Page 110 of Once Kissed
“Everything all right?” Declan asks.
“I…think so. He’s having beers with Joey, and says he’s sorry he missed your big night.”
“Jesus, he’s with Joey?”
“Yes.” I realize the significance of their meeting, and hope he’s okay. “He promises he won’t be much longer.”
“Tell him we’ll be at my place and that we’re ordering food. Lots and lots of food.”
I angle my chin his way. “You didn’t eat?”
“Didn’t eat, and didn’t drink anything more than water,” he answers, rubbing his jaw.
I type Curran a quick text. “I thought you were drinking vodka on the rocks.”
“So did everyone else. But with all the big shots there, I needed to keep my head.” He tugs at his collar and loosens his tie. “Once we’re back at my place, it’s going to be a whole different story.”
I smile. “Well, if anyone deserves some fun, it’s you. Declan, you were incredible throughout the entire trial. I only hope to possess half your talent one day.”
His smirk reminds me of Curran’s. “Maybe you’ll get your chance. You did one hell of a job on this case. Truth is, I needed more help than I asked for, but you had me covered, worked hard, and never disappointed me despite my demands. I recommended you for the assistant DA spot opening up in the Trial Unit. You want experience, you’ll get it there.”
He laughs at my stunned face, continuing before I can thank him. “The pay is abysmal for a starting position, but working for the county is not without its benefits. Did you know for every year you work at the DA’s office as a prosecuting attorney, the county will pay twenty percent of your school loans?”
“No, I didn’t know that,” I stammer.
“Now you do.” He waits as if debating what to say next, odd for someone who has a gift with words. “Look, I don’t know what’s going to happen with your pending lawsuit, Tess. But no matter what, this should show you that you’re going to be okay.”
I nod, although by now I’m pretty choked up. “Thank you.”
He shrugs. “That’s what family’s for, Tess.”
Declan lets me deal with my girlie emotions while he calls in a food order at the bar and grill a few blocks from his apartment. He parks near the entrance and steps out. His guard steps out with him and follows him in like they’re old friends. After months of working together, I suppose they are.
I text Curran to let him know that we’re almost at Declan’s. I hit send and debate whether I should also tell him about Declan’s recommendation, but a knock against the driver’s-side door has me looking up.
Declan’s hands are full of takeout. I don’t remember him ordering so much, but hurry to unlock the doors to his sedan.
I realize too late that it’s not Declan when a strange man slips in and presses a gun against my side. “Don’t move. Don’t scream.”
He flips the locks and two more men jump into the back. “Got her?” someone says.
Something hard and cold presses into the back of my skull. “Yeah. Drive.”
The driver cranks the engine and eases onto the street as if he has all the time in the world, even though I recognize my time is already up.
Chapter 30
Tess
I often wondered what I would do if I were ever in a dangerous situation. But right now, right when it’s happening, I can’t think straight, and my body is shaking so violently my phone falls out of my hands.
“Fuck,” the driver says. “We have a tail. Who is that? Another one of your boyfriend’s cops?”
It takes me a moment to register what he’s saying. This man thinks Declan is my lover. “He’s not my boyfriend—”
The barrel of the weapon smacks me hard against my head, making me cry out. “Shut up, bitch,” the man behind us says. “We saw you with him.”
My mounting fear makes me desperate. “Please, don’t do this. I’m pregnant.”