“Thank you, Papa. Really, I want to forget that I ever met him.” I tossed my head back, looking up at the ceiling.
He sighed, “Maybe one day you’ll find someone that loves you for yourself.”
I bring my focus back to him. “I hope. I’m going to tell Mama.”
“Oh, she’s going to be happy,” he admitted.
“She didn’t want me to marry him?” I questioned. She never gave me any inkling that she felt that way.
“Not since she noticed the recent change in you.”
“I guess I couldn’t hide it,” I muttered with a slight embarrassment. “How long have you known?”
“Two days.”
“Oh, okay,” I stammered.
I didn’t know what to say to that, so my father gave me my out. “Well, go tell your mother. I will take care of everything from my end. Don’t worry about a thing.” I got up and went on the hunt for my mother. She wasn’t in the kitchen or her bedroom. As I came down the stairs, she comes out of my father’s office, straightening her dress.
“Oh there you are,” she stated, brushing her hair neatly back into place. “I was just looking for you when your father said you were looking for me.”
“Okay, can we talk?”
“Sure. I just need to freshen up.” I had the strangest and grossed out feeling that my mother had been under my father’s desk.
“Actually, I’m going to go to bed,” I remarked, walking away. There was no doubt in my mind what was going on in there. It would explain my father’s expressions and sudden shifts. Damn it, I didn’t want to picture that. I need to sleep.
Chapter 1
Declan
I glanced over at my beloved friend for the last thirteen years. Regan lay sleeping in the reclined seat next to me covered in a blanket to stave off the chill. It had been a tumultuous week for her, nearly ending with her death. We flew into Chicago from Dublin when her Uncle Michael called her da to say she’d been kidnapped. For days we looked for her only to get word that she had been admitted to a local A&E or what they call an emergency room.
We arrived at the hospital to find a group of men in suits, waiting for news. The two guards that accompanied us at her uncle’s request tensed up and stepped in front of us. It appeared that the suits were the thugs that took Regan. Although I couldn’t fathom why her kidnappers would bring her to the hospital and stay. I stared at one in particular because his shirt had blood on the front. He thrust his hand in his hair, appearing to be nervous and upset. This had to be her captor Dante Franchetti. His movement stopped when he saw us. He examined our party, but then our eyes met, his shifting from profound sadness to pure rage. He hated me inexplicably or least that was what I believed until a few seconds ago when Regan called out his name in her sleep.
“Dante,” she whimpered with a moan.
I looked over to Mr. Daley and wondered if he was under the same impression I was. Things weren’t as they seemed which made this trip all the more unnerving.
A grumble came from the seat across from us. Staring at the unwelcomed add-on to our trip, I twisted my mouth about to say something to him when Mr. Daley did it for me. “Do ye have a problem, Tiny?” The giant goon was here to protect us from the Franchetti family.
“No, I don’t. She’s the one calling out her kidnapper’s name like she’s in love. Not my problem at all. Just fucking disgusting.” He had a point on that, but we didn’t want this bastard following us back home in the first place let alone clearly showing his disdain for Regan’s infatuation. Her uncle thought it was necessary just in case Franchetti and his men came looking for trouble. I had no idea what to expect from them, but we would be prepared.
“All the same, show her some bloody respect or ye can stay on the plane and return home,” he told that fucking barse. Seeing his discomfort, I smirked at the manky prick then turned to a JD Robb book I picked up at the airport. The flight was so long I finished my book easily. I wouldn’t rest because I didn’t trust the prick.
As the plane landed, we woke up Regan, but she remained groggy until we reached the house. I wanted to talk to her privately, but I didn’t know how to get her alone. The American prick did a quick search of the property then we entered the house. Mrs. Daley threw her arms around her little lass. After greeting her mother, Regan didn’t waste any time giving me the opportunity I needed. “Mama, Papa, may I speak with Declan please?”