Some folks clapped. Many nodded. Except for a group sitting around the front table, all with their arms crossed and wearing killer frowns, people appeared to listen.
When she looked to her right, her father was gone.
***
Declan leaned against the wall to keep from falling down. When Leah had walked in tonight his stupid heart jumped. He was used to that sort of nonsense from his dick. Now other body parts were turning on him. But standing up to her father? That was the sexiest damn thing he’d ever seen.
Beck was the first of them to say anything after Leah brought the impromptu meeting to a close. “Please tell me you’re smart enough to do something about her.”
“What?” Declan was too busy watching the crowd as it filed past them and out of the room. A few people smiled and made eye contact. Others stood around, sneaking looks with heads bowed together in some sort of whispered conspiracy. Declan was smart enough to know the true danger usually came from the ones you couldn’t read and didn’t see coming.
“Go make up with the woman and don’t come home until you’ve slept with her.” Callen leaned across Declan and smiled at Beck. “That’s how the non-lawyers talk.”
Beck shrugged. “Mine sounded better.”
After scanning the room for trouble and finding too much of it, Declan focused in on his brothers. “To be honest, I preferred the one with the sex reference in it, but since when are either of you pro-Leah?”
“Since she showed that she has more balls than the police chief,” Callen said.
Declan winced. Leah and balls, not his favorite combination unless the balls in question were his. “That part doesn’t sound so good, but I get the idea.”
“Any idea who the other guy on the stage was?” Beck took out his phone and got a quick photo.
“Yeah, but you have bigger problems right now.” With a subtle head nod, Callen motioned toward the curtain to the left of the stage. “Leah’s father is around here somewhere and I doubt he’s going to take Leah’s scene well.”
Exactly Declan’s concern. Taking a stand was impressive. Living through it might prove tougher. She’d picked a side, an unpopular one, and that made her a target. He vowed to make sure she didn’t pay for her choice.
“I’m on it.” He started down the far right aisle, nodding to those who acknowledged him and giving a hard stare to those who didn’t. As if he’d be intimidated by that bullshit or hadn’t been dealing with passive-aggressive nonsense his entire life.
Halfway down the row a woman stepped in front of him. Not just any woman. Mallory, Leah’s best friend, complete with a skirt, tights and motorcycle boots that looked like they could do some damage.
Her usually pretty face was stretched tight with tension. She appeared ready to kick his ass and totally capable of getting the job done. “You better not yell at her or I will take you out. Right here where little kids drink their milk.”
Declan liked Mallory before and that respect only increased now. “Excuse me?”
“I’m Mallory.”
“Oh, I remember you.” An impressive five-nine and curvy. Declan remembered her theories on men from that first day in the diner. It was a shame she wasn’t Callen’s type, though Declan wasn’t a hundred percent sure of what that was anymore, because she would give Callen a good run.
“That display, Leah standing up and putting her butt on the line for you, took a lot of guts.”
Declan nodded. “I agree.”
“So, don’t go blustering in there, all manly and dumb, and . . .” Mallory’s eyes narrowed. If anything, her icy stare grew even chillier. “Wait, what?”
It was clear the road to Leah went through her best friend. Fine, he could handle that. “I’m going to apologize.”
“Is this some kind of joke? If so—”
Seemed the ladies shared a similar distrust of men. “Right now my goal is to make sure her dad doesn’t blow up at her.”
After a beat of silence, Mallory stepped aside and pointed to the curtain. “Then go. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
Declan wasn’t sure he could live up to that, but he did find his line—that thing that could send him sailing over the edge—when he walked right into the middle of Leah’s backstage conversation with her dad.
The meeting attendees had scattered and the police chief was nowhere in sight. Typical from Declan’s experience with law enforcement. Beck believed in the system. Declan gave up on that long ago.
Leah’s father had her arm in a rough grip as he yelled and spit and otherwise brought his fury raining down on his daughter. They stood to the back of the room, right near a door marked JANITOR. Neither saw him and he didn’t announce his presence, though he was ready to step in.
Her father gave her a shake. “I have never been so embarrassed by you.”
“Dad, listen—”
“You undercut me, my own daughter.” Marc Baron pushed off from his daughter as if she’d burst into flames. “If I had known you could be turned so easily with sex with some dirty—”
“That’s enough.” Declan walked over to them, ignoring Leah’s pleading stare and giving all his attention to the man screaming at her. His fury matched the older man’s. They could battle and Declan knew he would win.
“You’re not wanted here.”
“You’ve made that clear.” Declan pivoted until his shoulder lined up even with Leah’s. The temptation to push her behind him and shield her from the verbal blows proved great but he didn’t take that final step. An independent woman needed space and they had enough to work out without him insulting an integral part of who she was.
“This is not your business.”
But Marc Baron had it wrong. “Leah is absolutely my business.”
Her father tried to reach for her but Declan blocked his path. Redirecting, Marc took the papers in his hand and thumped them against Declan’s chest. “Get of my way.”
“Dad, stop.” Leah’s voice wavered as it slipped up an octave.
Her shoulder pressed against Declan. Her body vibrated as she gulped in hard breaths. Seeing her out of control, hurt, sent his temper spiking into the danger zone. He’d stood in her bedroom and watched her fold in on herself as he lobbed verbal blows. Now she took it from her dad, wincing with each punch of words and as lifeless as Declan had ever seen her.
“You and your boyfriend . . .” Her dad’s mouth twisted and he looked ready to spit again. “You disgust me.”
A small cry hiccupped out of her but she quickly covered it. But when her hand came up and she grabbed a fistful of the back of his shirt, just out of her father’s viewing range, Declan knew she’d reached her breaking point.
He put a hand against the older man’s chest to hold him off. Her father’s arms moved with a sort of wild abandon that suggested he would do anything to get to her. “Ease up, Baron.”
The older man shrugged off the touch, and if he heard the warning, he ignored it. “Enjoy him now, little girl. He’ll be in jail next week. Then we’ll see if you can bring your loyalty back in line.”
With that, he stomped off. Never looked back. Never offered to talk. He blamed, destroyed and made a big exit.
Declan disliked the guy before but seeing the way he treated his only child now filled Declan with a killing rage. It had taken years of training and the threat of prison to curb the wild temper of his youth. To keep it chained and locked, but it threatened to rage out of control now.
One look at her and he knew he had to wrestle even harder. Those eyes closed on a mix of pain and sadness. Her body shrank and the life seeped out of her.
He put a hand under her chin and lifted her head to face him. “You okay?”
“No.”
He cupped her cheek, desperate for the feel of her soft skin. “I’m sorry.”
&
nbsp; She brushed her hand to the back of his for just a second then dropped her arm. Only his touch bound them. “Dad’s always been like that.”
She was drowning. He could see it in the battle lines of her body and hear it in her broken voice.
So much had happened that he wasn’t sure where to start. “Mine was a blanket apology, covering your dad and the things I said to you.”
“It’s fine, Declan. Goodnight.” She actually tried to walk away. Got as far two steps.
He held onto her arm and gently guided her back around to face him. “Whoa, I’m trying to have a conversation here.”
“Maybe I’m not in the mood this time.”
All those old feelings came rushing back at him. She caused part of this mess. She lied to him. Still, he couldn’t find the energy to go on the offensive. “Can you at least admit I had a right to be upset?”
Her shoulders fell even further. “Yes.”
That’s not what he wanted. Not this. Not her giving up. She should feel exhilarated for what she accomplished out there, but all that was left was regretful aftermath. “Then what’s with the chilly reception?”
“The fighting, our families’ histories, my father who is as bad as I’ve ever seen him, all the secrets, that woman with you at your house.” Leah threw up her hands and broke his grip on her. “I’m exhausted, Declan. My father’s health is bad and I pushed him farther than any decent child would do. If some idiot in town doesn’t choke me, the guilt might.”
So much to deal with, but one non-issue first. “What woman?”
She wrinkled up her nose and made a face. “Really? Out of that entire list that’s what you latch onto?”
He liked the kick of anger. For a second he thought about nurturing it, but the idea of letting her think he was off with some other woman a few days after kissing her made him feel like his insides had been scraped out raw. He didn’t cheat. He didn’t play games with women where he pitted one against another. He wasn’t Charlie.
“That part was out of place on your list. Who are you talking about?”
Leah shot him a you’re-busted look. “The one at your house yesterday. I saw the two of you. All cozy.”
The hours flipped through his mind until he hit on the answer. “Sophie?”
“Pretty name.” Leah actually growled while she said it.
“She’s the housekeeper.”
“Is that what you call it?”
Jealousy, not the out-of-control type. The type that admitted attraction. That had to mean he wasn’t in this relationship alone, and that’s exactly what he intended to have with Leah, if they managed to emotionally survive the last few days.
Out of fear she’d punch him in the nuts, he had to bite on the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling. “And if you could see the sparks flying between Sophie and Beck you’d know how ridiculous this conversation is.”
Leah’s head tipped back. She was tall, probably around five-seven, but he towered even when he didn’t mean to. “That woman is with Beck?”
“In his dreams, not that he’d admit it.” Declan gave in to the urge to touch her again. His hands went to her hips and when she didn’t pull back, he gave her the full truth. “Sophie is cute but she’s not you. I’m not interested and she hasn’t stopped looking at Beck long enough to even notice he has two brothers.”
“That’s good for Beck, I guess.”
Declan had no idea why they were spending even a minute talking about Beck’s piss-poor love life. Not when they had their own messed-up relationship to talk out. “I’m more concerned about us.”
“You made it clear there was no such thing as us.”
A vision of that damn whiteboard flashed in his brain. “I won’t deny I was angry.”
Leah stood up a little straighter. “There’s still so much else. The pile is so high I keep waiting for it to tumble over and crush us.”
With her ego back in check and him being clear she was the only woman he could see right now, he stuck his toe in the deeper, more dangerous, end. “Maybe you’re looking for excuses not to be with me.”
“I can’t even think straight at the moment. I need distance and time to think.” She brushed her palms up and down his arms. “I know I owe you a more detailed explanation of the whiteboard and another apology, but I can’t handle one more thing right now. Please understand.”
“What are you saying?” He dreaded the answer.
“I’m going home.” She put her hands over his and broke his hold. “Alone.”
Worse than he thought. “I’m not liking this plan.”
He wanted to yell and insist but she’d had enough bossing around for one evening. He didn’t know a lot about women but he knew when you had to step back, even if only for a few minutes.
“We’ll talk soon.”
That sounded bad and those sad eyes broke his heart. “When?”
“Goodnight, Declan.” She kissed him on the cheek and left him watching her fine ass sway as she walked out the door.
Chapter Seventeen
Leah flipped back and forth on whether this was a good idea. She sat in her car in the driveway at Shadow Hill, engine off and fingers wrapped around the steering wheel. The trip over from the school, all six miles of it, took forever and had her head spinning. That’s what happened when you drove in one direction, pulled over, did a u-turn then repeated the process again.
It was almost eleven and she’d left the meeting crowd and Declan more than an hour ago. So much for thinking she could go to her father’s house and talk some sense into him. Like a kick to the stomach, Ed stepped in front of her in the school parking lot and warned her to stay away for a few days until things calmed down. She’d been dry-heaving ever since.
When she wanted comfort, wanted someone to hold her and reassure her, Declan’s was the only face to pop into her head, which brought her here after she’d just told him she needed space. Somewhere along the line she’d become the mixed-messages queen. Her emotions flew from one side to the other until her teeth rattled.
Not that she’d actually seen him yet. Getting out of the car was proving to be a huge obstacle. Probably would have been easier if there weren’t three vehicles in addition to hers stacked up in the spaces around the house. They were all home, each brother likely ready to take a turn yelling at her.
The strength of her grip increased until her palms ached. Lost in thought and wondering if she should have called first, she jumped and nearly strangled herself with the seatbelt at the sound of the sharp knock on the window. Never even saw anyone coming.
Looking over she spied the exact wrong brother at her door. Callen, the only man in town who hated her more than her father did at the moment.
“You going to get out?” The closed window muffled his voice.
Must have covered up some of his hate, too. And maybe distorted his face because he actually looked . . . fine. He didn’t smile but she wasn’t all that convinced he knew how. The severe frown and get-out-of-here rage had disappeared.
For some reason none of that gave her any comfort. At least when his face flushed with fury she knew where she stood. This whole mystery-emotion thing threw her off. She seriously considered backing right out of the driveway, possibly snagging his foot in the process. Maybe drive until she hit the next town.
He tapped again. “Leah?”
Time to face the wrath. She opened the lock with a click, mounting an offensive as he pulled the door back and let her out.
She put a finger in his face. “Do not threaten me.”
An eyebrow lifted and something that looked strangely like a smile inched up the corner of his mouth. “I only said your name.”
“This time, but earlier you promised pain . . . or something.” She’d forgotten the actual threat but the words didn’t matter.
The point was he wanted her gone.
“I was about to invite you inside.”
Her mouth went dry. The comment didn’t make any sense. “Why?”
“Because it’s raining.”
The drops hit her face. She held out her hand and let the steady drizzle wash over her palm. “It is?”
“Been happening on and off since we got home. It just started again.” His mouth broke into a full-fledged smile this time. “You didn’t notice?”
She put a hand to her damp hair. In the minute since she’d been out of the car the cold, wind and wet combined to send the bottom of her hair into a wavy mess. “It’s been a long day.”
“Yeah, I know. Come inside.” He swept an arm toward the front door.
Serial killers probably said stuff like that. Come this way and you’ll be fine. Then they brought out the knife and the rope and you were done. Yeah, no thanks.
“Why are you suddenly being nice to me?”
His arm dropped to his side as his gaze went to the porch and across the front yard to the huge maple that shaded the grass on those occasions when the sun came out. “I watched you stand up to your dad, a guy with a gun and a bunch of people who would like to see me in jail simply because of my last name. That sort of thing adjusts a man’s priorities.”
“But that doesn’t forgive everything else.”
“I won’t claim to know what happened between you and Declan, but what you did took ba . . . guts and I appreciate it.”
The air shifted. The wind still howled and the rain fell hard, but the whirling tension dissipated. “Did you just apologize?”
Callen scoffed then treated her to an unexpected wink. “That doesn’t sound like me.”
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