Deklan

Deklan lets out a breath and mumbles something I can’t understand. He looks nervous as he runs his hand through his short, dark hair and glances at me.

“I wasn’t expecting this either,” he says.

“I know.”

“I’ve never even had a woman in here before.”

“You a virgin, too?” The words pop out of my mouth before I have a chance to stop them, and I feel my ears go red.

“No.” He offers me a wry smile, but his pale eyes remain cold. “I just don’t bring anyone here.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t want people knowing where I live.”

“Why?”

“Because someone would try to come here and kill me.”

“Oh.” I don’t know how else to respond to a statement like that. His answer makes sense, but this isn’t something I’m used to. Talk of illegal activities, shoving piles of money into safety deposit boxes, and the occasional, loose threat, yes, but not murder.

Of course, when you’re married to a killer—a mafia-backed hitman—there are going to be people out there who want your husband dead. You should have thought about that before you said those two magic words that tied yourself to him.

I’m married to a murderer.

I force the thought from my head. I can’t think about such things. There are more pressing matters on the near horizon.

I’m married, and my non-virginal husband is going to want to make me his non-virginal wife. Sean’s words echo in my head.

You’re going to get ripped open tonight.

I close my eyes for a moment and then pretend to look around the room some more.

“Are you hungry?” Deklan asks.

“No.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see him run his hand over his head again. He’s nervous, and it’s making me even more nervous.

When presented with an unpleasant task that you have to accomplish, it’s best for you to just get it over with.

“Can I use the bathroom?”

“Yeah,” he says as he points down the hall, “it’s on the left.”

I grip the handle of the bag again and head down the hall. The bathroom is pretty big. There’s a huge walk-in shower and a large cabinet under the sink. I lock the door behind me and then lean against it, finally letting the tears flow. I let myself cry for a few minutes, trying to keep from sobbing out loud.

Get a grip.

I clench and unclench my hands a couple of times to center myself. I can’t just stay in here forever—Deklan will come looking for me. If Mom ever kept Dad waiting, and she didn’t often, there was always hell to pay. My father isn’t a huge man like Deklan is, but his temper is big. I don’t want to find out what Deklan’s anger is like on my wedding night. With a handful of toilet paper, I wipe my nose and eyes. I really want to wash my face and brush my teeth, so I open the bag to look for some toiletries.

Mom didn’t pack much.

In fact, she packed almost nothing. The bag contains only the box for my wedding jewelry and one other item. At the bottom of the bag is a flat pink box. I pull it out and open it, wondering why she would put toiletries in a pink box.

It’s not toiletries. It’s white lingerie.

It’s sheer silk and feels soft on my fingers. Mom must have purchased it when she still thought I was marrying Sean. It’s my wedding night attire, and Deklan is probably out there, waiting for me to emerge in such an outfit, and I don’t even have any way of cleaning my teeth.