“Hayden!”
39
DECLAN
“Declan! Hurry. It’s Hayden! He’s here, and Mara answered the door.”
Heidi’s voice rang through the house, and I took off. What the hell was he doing here? He worked until four-thirty at least.
“Uncle Matthew, I gotta go. I’ll have someone call you back.”
I tossed the receiver for the office phone down and ran for the front door, skidding around corners like a cartoon character.
“Hayden, wait!”
He ignored me.
“Hayden, don’t do this. Please don’t do this. Let me explain.”
“Fuck off, Declan.”
“I don’t know what she said to you…”
“It doesn’t matter what she fucking said. What matters is what you didn’t say. You fucking lied to me, Declan. You lied. You lied about who you are. Who your family is.” He pointed at Mara. “You lied about her. Do you know who she is?”
“I found out who she is to you earlier today. And I didn’t lie. I just didn’t…”
Fury heated his face until it glowed, and I wouldn’t have been surprised to see smoke whistling out of his ears. When he spoke, his voice was calm. Deadly. And so angry I almost didn’t recognize it.
“Don’t you dare. Don’t you fucking dare. Why didn’t you tell me?”
Panic-stricken, I yelled, “This! This is why. People get fucking weird when they realize they’re talking to someone whose family is worth billions.”
“Billions?”
“I’m guessing. I honestly don’t know.”
He scoffed, his face showing just how incredulous he found that admission.
“What the fuck do you mean you don’t know? Who the hell doesn’t know how much money they have?”
“Papi…”
“Don’t fucking call me that!”
My heart dropped. He’d never demanded I call him Papi or Daddy, but that’s who he is to me. Trying to keep him talking long enough, I dropped the honorific and said, “It’s the family’s money. Not mine.”
He stared at me, his bottom lip caught between his teeth. I waited, hoping his ire was settling. When he spoke, I knew hope was all but lost.
“Okay. How much money do you have in your bank account, Declan.”
PROCEED WITH CAUTION flashed in my head with enough bells and whistles to throw me into a full-blown panic. Licking my lips, I asked, “What does it matter?”
His eyes widened, and his mouth fell open. I’d fucked up. Nothing could’ve made it any more apparent than the words he spoke next.
“It fucking matters. So, tell me, Declan, how many commas are in your bank balance?”
Did he think I knew that? Plus, I had several. I had my personal banking and savings, and then the accounts the family trust money was deposited into. Which I didn’t touch.
