“First,” I say. “I need to be the one who installs the security cameras at Lily’s.”
Declan nods slowly, tapping his ring against the table once. Twice.
“Why is that?” he asks, calm as ever. “Because she’s Lev’s daughter? And how the fuck do you know about it already?”
I could lie.
I could skate around the truth.
But there’s no point. Not with him. Not with a man who’s built an empire on reading people the way other men read books.
And I need to ensure I’m the one who walks into her house.
A boundary I shouldn’t be crossing.
One that I can’t stop myself from crossing.
“Yes,” I admit. “I do have a duty to watch out for Lily because of Lev. I have been doing it for years now.”
Declan’s gaze sharpens.
“In recent years, it’s morphed,” I continue, my jaw tightening, “from the occasional check-in… to full surveillance.”
He chews on his lip, absorbing it. “Does she know that you’re watching her?” he asks.
I shake my head once. “No. And it needs to stay that way.”
Declan’s eyes narrow slightly.
“She can’t even know I work with you,” I add. “I’m not sure what she remembers from Russia. Or if she’d even know my name.”
His frown deepens. “Would it not be easier to just tell her you’re her bodyguard? Especially now?”
Fuck.
“No,” I say instantly.
No, because I’m not just a bodyguard.
No, because if I step fully into her life, I won’t be able to stop.
No, because I’m already too far in.
“So what?” Declan asks, voice sharp now. “You just secretly watch out for her? For what reason?”
I run my hand over my jaw, feeling the tension in my face like stone. “A few years back,” I say, “I saved her from someone.”
The words come out calm, but my chest tightens all the same. “Something fucking awful happened to her,” I continue, my voice turning colder. “And I vowed never to let anyone get close enough to hurt her like that again.”
Declan stays still, but I see it; something dark flashes behind his eyes.
“I swore to myself I’d keep her safe,” I finish. “And this is what I’m doing.”
I lean forward slightly, voice dropping. “That’s why I need to be the one who puts in the cameras. So I can use the feeds too.”
Declan exhales hard. “Fuckin’ hell, Drago.”
“I know,” I bite out. “I know it sounds all kinds of fucked up.”
