ChapterForty-Seven
Declan
“Dammit, woman!” I growl and turn around to punch a hole in the wall behind me. It hurts like fuck and David is looking at me like I’ve lost the plot, but it’s worse. I’ve lost my woman. I swore to protect her and now, I’ve let her walk into the lion’s den.
I suck my bruised knuckles and glare at David’s phone. “Unlock it and get Ramsey back,” I snarl at him.
He takes it from me gingerly and does as I ask. Wordlessly, he hands it back to me.
“What did she say exactly?” I ask, exhibiting more calm than I feel. I’m not one to give in to rage. Well, not anymore. Rex saved me from that. He gave me a way to funnel all the anger and pain of being abused by my father for years, of watching him abuse my mother and siblings. I adopted a quiet rage and it made me a better sniper. Makes.
“Her words exactly were, ‘I’m going to show those dangerous fuckers that they’re messing with the wrong woman’,” Ramsey says.
“Fuck,” I mutter. “Are you on your way back here?”
“Yeah, I’m here,” he says, bursting into the office.
I blink and hang up. “Live close?” I ask, not really requiring an answer because it’s obvious.
“Down the block,” he confirms anyway.
I make a note that he hasn’t broken a sweat, nor is he out of breath, even though he must’ve broken a world record in getting here in under three minutes.
“Jake?” I ask the room.
David and Ramsey both nod their heads in agreement. “Probably,” David adds.
“Take me downstairs and open up that safe,” I order David, pushing past him to exit the office.
“I can’t,” he says, jogging behind me to keep up with my rapid pace.
“You can and you will,” I grit out. “Don’t give me all that crap about loyalty. She needs you to look out for her now, seeing as she won’t do it herself.”
“It’s not that,” he replies. “I literally cannot open the safe downstairs. Only Ruby can.”
“Fuck,” I mutter again. “Why does she make everything so hard? Why does she feel the need to do everything herself?”
“Because she has never had anyone that she trusts enough to help her,” he says quietly.
“Well, that has ended. She can trust us with her life.”
“You know it,” he replies.
“I’ve got this,” Ramsey says, pulling a Glock out of the back of his pants.
I frown at it. “Where did you obtain that?” I ask, mildly impressed. He isn’t exactly a timid man. I’ve seen him bounce the fuck out of plenty of arseholes who thought they could get away with shit in Ruby’s club. But illegal possession of a handgun doesn’t seem to be his style. I’ve been watching him, all of them for ages, so I feel I know him well enough to assume this. Well, except Layton. He is new and a relative unknown. That reminds me…
“I took it from Ruby’s,” Ramsey interrupts my thoughts. “We are playing with a whole new set of rules here. I needed to know that I couldn’t be used as a bargaining chip for her again, but also to protect her if need be.”
“Bold,” I mutter. “You know she knows you took it, right? Nothing gets past her.”
“Yeah, she’s already read me the riot act,” he grits out.
I take it from him. “Where is Layton?”
“On some personal business,” he replies. “I texted and rang him, but he must’ve switched his phone off.”
“What business”