. She always looks touchable, fuckable.
She’s changed since that night. She’s been doing more buttons up in the last few weeks, wearing pants, pulling her hair back. She’s dimmed her light. I didn’t realize I’d miss it so much.
As she pulls her coat on, I move towards her, stopping in the doorway of her office. “Cara.”
Her expressive eyes shutter, mouth firming. “Declan.”
We stare at each other, and my fucking throat closes up the way it always does. But this is too important. I clear my throat and shove my hands in my jeans pocket. “Cara. I’m so fucking sorry. I should never have said...what I said at the hospital. I was completely out of line.”
Her eyes drop to the floor. “Yeah, you were.”
“I’m really sorry.”
“Ok,” she whispers, briefly meeting my eyes before turning to grab her purse. “I need to go. Goodbye.” She turns, raising an eyebrow to get me to move. She steps into Ransom’s office to say goodbye, and I follow her. She accepted my apology. So why doesn’t it feel all better?
All my brothers are here except Micah. He’s across town at the garage, working on one of his customs. But the rest of us are crammed in this room like we usually are at the end of the day. Looking at us, you’d be forgiven for thinking we’re blood. All big, dark-eyed with dark hair.
We’re not.
We’re a bunch of lost boy misfits that Ransom brought together to make a family. Now, we’re brothers in every sense of the word.
“Cara,” Ransom says softly, “can you come sit for a minute?” She nods, falling into one of the chairs across from him. Maverick occupies the other one. “Mav was just filling us in on the investigation. They’re still dragging it out. I’m so fucking sorry.”
The lines around her eyes soften. “You don’t have to be sorry.”
“Yeah, I do. They’re making this painful because you’re connected to us. It’s pretty fucking obvious that if you hadn’t...done what you did, your sister would be dead. It’s clear-cut. If you didn’t work here, the case would already be closed. But Jackson’s been holding a grudge for eighteen years.”
Cara grins, but it’s a shadow of her old one. “I’ve used your name to get my way, your way, a lot over the years. It’s been a mostly good thing. It’s ok if it comes with a little bad now.” Ransom looks grim but doesn’t object. He should. This is way too much bad. It would be different if it were one of us under the gun. We’ve all earned it. But her? An innocent? It’s not right. “Why…why does he have a grudge against you guys? What am I caught in the middle of?”
Ransom rubs the back of his neck, and glances at Colt, who gives him a small nod. “Years ago Colton’s brother killed Jackson’s cousin. The family was full of losers, so it honestly didn’t occur to us that he would make something of himself. Now that he’s worked his way into a position of power as the District Attorney, he’s trying to find anything he can on us.”
“I’m confident things will go your way, Cara. It’s just going to take a little while longer. How are you holding up?” Maverick asks. He’s not a criminal lawyer, but he’s been working with the top one in the city to take care of her.
“Fine,” she murmurs, and it’s total bullshit.
Colt leans forward on the couch, eyes begging. “You’re not fine, Cara. We can all see it. And it’s ok if you’re not. You’ve been through something shitty, you and Bree both. But you don’t have to do this alone. Let us help you?” He’s a big fucking teddy bear, and he wants to take care of everyone all the time. Cara looks like she’s about to object, but his “please” brings her to a stop.
She runs her fingers down the crease of her pants. “Maybe I could take the day off tomorrow? I’d like to go look at some new apartments.”
