“I want my job back.”

Deklan refuses to look at me.  He turns his back as he grabs his watch from the top of the dresser and clasps it to his wrist.  He holsters his gun and walks out of the bedroom without a word.

I follow.

“I really can’t take sitting around here anymore.”  I cross my arms over my chest and hope I look determined enough that my stubborn husband will give in to my demands.  “We talked about this before.  I can’t just hang out here in the apartment, bored off my ass, while you are gone all day.”

“It is not safe for you to go back to that coffee shop,” Deklan says.  He grabs a waffle out of the toaster and shoves half of it into his mouth.  He still doesn’t look at me.

“Terry said he would hire me back.”

“Absolutely not.”

“You can’t stop me.”  As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I know I made a mistake.

Deklan stops chewing, tosses the remaining bit of waffle into the trash, and then leans heavily against the counter.  I can see the tightness in his jaw, and I take a step back when he turns toward me.  It’s not far enough, and all Deklan has to do is reach out with his hand to grab my wrist and bring me close to him.

“Kera,” he says in a calm but cold voice, “do not think that because I have allowed that to happen before, I will allow it again.  Don’t make the mistake of believing this is a marriage of equality.  It isn’t.”

My shoulders slump, and it feels as if all my organs have dropped into my stomach.  This isn’t news to me—I know my station in my life and this marriage—but Deklan has always been lenient, and to have it spelled out for me is a painful reminder of reality.

I feel his hand on my cheek, but when he tilts my head up, I look off to the side.

“I love you,” he says, “but you will do as I tell you.  Once all this is sorted out and I know you are safe, we can talk about you getting another job.  In the meantime, you will stay here, and Brian will be here when I’m not.  You are just going to have to trust me on this.”

 “It’s not like you trust me.” I swallow past the lump in my throat, willing myself not to shed any tears of anger.

“I do trust you.”  Deklan narrows his eyes.

“Oh sure,” I say as I pull out of his grasp and toss my hands up in the air.  “As long as you have someone watching over me twenty-four hours a day, you trust me completely!”

“That has nothing to do with me trusting you.  I don’t trust anyone else.  Don’t fight me on this, Kera.  I’m not going to budge when it comes to your safety.  I’m sorry if that upsets you, but that’s not going to change my mind.”

I slump down on a kitchen chair and stare at my hands in my lap.  I’m running out of arguments, and I really need to find a way to win this one.

“I don’t like being left here alone,” I tell him.  “I even had a nightmare the other night that had me so paranoid, I thought someone else was in the apartment.  I barely slept at all.”

“You didn’t tell me about that.”

“It was just a dream.”

“Where was Brian?”

Shit.  I hadn’t meant to rat Brian out.  I try to brush it off, but Deklan grabs my chin and glares at me until I answer.

“He….he had to step out.  Sean called him, and Brian said he would just stay in the car outside and watch over the place from there.”

“Motherfucker,” Deklan mumbles.

“Please, don’t be mad at him.  It was my fault.  He knows I don’t like him sleeping on the couch.”

“Mad?”  Deklan lets out a hollow laugh as he releases my chin.   “I’m a little beyond that.”

“He tried to call you.”

“He knows I don’t want you left alone—ever.”

“Well, what is he supposed to do if the boss tells him to do something, and he can’t reach you?”

Deklan doesn’t have an answer to that one.  He leans against the counter again and scowls at the floor.

“How long?” I finally ask.  “How long will it be this way?”

“I don’t know,” Deklan says.  “I need to figure out if there was anyone else involved in your kidnapping aside from your father and Grange.  There are still a couple of missing pieces.”

“Maybe I could help with that.”

“I don’t want you involved.”

“I’m already involved, Dek.”  I stand up and move in front of him, wrapping my arms around his neck.  “I don’t want to fight about this.”

“I don’t want to fight with you either.”  He places his hands on my hips and kisses my forehead.

“Maybe we can compromise?”  I tilt my head and watch him carefully as he narrows his eyes, and an idea forms in my head.

“What kind of compromise?”

“Well, how about I come work with you?”

“Fuck no.”

“Deklan—”

He pushes me away and heads for the coatrack.

“Completely out of the question, Kera!  There is no way I’d allow that!”

“I don’t mean doing…what you do.”  I go after him and grab onto his hand before he can put on his jacket.  “But I could still do something.  I could translate like I did that one time or maybe help Teagan with the books or something.  You could keep an eye on me yourself and not have to rely on anyone else.”

I can see by Deklan’s expression that I’ve made a good point.  I look up at him hopefully.

“I don’t know.”  Deklan shakes his head slowly, and I know I need to pounce quickly before he changes his mind.

“You know I could be useful,” I tell him, “and you wouldn’t have to worry about me—I’d always be close by.”

He takes in a deep breath, stares into the distance for a moment, and then looks back to me.

“I’ll talk to Sean about it,” Deklan finally says, “but I’m not making any promises.”

I smile broadly and stand on my toes to plant a big kiss on his lips.  He kisses me back, then glares down at me again.

“Frustrating woman,” he says.  “You can come with me today.  You are the topic of conversation for the morning anyway, so you might as well be a part of it.”

“I am?”

“Yeah.”

“About my father and the kidnapping?”

“Yeah.  Now get yourself ready so we’re not late.  I’ll tell Brian to meet us at the house.”

Deklan takes a roundabout way to the Foley mansion, constantly checking his rearview mirror for anyone following us.  I glance back a few times myself, but I never see anything.  Deklan is obviously tense, and I’m afraid to ask why.  I have the feeling he might decide to turn around and take me back to the apartment if I say anything.

Brian is getting out of his car as we pull up.  Deklan slams on the parking brake and jumps out of the car, heading straight for him.  As Brian starts to greet him, Deklan hauls back and punches him in the face.  Brian falls to the ground, grabbing his mouth as a trickle of blood runs out between his fingers.

“Don’t you ever leave my wife alone again!”

“I’m sorry, Dek!  Sean told me to—”

“I don’t give a shit what Sean tells you!”  Deklan reaches down and hauls Brian to his feet by his collar.  “You tell him I said you can’t leave, and I will deal with the consequences.  You get me?”

“I…I got you, Dek.  I swear!”

“You better.”  Deklan grabs my hand and starts to haul me up the front steps.  I look back at Brian and mouth an apology to him.  He shrugs as he gently rubs his chin, and I get the idea this isn’t the first time Deklan has punched him.  Brian pokes at his busted lip as he follows behind us.

“What’s she doing here?” Sean asks as we walk into the study.

“This concerns her,” Deklan says.  “Besides, I think she can help out.  She already has once before.”

“What?  We got a translator now?”  Sean laughs.  “What’s next?  A sous chef?”

“She can help Teagan out, too.”

“You good with computers?” Teagan asks me.

“I know my way around.”

“I could use the help.”

“What the fuck?”  Sean rolls his eyes and tosses his hands in the air.  “Whatever.  She can at least hang around and be eye candy.  Sit, sweetheart.  We’ll work out the details later.”

Once we sit down, it’s all business.  Sean sits in his wingback chair.  Teagan leans against the desk and taps on her phone, and Brian and I sit on the couch in front of Sean.  Deklan takes his place standing next to Sean.  No one mentions Brian’s bleeding lip as Deklan explains to Sean and Teagan what he found out about my father’s involvement with the kidnapping.

“Let me get this straight,” Sean says as he leans back in his chair.  “You are telling me that Cormick O’Conner—Kera’s own father—arranged her kidnapping just to fuck with me?”

“I’m not sure he saw it that way,” Deklan says.  “He did it for the money.  He did it to get out of debt with your father and hoped to walk away with the ransom money too.  I’m sure he saw a lot of opportunities opening up with the thought of Kera marrying into the Foley family as well.”

“And you got all this from that Grange dude?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Is he dead?”

“Not yet, sir.”  Deklan pauses and glances at me before continuing.  “I still don’t know who he is working with now.”

“How much of this did you know about?” Sean says as he turns toward me.  “Were you in on it the whole time?”

“She was tied up in the hold of a fishing boat, Sean,” Deklan says.  “I don’t think anyone does that to themselves.  Besides, she was only fourteen.”

“I don’t know.”  Sean stands up and crouches in front of me.  His eyes dance with lightning as he gazes at me, and my stomach churns.  “How badly did you want me, baby?”

“I was just a kid,” I whisper.  I can’t look him in the face, and he’s blocking my view of Deklan.  “I had no idea what was happening.”

“But you knew this Grange guy was involved?”

“I don’t remember him being there.  The first time I saw him was at the coffee shop.”

Sean raises an eyebrow at me before looking at Deklan.

“But you think he has a contact here in my organization.”

“I think he must have,” Deklan says to Sean.  “How else would your father have known where to send me to pick her up?”

“That is a damn fine question!”  Sean leaps up from where he’s squatting in front of me and turns to Deklan.  “And who the fuck is that, huh?”

“Well, Neil told Dad where she was held,” Teagan says, glancing up from her phone.

“What?  How do you know that?”  Sean takes a step toward his sister.  “You were still in high school back then.”

“I was there,” Teagan says with a shrug.  “I was working on the books when Dad and Neil were talking about O’Conner coming over here.  Neil gave Dad a piece of paper with an address on it, which Dad gave to Dek after O’Conner left.”

“Call him,” Sean says to his sister.  “Call him right now, and tell him to get his ass over here.”

Teagan lets out a long sigh before calling their cousin and informing him that he was needed immediately.

“Why didn’t you tell me about this before?” Sean asks when she’s off the phone.

“You never asked,” Teagan replies.  “Neil always got information for Dad.  I didn’t think anything about it.”

Sean grabs the phone from Teagan’s hand and throws it across the room.  It hits a lamp on a side table, causing the light to topple to the floor and shatter.

Teagan doesn’t move, and her expression doesn’t change.

“From now on,” Sean says as he points his finger at her nose, “you tell me fucking everything.  I don’t care if you think it’s relevant or not.”

“Shall I start with the time I ate the last cookie out of the cookie jar and lied about it?” she asks.

“Don’t be a bitch,” he replies.

They stare at each other for a long moment.  No one else moves or speaks.  When I look at Deklan, he’s staring straight ahead with his hands clasped in front of him.

“Did you fix that shit with Longbow?” Sean finally asks.

“Well, he’s no longer suspended, but the whole promotion thing fell through,” Tegan replies, and the tension is abruptly lifted.  “Warren blocked it.”

“How the fuck is he supposed to get shit done for me if he ends up sitting at a desk?”

I recall Officer Longbow from my previous encounters with him.  From the way Deklan had spoken to him, I’d had the impression he was on the Foleys’ payroll.  It’s good to feel like I’m in the loop for once.  I sit up a little straighter and listen intently to everyone’s words, trying to take in as much as possible without asking any questions.

 “It’s manipulating evidence against us that got him stuck at that desk,” Tegan says.  “He’ll figure something out.  He is quite aware of the consequences if he fucks up.”

“I think Longbow has outlived his usefulness.”

“He already ‘lost’ Dek’s Beretta out of evidence,” Teagan says, “not to mention he got it done while he was on suspension.  I’m not sure what else you think he’s supposed to do at this point.  All the charges were dropped.”

“Maybe if you did your job right, this wouldn’t have happened.”

“Sean, don’t be ridiculous.”  Teagan sighs.  I get the idea she’s had enough of her brother’s ranting.  “I can’t control who the cops decide to hire and fire.”

“You hacked the system.”

“For the information, which I got.  It’s not like I can plant a computer virus that will change who they decide to promote.  Humans still do some of the work, you know.”

Sean looks like he’s going to continue the argument, but Neil walks into the room with Lucas trailing behind him.

“What’s up?” Neil asks.  He saunters over to the globe-shaped bar and pours himself a drink.

Lucas walks over to a free chair and sits down, opening his briefcase across his lap before he begins to shuffle through the papers inside.

“Have a seat, Neil.”  Sean gestures to the open spot on the couch next to me as he sits back down in his chair.  He leans back with his hands on the arms of the chair and looks around the room.  I wonder if he thinks he’s on a throne, which leads me to imagine Deklan dressed in a knight’s armor, holding a sword.

The image in my head is pretty hot.  I lick my lips and cross my legs as Deklan glances at me, his expression confused.  I quickly look away before I start to blush.

Neil looks at Sean and then Teagan.  He tentatively walks around Sean’s chair and sits beside me with his glass clasped between his hands.

“Neil, I have a question for you.”  Sean tilts his head to the side.

“Yeah?” Neil replies with narrowed eyes.  “I got a couple of questions myself—starting with where the hell Dek’s hiding Charlie Grange.”

“So you know the guy?”

“Yes, I know him.  I’ve known him for years.  He worked for your dad, and he still works for me.”

“So, you’re fucking him,” Sean says simply.

Neil doesn’t respond.  He just lets out a long, exasperated sigh.

“You’ve been keeping information from me, Neil,” Sean says.  “You know I can’t just look past that.  Not only are you withholding information, but apparently, you’re acting on it.  Having poor Kera here followed?  That’s not cool, Neil.”

“That’s not new, either,” Neil replies with a snort.

Deklan glares at Neil, and I can see my husband’s fingers clenching.  Sean squares his shoulders and stares directly at his cousin.  From Sean’s reaction, he doesn’t know anything about this.

“Here’s a thought,” Sean says, “why don’t you fucking explain yourself?”

Neil rubs his chin and looks over to me.  I pull back, and my shoulder presses against Brian’s for a moment.  I wonder if I can change seats without being noticed, but of course, that’s impossible.  I try to shift away from Neil as much as I can while reminding myself that I asked to be here.

“Your father asked me to keep tabs on her from the beginning,” Neil says.

“My father,” Sean says with a growl, “is dead.  I don’t give a fuck what he asked you to do years ago.  You fucking work for me, not him!”

Neil looks nervous as he glances between Sean and Deklan.  Deklan stands motionless and expressionless, but I can still see the tension in his shoulders and arms.

“I thought it might be important,” he says slowly.  “She’s O’Conner’s daughter, and he’s a problem.”

“Oh really?”  Sean leans forward in his chair.  “O’Conner is a problem, is he?  He’s a fucking gambling addict who ran out of funds and friends years ago, and you think that makes him a problem for me?  Seriously?”

“You know she had to be in on it, too,” Neil says with a sneer.  “Who has his own daughter kidnapped?”

“You knew about that?”  Deklan breaks his silence and nearly loses his composure.

“Of course I did!”  Neil stands and points at Deklan.  “I am the information man, am I not?  I know everything, and that asshole has been trying to play us from the beginning!  And now his daughter is sitting here like one of the family.  Do you really think that’s a coincidence?  You think he didn’t plan that from the beginning?”

“Don’t you fucking accuse my wife of anything.”  Deklan’s voice is soft and calm, but there’s a cold, deadly undertone that sends a chill through my bones.

“I’ll say whatever the fuck I please.”  Neil’s words are strong, but his tone lacks conviction.  “This concerns my family, and you’re just the hired help.”

Deklan takes a half step forward, and Brian stiffens next to me.

“Hold on,” Sean says as he holds his hand out, effectively stopping Deklan.  “I need to know one more thing.”

Sean stands and then crouches in front of Neil much like he had in front of me just minutes ago.  He reaches forward and puts his hand on Neil’s knee before speaking.

“Neil, I don’t care much for spies.  I certainly don’t care much for spies I know nothing about.  Now, this Grange guy is tied up in the warehouse, and I need to know just how far you’ll take this shit.”

“What do you mean?”  Neil presses his back against the couch cushion.

“I mean, Deklan is going to drive you over there, and you’re going to put a bullet in your fuck buddy’s head.”

“Fuck you!” Neil yells.  “He’s a valuable informant, and we’re not just going to off him!”

Sean smiles, and my skin goes cold.

“Are you saying, dear cousin,” Sean says slowly, making each word count, “that you are refusing my request to kill your lover?”

“Yeah,” Neil says as he folds his arms across his chest.  “I’m not doing it, and you’re not having that fuckhead over there do it, either.  I’m getting a little tired of you making the decisions all the time.  Uncle Fergus always asked for everyone’s input, and you’ve been going off half-cocked since he died.  This is a family decision and not just yours.”

Neil settles back with a smug expression as Sean nods with that disturbing smile still on his face.  He stands, walks over to Deklan, and puts his hand on his shoulder.

“Dek?”

“Yeah, boss.”

“I need you to perform your job.”

Lucas looks up from his papers, quickly closes his briefcase, and exits the room without a word.  Teagan stands up a little straighter, tight-lipped and eyeing her brother, and Brian shifts nervously beside me on the couch.  I sit completely still and try not to make eye contact with anyone, completely regretting my insistence on coming along.

I’m about to see my husband kill someone.  I’ve known it, but I’ve never witnessed it.  I’ve never even allowed myself to imagine it.

I’m not prepared for this.

“Boss?”  Deklan looks at Sean through narrowed eyes.

“There is a completely and totally useless member of my team.  There’s no software for hiring and firing.  In fact, there’s only one way to get out of this business, and my cousin over there is getting out of it right now.”

“Sean, be reasonable for once,” Neil says with a sneer.  “You aren’t going to kill me.  I’m a member of this family, and I haven’t done anything wrong.  You rely on the information I gather for you, and Charlie is a part of my network.”

“Charlie is your whore,” Sean replies.  “Apparently, you tell your whore as much as he tells you.”

“I only tell him what he needs to know to do his job.”  Neil glances at me out of the corner of his eye.

“You refused an order,” Sean says.  “I’m pretty sure that’s a court martial offense in the military.  I’m pretty sure the sentence is execution.  In fact, I’m positive it is.”

“This isn’t the fucking army.”  Neil is doing a good job of keeping his voice firm, but his hands are starting to shake.

“Sean, what the hell are you talking about?”  Teagan takes a step forward.  “Neil’s right—he’s family.  Dad apparently knew what was going on, and it’s not like you ended up marrying her anyway, so what difference does it make?  We need to move on.”

“We are moving on,” Sean says.  “Neil just isn’t moving on with us.”

“Boss, are you sure about this?” Deklan asks.

Sean replies by stomping over to Deklan and punching him in the face.  I gasp and quickly cover my mouth, but Dek takes the blow without a word.

“Are you going to fucking kill him or not?”

Deklan stands completely still for a moment before slowly nodding.

“Kera,” he says, “go into the back office.”

My knees shake as I start to stand.

“Sit the fuck down!” Sean yells, and I fall back into the seat as if the words had pushed me square in the chest.  Sean turns back to Deklan.  “You want her to be a part of this?  Well, she is now.  Do your fucking job.”

“She doesn’t need to see this.”

“Yeah, I think she does.  This is her revenge too, isn’t it?  If it weren’t for all this fuckery, she would be in college now, banging some frat boy, and not stuck with your ass.”

“I’m not stuck with—” I’m cut off before I realize I’m speaking.

“Shut up!” they both yell at once.

“Sean, you can’t be serious.”  Neil sets his drink on the table beside the couch and stands up.  “This is all ancient history, and you know you need me.  There’s more going on that you don’t know about, and I’m the only one who can tell you.”

“Deklan, do it.”

My husband looks at me.  I know he’s trying to convey some meaning with his gaze, but I can’t fathom what it is.  Leave anyway, despite Sean’s words?  Close my eyes?  Forgive him for what I’m about to see?

Deklan swallows and breaks his gaze with me.

“Boss, I—”

“Fuck it.”  In a flash, Sean shoves Deklan as he reaches inside his jacket and grabs his gun from the holster.  Sean turns, takes two steps forward, and points it at Neil’s head.  “Bye.”

The sound is deafening.

I bite my lip hard enough to taste blood, but it’s the only way to stop myself from screaming.  Brian grabs me and pulls me against him, but I can feel blood and bits of Neil’s head on my arm and shoulder.

“Don’t move,” I hear Brian whisper.

I can’t make my muscles respond anyway.  I want to close my eyes, but I can’t.  Teagan has her hand over her mouth, and her eyes are staring blankly at the mess next to me.  Deklan seems frozen in place as Sean turns toward him.

“Deklan Kearney,” Sean says slowly as he stares at Deklan’s face, “my father might have thought of you as a son, but you need to remember what your last name is.  You are hired by the Foleys, not one of them.  You work for me, and when I tell you to do something, you fucking do it without hesitation.  You got that?”

“Yeah, boss,” Dek says.  “I got it.”

Sean smiles, pats Deklan’s shoulder, and sits back in his chair.  He looks around the room, making eye contact with each of us as his eyes dance in his skull.

“As you can see,” he says to no one in particular, “being family doesn’t negate your wrongdoings.”