“Around the time Declan decided to turn his uncle into a human stress ball. Which I must admit was quite entertaining.”
“Glad I could be of service.” I smirk, coming fully back to reality. I frown as I realize Zahra’s been on her injured ankle this whole time. I slide my arms under her legs and lift her up, ignoring the twinge in my shoulder from where I was shot. “No more standing, you need to rest to heal properly.”
I place Zahra on the coach before sitting down next to her, turning to face Azula, whose eyebrows are raised so high they practically reach her hairline.
“I didn’t realize you two had gotten so…cozy.” Azula grins, winking at Zahra, who doesn’t move a muscle.
Instead, Zahra gets straight to business. “What brings you in?”
“Aleksander Ivanov, the Ukrainian boss, wants a meeting with you. He claims he has some crucial information that you need to hear surrounding a potential assassin.” Azula’s hands twitch at her sides, like she’s dying to get revenge. Dying to skin someone alive. Knowing her reputation, she probably is.
“What does he want in return?” Zahra asks.
Smart girl. No one in our line of work offers favors. Everything came at a cost. Often one that isn’t worth what you get in return.
Azula tenses, and I already know I’m going to hate whatever Aleksander has asked for. “His only request was that he get to meet with you. Alone.”
It takes me a second to realize what she means. “Absolutely not. Zahra and I are partners. Not just in allyship between our two families, but in marriage. Wherever she goes, I go and vice versa.”
Zahra snorts in response. “Ignore my husband. Aleksander’s request is reasonable so long as he’s fine meeting us here. My desire to eat out has dramatically decreased since the incident at The Black Rose. A girl only gets so many close calls on poisoning attacks before she dies.”
My hands curl into fists at my sides and the only reason why I’m not immediately freaking out is because my mind is entirely too distracted by the fact that Zahra just called me her husband.Herhusband. Still, the idea of her being in the same room as a man as lethal and callous as Aleksander Ivanov made my stomach churn. “You will have security in the room with you even if I’m not allowed.”
“Do you really think that little of me?” Zahra’s eyes narrow. The harshness in her voice covers up the subtle hint of hurt.
Shit. That is not at all how I intended to come off, but byreplaying the words in my head, I can see how she got there. I take one of her hands and cradle it in between my palms. “No.I’m not saying I want you to have protection because you can’t handle yourself. I have not one single doubt in my mind that if you wanted to rip Aleksander limb from limb, you could do it. There is not one single thing I think you can’t do.”Including healing my frozen, shattered heart.“I just can’t stand the idea of anything bad happening to you and knowing I did nothing to help. If I can’t be there, I at least want some extension of me with you. And if that includes my security team, then so be it.”
“Declan, we just talked about this. You can’t protect me from the world. No matter how much you want to.” Her eyes are trained on me, as if she’s hoping something will click and I’ll finally accept the truth from her lips.
For now, I chose to live in denial. “Just humor me. Please.”
Zahra shifts her attention back to Azula, and the two somehow manage to have a full conversation without saying a word. It’s as scary as it is impressive.
“Give me your gun.” Zahra lifts her free hand out in front of me.
“Why? You have your own.” And probably a dozen or so other ones hidden in her belongings.
“Because, my dear husband, you said you wanted me to have a piece of you with me when I meet with Aleksander, and what better security than your own gun?”
She said it again.My dear husband.The words may as well be a siren song because the next thing I know, I’m placing my Glock in her hand, as she and Azula plot out the logistics of the meeting and how they’ll sneak the gun into the room. Aleksander’s men will no doubt request to search her and the room ahead of time. We rattle off ideas back and forth until we land on a solution we’re all satisfied with, Azula giving us a quick wave goodbyebefore making her exit.
Zahra and I sit in the comfortable silence of the room until she falls asleep in my arms, the exhausting day finally catching up to her. I debate carrying her into her room so she’s more comfortable, but that would mean sleeping alone tonight instead of pressing up against her warm body. So instead, I shift us slightly on the couch so I can lay down with her on my side and let the steady rhythm of her breathing lull me to sleep.
33
DECLAN
“Ican’t believe I actually agreed to this,” I grumble, pacing back and forth in my office while Azula picks at her nails and Aidan awkwardly sits next to her on the couch. At my signal, Connor’s standing by the door, primed and ready to run across the hall to the meeting room, where Zahra and Aleksander are currently sitting.
“She’ll be fine. The table has a secret compartment underneath it. Once she sits, she’ll be able to get her gun. I all but strip-searched Aleksander and his cronies. Plus, we have a video and audio livestream setup.” Azula turns her cell phone so I can see the footage of Zahra as she gestures for Aleksander to sit across from her.
From the angle of the camera, I can see her reach under the table and slide my small revolver out from the compartment, tucking it into the sleeve of her coat. Some of the tension in my shoulders drops. “When did you install a camera?”
Azula’s eyebrows knit together. “I didn’t.”
Now it’s my turn to be confused. “I know where all ourmain security cameras are set up inside. This room, to my knowledge, doesn’t have one.”
“Zahra informed me that there’s some dormant cameras throughout the cottage. From what she could tell, they hadn’t been used in years, so likely forgotten about. She configured my phone so I could access it too.”
