Page 143 of See You Again

Cami took the bag and held it up to examine. Dahlia winced. “That looks painful.” Cami followed Dahlia’s gaze to where a livid red hand print was visible on her wrist and arm.

“Not too bad.”

“That was a pretty slick move. Where did you learn that?”

Cami’s lips lifted. “James.” Then she groaned. “I do not want to have to explain how it happened.”

“Try practicing on me.” A deep voice with a slight Irish lilt sounded near them. “What the fuck happened to your arm?”

Cami pivoted to see a man even larger than James watching them, one dark brow arched over piercing violet eyes. Tightly reined anger spilled off the man, despite the smile on his face.

There was nothing friendly about the expression. In fact, it felt as if violence was only a heartbeat away. This was a man who knew his power and wasn’t afraid to use it.

Cami swallowed hard. “I don’t?—”

“Declan,” Dahlia interrupted her.

Declan? As in…

“I apologize for being late. When my brothers called, I was in a meeting.” Declan’s narrowed gaze went to the bruise forming on her arm. “I’ll ask again. Who?”

The women exchanged a glance.

“Matt Crawford objected to my leaving with a sample of his DNA.”

Declan’s face hardened, and his eyes sparked. “Where is he?”

He makes James look verbose.

“He left.”

Declan’s eyes flicked over them both before closing his eyes briefly. “I’m never going to hear the end of this.”

Dahlia and Cami exchanged a look.

“End of what?” Dahlia asked.

His eyes shot open, and he grimaced. “I was late. James is a fecking grudge holder. There’s nothing for it now. I have a car waiting.” He arranged the hard lines of his face into what Cami suspected he thought was a sympathetic expression. “Don’t worry about the DNA. Crawford is going to pay for what he’s done.”

Cami grinned at him. “No need.” She lifted the bag so he could see, and she almost laughed at the look of surprise on his face. “Dahlia came in clutch.”

The two women high-fived each other.

Declan studied them both for a minute before a genuine smile spread across his face, turning what was harshly handsome into breathtaking.

“Nicely done, ladies.” He sketched them a small bow and extended his arms for them to hook their arms through. “Are you sure those two idiots deserve you?”

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

James was about to come out of his skin as he paced back and forth across the hotel suite.

“Sit down before you bust a stitch,” Luke groused from where he sprawled on the sofa with a scotch.

“I’m going to rip him apart.”

“Declan or Crawford?”

James glared at his brother. “Nothing about this is funny.”