I’m about to agree with him, but something is still bothering me.
“So, you have no idea who was responsible for me being kidnapped in the first place?”
“None.”
“But…but what if you didn’t get them all?”
“What do you mean?” Deklan asks.
“What if it wasn’t just those two guys? What if there was someone else involved?”
“Whoever it was has had plenty of time to come after you again if they wanted to,” Deklan says. His rationale makes sense but doesn’t help the sinking feeling in my stomach.
“But they haven’t, Dek.” I shift in his lap to face him better. “Since I got out of the hospital, I’ve almost never been alone. I was homeschooled until I married you. Even now, there’s always someone with me. I’m surprised he didn’t tell you we were at the same bar.”
Deklan tilts his head and looks at me with slightly narrowed eyes and creases in his brow.
“Who is ‘he’?”
“That guy.” I give Deklan a half smile. “The creepy dude you have following me that keeps tabs on whatever I do.”
Deklan is silent as I grin at him. I’ve caught him off guard with my declaration, and catching him off guard is a rare thing.
“Kera…” Deklan takes several deep breaths, but his entire body remains tense. He speaks his words very slowly. “What ‘creepy guy’ is following you?”
Apparently, my husband is going to try to deny all knowledge of this, but I don’t want to let him off the hook.
“You know who he is. The guy with the newspaper. Who reads actual newspapers anymore?”
When I laugh, Deklan’s face remains tense.
“Kera,” he says, still speaking very slowly, “I have no idea who you are talking about.”
Chapter 24
“It’s okay, Dek.” I smile and stroke his cheek. “I understand you’re a little paranoid. I don’t mind that much.”
Deklan’s eyes go dark and he stares at me—hard.
“Kera, let me be perfectly, crystal clear,” he says. He’s so tense, his arms are starting to shake. “I am not having you followed, and I have no idea who this guy is.”
His fingers dig into my arms for a second. He’s definitely shaking now.
“Get off of me,” he says with a growl. “Now!”
I scoot sideways off his lap, landing beside him on the couch. Deklan leaps up and starts stalking the room, hands clenched. I pull my knees up to my chest and stare at him, mouth open, as he grabs the whiskey glass and smashes it against the wall.
“Why the fuck haven’t you told me about this before?” he roars. “Who is he, huh? How long has he been following you?”
“I…I don’t know!” The panic inside my chest is tightening around me, making it hard to breathe. I thought I’d seen Deklan angry, but he’s never acted like this.
Deklan stalks into the kitchen, grumbling under his breath. He grabs the edge of the counter and leans against it for a second, breathing heavily. All of a sudden, he hauls back and punches the refrigerator, leaving a dent in the stainless steel.
“Who the fuck is following you?” he screams.
“I don’t know! I thought you told him to!”
“Jesus fucking Christ, Kera! Why would I do that?”