Room service breakfast-in-bed makes a morning almost perfect.

“Happy birthday!”  Kathy starts to sing as she places the tray across my lap, but I quickly silence her with a piece of toast.

The eggs are nice and greasy, soaking up the alcohol from the previous day.  There’s a ton of butter for the toast, too.  Strawberry jam gives it just the right amount of sweetness.

“I can’t believe I don’t have a headache,” I say as I munch.

“Remember all that water I kept making the bartender refill?” Kathy asks.  “That’s the trick, you know—hydration.  Constant hydration.  You learn these things when you get drunk in nursing school.”

She turns on the morning news, which we ignore almost completely in favor of the food and conversation.”

“Seems like this Deklan guy has surprised you.”

“He has.”  I nod as I finish chewing.  “He’s really very sweet though a bit paranoid and overprotective.  He’s very much a ‘my way or the highway’ kind of guy, but if I choose my timing just right—like I did about getting a job—he can be reasonable about most things.”

“You haven’t shown me a picture of this guy,” Kathy says.  “You said he was attractive.”

“You know, I don’t have any.  Deklan’s very opposed the use of phones in general, and I’ve never taken a picture of the two of us.  There wasn’t a photographer or anything at the wedding.  I think Sean’s sister might have taken a couple of candids.  Maybe I can ask her sometime.”

“But he’s hot?”

“I think so.”  I laugh.  “He’s definitely built.”

“So, what about the guy you were supposed to marry?”

My skin goes cold even thinking about Sean.

“I’m really glad I’m not with him.”

“Deklan is that good, huh?”

“Sean is that bad.”

“You seemed to be into him before.”  She leans back against the pillows and waits for me to explain.

I know with Kathy there is no judgment.  She knows more about me than anyone else in the world, and she’s always taken the time to understand my position.

“I was, I suppose.”  I take a deep breath.  “I didn’t really know him, of course, but there’s more to it than that.  He’s different than the times I met him before.”

“How so?”

“He’s crazy.  I’m not just saying that, either—I think he’s one hundred percent nuts.”

I tell her the details of the day Sean said I was going to marry Deklan, the things he said to me during the reception, and his comments to me afterward—both at the Foley house and in the coffee shop.

“Damn, girl.”  Kathy lets out a long whistle.  “You really dodged a bullet there.”

“Yeah, funny you should put it that way.  Deklan is making me carry a gun whenever I go out, but it didn’t even occur to me to get it when Sean came into the coffee shop.”

“A gun?  Really?”

I go to my purse and pull out the .22.  Kathy looks it over and whistles again.

“I went out with a guy who was into guns,” she says.  “He took me out to the range a few times, but I’ve never owned one.”

“It feels weird having it in my purse,” I say.  “I don’t think I’d ever actually pull it out.”

“You never know.”  Kathy hands the pistol back to me, and I shove it deep inside my purse.  “Someday, you might not have a choice.”

“Let’s hope it never comes to that.”

“It proves my point, though,” Kathy says.  “Deklan is obviously very into you if he’s worried about your safety.  Does Deklan know about Sean coming to your work?”

“No,” I say with a shake of my head.  “I honestly don’t know what he would do if I told him.  He’s very loyal to the Foley family.  I don’t want to come between that.”

“You’re afraid he’d choose them over you.”  Kathy’s words are not a question.

“I don’t know…maybe.”

“You are.”

“What if he did?”  I feel tears burning behind my eyes.  “What if I told him, and he told me that Sean was his boss, and I just needed to shut up and deal with it?  What if he tells Sean to just take me back?”

“Do you think he would?”

“I have no idea.”

“Really?”  Kathy sits up and crosses her legs.  “From everything you have told me, Deklan is seriously into you.  Yeah, it wasn’t what he was expecting, and he didn’t ask for it, but he’s way into you now.”

“You think?”

“I know.  There’s no way he’d take Sean’s side, not if he found out what Sean was saying to you.  I think he’d be pissed—really pissed.”

“I’m not sure that would be better,” I say.  “I mean, if he and Sean get into it, what happens next?  He’s always worked for the Foley family.  What if he got fired?  What if he got something worse than being fired?”

“It’s always the unknown that scares you the most,” Kathy says.  “At some point, the here and now gets scarier.  You’ll have to tell him then.”

Kathy scoots over and hugs me, and I hug her back tightly.  I let a few tears escape as I hang on.

“I’m so glad you came to see me.”  I sniff as we part, reaching over to grab a tissue from the nightstand.

“Me too.”

We go back to breakfast, both of us silently contemplating as we chew.  Kathy finishes first and gets up to rifle through her luggage.

“What’s the plan for today?” I ask.

“I don’t know about you,” Kathy says, “but I’m thinking more of the same.  Are there any clubs around where we can drink and dance, and I can flirt with a hot bartender?”

“I’m sure there are.”

“Then that’s the plan!”  Kathy goes to her suitcase and pulls out a headband, sparkling with rhinestones.  “But first, we need to find you an outfit that goes with this.”

“What the hell is that?”

“Your birthday tiara!  Every woman needs a birthday tiara!”

“Deklan did leave me some money for shopping.”

“Then let’s go!”

We get ourselves cleaned up and ready to go before we head down to the lobby to get the car from the valet.  After a trip to the mall, we return to the hotel with several packages, including a sequined shirt to match the tiara.  Kathy makes me wear it the whole time we are shopping, which brings far more attention than I usually prefer.

I grin and bear it, though, even when the valet makes a comment, and Kathy announces my birthday quite loudly.

“I’ll plan on getting you a cab instead of giving you the keys back,” he says with a wink.

“Hold on!” Kathy says.  “We need to get the stuff out of the trunk!”

I open the trunk and grab the packages.  One is shoved way in the back, and Kathy leans inside to grab it while the valet checks out her ass.  I roll my eyes at him, and he winks again.

“What the fuck is all this?” Kathy asks.

I tilt my head to the side as she pulls out a brown sack I don’t remember seeing before.  Inside is a strange assortment of items, including zip ties, latex gloves, and an electric blanket.

“I have no clue,” I say.  I don’t want to think about why Deklan would have those things in the back of his car.  “Must be Dek’s.”

I shove the bag back inside and slam the trunk closed.

Kathy and I go to the room to change.  Then we hit the hotel bar for a quick drink.  I’m all paranoid that the bartender is going to realize the ID I used last night is a fake, and Kathy notices my nervousness.

“Let’s bail and go to the bar across the street,” she says.  “You need better drinks.  Make sure you use your real ID this time—people love to get a newly of-age chick drunk.  You’ll be drinking for free all night!”

“Martinis, here we come!”

Kathy was right about one thing—newly twenty-one-year-olds get a lot of free drinks.  We catch Ubers to different bars around town, and every bartender makes sure I get my fill.  At some point, we end up at a biker bar.

The bar is L-shaped, dark, and in a secluded area off the main strip.  I didn’t even notice it from across the road, but the Uber driver said we could have a good time here.  There’s a sign in the window, but it doesn’t light up to tell you the name of the place or anything like that.  Inside, a long bar occupies the long side of the L, whereas the short side is lined with booths.

I follow Kathy to the closest bar stools, and she orders cosmos for both of us.  The bartender looks at us quizzically, shakes his head slightly, and then starts poking around to see if he can find martini glasses somewhere.  He can’t and ends up pouring the drinks into highball glasses instead.

“We should go jewelry shopping.”

“Jewelry shopping?  Didn’t we already shop enough?”

“Not actually shopping for actual jewelry.”  Kathy snickers and leans in close.  “It’s code.”

“Code for what?”

“Code for going around and trying to figure out which guys are pierced where.  Start with that one.  I bet he has a Prince Albert.”

The guy she points out sits at one of the booths.  He’s covered in tattoos and has several visible piercings.  He slams back a beer at the urging of his buddies.

Kathy has already forgotten about the guy as she announces my birthday to the bartender, and a shot magically appears in front of me.  Then another.  And another.

“What is this stuff?”  I laugh as I slam back another one.  “It tastes like Big Red gum.”

“Fireball,” Kathy replies.  “It’s good shit.”

“I think I’m drunk.”  I laugh again.

“You were drunk before we got here.  Drink this!”

Kathy shoves a glass of ice water toward me and strikes up a conversation with the guys sitting next to us.  She begins to babble on about tipping, gynecologists, and warm hands, but I no longer hear exactly what she’s saying.  My attention is drawn to the booth behind the pierced beer-guzzler and a tall, shadowy form I know all too well.

Deklan is sitting in the very last booth with his back to me.  If it weren’t for his size, no one would be able to see him at all.  In fact, I think he’s sitting there alone until I see a hand attached to a tattooed arm reach across the table and take a piece of paper from Deklan’s fingers.

What is he doing here?

Who is with him?

I can’t tell from this angle if the person he’s with is a man or a woman, and I slip for a moment into jealous mode.  I shove myself off the bar and take a step closer.

“Kera?  What is it?” Kathy asks as I start to walk away.

“I’m not sure yet.”  I stand up and head straight to the table where Deklan sits across from the unknown person accompanying him.  All I can see is that they’re leaning close to talk to one another.  Deklan’s body blocks my view of his companion.

I take a few steps down the row of booths and finally get a better look at the person with Deklan.  Now that I’m closer, I can see that the tattooed arm is definitely masculine.  The tattoos aren’t familiar though, and I don’t think it’s someone from the Foley crew.

Even though Deklan isn’t sitting with another woman, my anger has built up.  I have no idea what he’s doing here or who he is with instead of me.  He isn’t even supposed to be in town.  I grit my teeth and walk straight up to the table.

I stumble before I reach my destination, and I have to adjust my tiara before it falls off.

Deklan glances up, and his eyes go wide.

“What are you doing here?”  He gets the words out before I manage to speak.

“I was going to ask you the same thing.”  I try to put my hands on my hips, but I miss.  “You aren’t even supposed to be in town.”

Deklan glances across the table at the man sitting there, eying us both.  I glance at the man’s face and pause.

He’s one of the most physically attractive men I have ever seen in my life.  High cheekbones, broad shoulders, and well-built.  He’s not huge like Deklan but definitely muscled.  His hair is light brown and cut in a short, military skin-fade.  His piercing eyes meet mine, and I immediately wish I had never come to the table.

In his eyes, there is nothing but the cold, calculating desire to kill.

“What the fuck is this?” the man mutters.

“Apologies,” Deklan says softly as he glares at me.  “She’s leaving.  Now.”

He gives me a slight nod, but I don’t speak or return the gesture.

“I thought you were in Chicago,” I say softly.  All the anger is gone from my voice.  Just looking at this guy is giving me the creeps and making me want to back away slowly.

“Chicago came here instead.”  He stares at me, and his look dares me to ask anything else.  “I’ll be back late tonight.  Don’t wait up.”

His words are clearly a brush off, and my ire returns.  He’s sitting here having a drink with some dude I’ve never seen before instead of being with me on my birthday.

I forget about the man across from him as the alcohol begins to talk.

“You know, if you just didn’t want to see me this weekend, you could have said so.”

The man across from Deklan smirks and raises an eyebrow.  Deklan doesn’t smile in the slightest.  In fact, his eyes have gone almost as cold as his companion’s.  He stands abruptly, grabbing my arm.

“Give me a sec,” he says as he drags me away from the table and out the front door.

I’m mad.

I’m so mad, I don’t watch where I’m going and trip on the small step at the door.  Though Deklan has me by the arm, he doesn’t have me in a tight enough grip to keep me from falling, and I skin my knees on the pavement before he can get me upright again.

“Jesus Christ, Kera.  You’re drunk.”

“So?”  I try to wheel around to face him, and he has to catch me again.  “It’s my fucking birthday, and I’m having a fucking drink or two!”

“Or ten, it seems.”  He grabs both my arms despite my protesting and hauls me away from the door.  He stops near the end of the building and turns my back to the concrete wall, holding me in place so I don’t fall.  “What the fuck are you doing in a place like this?”

“Shots.”  I glare at him.

Deklan’s eyes narrow, and I realize I might have crossed a line.

“Even drunk, I would think you’d know better than to interrupt me when I’m on business,” Deklan says.  “Jesus Christ, he’s seen your face.  He may try to find out who you are.  This shit is dangerous, Kera!  Don’t you understand that?”

“Who is he?”

“No one you need to think about.  I certainly don’t want him thinking about you.”

“I don’t like him.”

“Good.  You shouldn’t.  What the fuck were you thinking, coming up to me in there?”

“You aren’t even supposed to be here!” I yell back.  My anger peaks.  “What am I supposed to think when you’ve obviously lied to me?  Now you won’t even tell me why you’re here or who the hell you’re with!”

“He’ll be on his way back to Chicago soon,” Deklan says.  “I don’t think we’ll end up working with him.  Not now, anyway.”

“Am I supposed to believe that?”  I try to take a step forward and immediately lose my balance again.  Deklan grabs me by both arms and holds me up against the wall.

“I am not discussing this shit with you.”  Deklan stands tall and glares down at me.  “You are getting into a fucking cab and going home. Now.”

“I’m out with my friend for my birthday,” I yell back into his face.  “I’m not even going home tonight!”

“What the everloving fuck, Kera?”

“Get your hands off her!”  I startle and look to my left.  Kathy is approaching quickly with something in her hands.  She raises an arm and points it in Deklan’s direction.

In my inebriated state, I can’t quite make sense of what’s happening.  I recognize the .22-caliber pistol in Kathy’s hands as mine, but I don’t understand where she got it or why she is pointing it at my husband.

Deklan understands before I do, and I see him reaching into his jacket for his own gun.  I realize he intends to point it at Kathy and quickly grab his arm.

“Deklan, no!”

He looks down at me and then to Kathy.  I hold tightly to his arm with both hands, and he keeps his hand low, the gun pointed at the ground as I glance back at Kathy.  She looks confused as she lowers the gun slightly.

“This is Deklan?” she says.  “What the fuck—”

A loud crack deafens me.

My ears start to ring as Deklan shoves me against the side of the building and shields me with his body.  I can’t even see around him at first, and I can’t comprehend either the sound or why he’s holding me so tightly.

I pull my head away from his chest, knocking it against the concrete wall and twisting until I can see under his arm.  I blink several times at the sight of Kathy lying on the sidewalk just a few feet away from me.

“Arden, get the fuck out of here,” Deklan says over his shoulder.

I turn my head to the side and see Deklan’s business partner standing in the shadows at the edge of the building, gun drawn.  He gives Dek a quick nod before disappearing.  I look back in the other direction as slow comprehension creeps over my skin and lodges deep in my brain.

Then I start screaming.