Page 51 of Vengeful Devotion
“How can I recognize him when I can barely see him?”
Dean stands up straighter. The annoyance in my voice grabbing his attention.
Juliette smacks my arm. “Don’t be a dickhead, Deck. This isn’t his fault.”
“Juliette,” Dean whispers, shaking his head.
She scoffs, rolling her eyes.
“Is there anything else?”
“No,” Dean and Juliette say at the same time.
“He has a tattoo.”
The voice comes from behind me. Gemma stepping closer to us. I squint at the computer.
“Are you sure?”
Gemma looks at me like I’m an idiot. Even when she’s riled up, she’s gorgeous. I don’t care how she looks at me just as long as it’s me she’s looking at.
“Where?” Juliette asks.
Breaking our brief eye contact, Gemma walks past. She squeezes in-between Juliette and me, getting close enough to touch the screen.
“Look at the side of his arm.”
Gemma points to a little corner of the man’s arm. The three of us lean closer. I take a moment to process, but Gemma’s right. There’s a tattoo on his inner forearm. It’s impossible to make out the shape, but it’s something. How she noticed such a minor detail on such a fuzzy screen is a wonder to me.
“Can you blow that up?” Dean asks. “Make it clearer.”
“It’ll be a long shot. This footage is seriously corrupted.”
“Try it,” I bark. “Do whatever you need to do. But find out what that tattoo is.”
Juliette turns to me. Her eyes are sharp as I’m sure her tongue is going to be. “Fuck off, Declan.”
“Is that all you’ve got? I’ve heard worse.”
Gemma squeezes my arm to take my attention from my baby sister. “Stop being rude.”
Gemma’s comment hits harder than Juliette’s. It has nothing to do with what she says. But it has everything to do with the way she says it. I look down at her, her eyes unyielding.
“What did you just say?”
Some of the fire dies in Gemma’s eyes, and I immediately regret it. She pulls her hand back before I can stop her. But I waste no time pulling her into an embrace. Dean and my sister’s presence makes little difference to me. The only thing that matters in this moment — every moment from here on — is Gemma. She’ll be my every sunrise and every sunset for the rest of my life. On the days she can’t shine, I’ll be there to lift her above the clouds again.
“I’m not mad at you, pretty girl. I’m just proud.” I let her pull away but keep my arm around her shoulders. “Let’s go get some food, okay? Give Juliette and Dean some time to work.”
Gemma nods her head. “I’d like that.”
The small smile on her face makes me want to pound my fists against my chest. It’s a victory like I’ve never, ever felt.
“Okay,” Juliette says, standing to block our exit. “What the hell is going on?”
“With what?” I ask.
“With you two!”
