“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?”

I don’t have an answer.  I’d always assumed his paranoia made him hire the guy, and now I’m embarrassed to admit it.

Deklan closes his eyes and leans against the counter again.  I watch his shoulders rise and fall as he breathes slowly and deeply.  After a full minute, he steps back and faces me.  He clenches his hands a few times as he walks slowly back to the couch and drops to one knee in front of me.

I flinch and press my back to the couch cushion.

“Kera,” Deklan says softly as he holds both of my hands, “I’m sorry I lost it there.  The thought of someone threatening you is”—he takes another long breath—“Please, just tell me everything.  Start with the first time you noticed this man.”

“He was just always there, in the back of the coffee shop.”  I try to keep my voice soft as I answer.  “That’s where I saw him first.  I noticed he was looking at me, but when I looked at him, he’d stick his nose in the newspaper.”

“Describe him.”

“He’s just a normal looking guy.  He’s six foot or so, skinny, with brown hair, maybe brown eyes—very plain.  He always waits until I’m busy making someone else’s coffee, so Terry takes his order, but I saw the name Charlie on his cup.”

“Who’s Terry?”

“The assistant manager at the coffee shop.”

Deklan nods as he takes another breath.  He runs his thumbs over the back of my hands as he looks at me, his eyes still intense.

“Is that all he’s done?” he asks.  “Just watch you?”

“He’s followed me back here.”

Deklan squeezes my hands for a second as he grits his teeth.

“He followed you here?  Into the building?”

“Not inside,” I say.  “He usually stops at the corner or crosses the street.”

“Where else have you seen him?”

“Mostly just at the coffee shop, but I thought I saw him twice when I was out with Kathy.  I’m not sure though.”

“You were drunk.”  Deklan closes his eyes and shakes his head before glaring back at me.  “Drunk, and some creep is following you.  This is fucking fabulous.”

He releases my hands and leans back on his heels.

“You think his name is Charlie?”

“I don’t really know,” I say.  “That’s the name he gives for his orders, but it’s not like we check IDs.”

Deklan stares into space for a moment.  I wonder if he’s trying to come up with anyone he knows named Charlie or Charles.

“When have you seen him at the coffee shop?” he asks.  “What time of day?”

“Around ten o’clock when I’m not working.  Earlier when I am.”

“It’s after noon now.” Deklan glances down at his watch.

“But it’s Sunday.  You’re usually with me on Sundays.”

“Do you work tomorrow?”

“No, not until Wednesday.”

“Time?”

“Nine.”

“When you go to work Wednesday, you are going to text me as soon as he gets there.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Depends on who he is.  I know one thing: you will not be out of my sight between now and then.”

I nod quickly as I reach for him.  I don’t want to be out of his sight—not now.  The images flash through my head from each time I have seen the creepy guy, but I now see him in a different context, and it terrifies me.  Who would have me followed?  Sean?  Whoever kidnapped me before?  I have no idea, and I grip Deklan’s shoulders as tightly as I can.

“I’m sorry I got angry,” Deklan says.  “I didn’t mean to scare you.  I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about this before.”

“I really thought you knew,” I say again.  “With all the phone restrictions and making me carry a gun…I just thought you had him watching me to make sure I was okay, especially after the first time I went to the shop, and you didn’t know where I was.”

“For future reference,” Deklan says with a sigh, “I’ll tell you if I do something like that.”

“Okay.”

He pulls away a bit to look me in the face but doesn’t let go of me.

“Is there anything else you’ve been keeping from me?”

My thoughts turn immediately to Sean.  I’ve never divulged the things he’s said to me, and all his lewd and obnoxious comments invade my head at once.  Deklan must notice something in my expression, and he places his hands on the side of my head.

“What is it, Kera?  Do not hold anything else back from me.”

I can’t say anything about Sean—I just can’t.  Deklan is completely loyal to the Foley family, and Sean is his boss.  Anything I say about Sean’s behavior has the potential to get Deklan in trouble.  What if he gets angry again like he just did?  And that was just over a guy watching me.  What would his reaction be if he knew what Sean has said to me?  What would happen if Deklan confronted his boss?

This time, I need to protect my husband.

“There is one thing,” I say seriously.

“What?”

“You know that shepherd’s pie you like so much?”

Deklan narrows his eyes at me.

“The biscuit crust…it’s not homemade.  I use a mix.”  I hang my head in mock shame.

Deklan rolls his eyes, and we both laugh.  He presses his lips against mine for a moment before pulling away and standing up.

“I need to call Brian,” Deklan says. “Why don’t you jump in the shower?  Take your time and try to relax a little.  I’ll make you something to eat while you’re in there.”

“I’m not really hungry.”

“Well, you haven’t eaten anything, and there is probably still alcohol flowing through your veins, so you’re gonna eat.”

“Ugh!  Fine!”

I head off to the bathroom.  Deklan is right—the shower feels good, and I stand there and let the heat of the water seep into my skin.  Staring at the blank wall of the shower, thoughts of Kathy flood through my mind, but I seem to be out of tears.

Deklan is still on the phone when I’m finished.

“You can’t expect him to just lie back and take it,” Deklan says.  “Tell her she needs to be patient.  We’ll work something out.”

I smile at Deklan when he looks up at me, and he points to a pot of macaroni and cheese on the stove.  He places his hand over the phone’s mouthpiece for a moment.

“Eat,” he says softly.

I roll my eyes and scoop some of the macaroni onto a plate.

“You want some?” I ask.

Deklan shakes his head and goes back to his conversation, and I sit at the kitchen island and try to eat.

“She’s dealt with it this long,” he says.  “She can hang on a bit longer.  I’ll see you in a little while.”

Deklan hangs up and comes up behind me.

“Eat more,” he says as he wraps his arms around me from the back.  He kisses me lightly on the side of my neck.  “Brian is bringing my Viper back and returning the sedan.”

I eat about half of what’s on my plate but can’t stomach any more than that.  Deklan grumbles but accepts the amount I’ve had.

“You should take a nap,” he says.

“I’m not sure I can sleep.”

“At least try.”

“You’ve gone through so much in the last twenty-four hours,” he says.  “You need time to recuperate, and you need time to grieve.”

Deklan takes me to the bedroom, strips me of my jeans, and tucks me under the blankets.

“Sleep,” he says.  “I’ll be right in the next room, and I’ll come check on you.”

“All right.”

I’ve barely fallen asleep when there’s a loud knock at the door.  I jolt awake, my muscles tensing with the unique sensation of falling from a great height.  I gather my senses as I hear the door open.

“Will you shut the fuck up?” Deklan says with a low snarl.  “Kera’s sleeping!”

“I’m in trouble, Dek.  Big trouble!”  It’s Brian’s voice.

I hear the door close and footsteps in the kitchen.

“Slow down,” Deklan says, his voice still quiet.  “What are you talking about?”

“I called her right after I talked to you, but she already did it.  She told him off and everything.  He’ll kill her, Dek!”

“Jesus Christ, Brian.  Keep your voice down.”

I can still hear mumbled words, but I can’t make anything out.  I push the blankets off and slide out of bed.  Slowly, I walk toward the door of the bedroom.  Through the opening, I can see both of them in the kitchen.  Deklan has his hand on Brian’s shoulder, and he leans down to speak softly.

“I am going to help you, all right?  But you have to calm down.”

“Okay, Dek.”  Brian nods and takes several breaths.

Deklan stands, goes to a drawer in the kitchen, and pulls out a box of latex gloves and a cloth.  He tosses the gloves to Brian.

“What are these for?”  Brian asks but gets no response.

Deklan moves out of my view, closer to the sink.  I shift my position in the hallway just enough to see them.  Deklan opens the cabinet under the sink and kneels down.  He reaches all the way in, and I hear the sound of tape being ripped as he pulls out a handgun.  Taking the cloth, he wipes the gun carefully and then holds it in his hand, finger on the trigger and barrel pointed toward the floor.  He grips it for a moment.

“Put those gloves on,” Deklan says.

Brian slides a pair of gloves over his hands, and Deklan hands him the gun.

“Don’t touch that without the gloves,” Deklan says.

“But Dek, it’s got your—”

“Just do what I tell you.”

They move back into the living room and out of my view.  I can’t see them unless I reveal myself, so I strain to listen instead.  Deklan speaks softly in mumbled words I can’t make out.  After a few minutes, I hear them both stand and go to the door.

“I don’t know if I can do this, Dek.”

“You can,” Deklan says.  “You will.”

“What if I fuck it up?”

“Then she’s screwed, and I’ll get the chair.  You don’t want that, do you?”

“No.”  Brian’s voice is soft.

“You just do exactly what I told you to do,” Deklan says.  “Make sure the timing is right.  I’ll take care of everything else.”

“I’m sorry to drag you into this, bro.”

“Yeah, like I don’t have enough shit going on.  Get the fuck out of here so I can take care of my wife.”

“Say hi to Mrs. K for me.”

“Yeah, sure.”

I listen to the door open and close again.  Deklan lets out a sigh, and I quickly scuttle back to the bed.  I draw the sheets up to my chin just before he comes back in the room.

“Everything okay?” I ask as Deklan crawls in beside me.

“Yeah, babe.  All’s good.”

“Was that Brian?”

“Yeah.  He says hi.”

“He sounded upset.  Is the car okay?”

“It’s fine,” Deklan says as he leans over and kisses my cheek.  “He just needed a little advice.  Woman shit, you know?”

“Right.”

“Go back to sleep,” Deklan says.  “I’ll be right here with you.  When you’re up for it, we’ll go out for a nice dinner.  I still owe you that.”