Chapter 19

Declan~

S taring at Keavy, laying lazily in my bed, I still didn't trust a single bone in her body. Even without her penchant for killing people, her spotty background was still a problem. I had no idea who this woman really was, and by having her here with me, I was putting everything that we'd built at risk, and I was very aware of that fact. Nonetheless, I wasn't eager to make her leave.

"You still owe me two men," I said, repeating what I'd told her earlier. "Plus, how'd you get free?"

Keavy rolled over on the bed, her green eyes regarding me sternly as she looked up at me. I was sitting up with my back against the headboard, and her luscious body was lying next to me, her head resting in my lap now, my mind trying to concentrate on business, though failing miserably.

"My reply to that is still the same," she answered evenly. "How exactly do you expect me to go about recruiting you two new mobsters?"

Because I couldn't help myself, my left arm reached out, my hand beginning a soft trail down her hip, and it really was a shame that the bed sheet was covering such perfection. "Instead of replacing my men, how about you do a job for me, then we can call it even?"

Her entire body stilled, her keen gaze narrowing a bit. "What?"

"A job in exchange for your freedom" I proposed, though I was lying through my teeth. While I'd always considered myself a man of my word, in this instance, I didn't care much that I wasn't being honest with her. Considering that I hadn't wanted to let her go before we'd had sex, I sure as fuck didn't want to let her go now. Plus, I still wanted to know how she'd gotten free from that goddamn chair.

Keavy moved to sit up on the bed, and I hated how she'd taken her body heat with her. My lap was no longer warm, and not only had she moved away from me, but she also had the damn sheet wrapped around her chest, shielding herself from me, something that I didn't appreciate since I already considered her mine at this point. Especially, given that I'd taken her without a condom; a first for me.

"What kind of job?" she asked, and if it'd been any other woman, they would be balking right now.

"Have you ever heard of Cooper Donaldson?"

Her eyes widened a bit, and I loved it when I was able to catch her off guard. It showed a hint of vulnerability, like she was actually human. "Of course, I've heard of Cooper Donaldson. Who hasn't?"

"He would be the job," I informed her.

Keavy's back straightened a bit. "What about my job?" she asked. "While I'm not sure what you did with my purse or phone, I can only imagine how many missed calls I have after not showing up to work tonight."

"We're not amateurs, lass," I told her. "Noah took care of that."

"Took care of what?"

"He already informed your manager that you're going to be out of work for the rest of the week," I replied, loving how she was unable to disguise the fire in her eyes.

"Oh, that's just fucking great," she snapped.

"Watch your mouth, baby," I ordered. "While I don't need an angel in my bed, you're too unstable to allow your temper to make an appearance."

Keavy's eyes widened to the size of platters at that. "Did you really just say that to me?" she practically gawked. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"That's a long list that I don't have time to get into tonight," I retorted dryly. "Now, let's get back to Cooper Donaldson and how you got free from the basement."

"What's your problem with Cooper Donaldson?" she asked, holding the sheet tighter against her body. "And that's a secret that I'll never be telling you."

"Maybe I just don't like the guy," I posed, ignoring her refusal to tell me how she got free.

"Here's what's not going to happen, Declan," she said, her voice firm and sexy as fuck. "If you're serious about the exchanging of services to get you guys to leave me the hell alone, then you're not going to send me into a job blind. If you want me to go after Cooper Donaldson, then you're going to have to tell me why, and you're going to have to tell me everything. If not, I'll come back here and gut you myself, Declan."

My arms shot out, then I grabbed her shoulders, flipping her back down onto the bed, my body covering hers, my dick rock hard, despite having taken her twice already. After we had wrecked each other in the shower, I had carried Keavy to the bed, not caring about soaking the expensive thread count. In fact, I hadn't cared about anything other than having Keavy again.

"You need to work on that temper of yours, lass," I smirked as her emerald gaze shot daggers up at me.

"Why are you after Cooper Donaldson, Declan?" she asked again.

After bracing my weight on my elbows and getting comfortable over her, I said, "It's rumored that he likes to abuse the working girls in the area, and I don't particularly appreciate it."

Keavy quickly put her anger at me aside. "Don't most men like to rough up prostitutes?" she asked. "I mean, I thought that was the whole point of picking them up? You know, to be able to do to them what you can't with your wife or girlfriend?'

"While that's debatable, there's a difference between paying for the permission to abuse a woman, and then abusing them just because you think that you're untouchable."

"I'm confused," she replied. "You're Declan O'Brien. Why haven't you just killed him already if the rumors are true?"

"That's the problem," I told her. "Cooper is too high-profile to kill without proof, and none of the girls are willing to speak out against him. They're either too scared, or they need the money too badly, which makes sense since that's the only reason that a woman would become a prostitute."

"So, what would you need me to do?"

As I stared down at her beautiful face, my stomach tightened because I still didn't like the idea of sending a woman to do the job of men. Even though Keavy didn't have a problem with killing, and even though she could obviously defend herself, she was still a woman. Though Noah would accuse me of letting my dick complicate things, that wasn't the case. I just genuinely didn't enjoy sending a woman into a potentially dangerous situation, regardless of my own questionable methods.

"You'd need to pretend to be a prostitute, then spend some time with him to see if the rumors are true," I answered, already trying to think up an alternative.

"And if he gets violent?"

"You kill him in self-defense." I pushed some of her black hair back from her face. "Complete transparency, there are also rumors that he'd taken his blood sports too far a couple of times, but the cops hadn't bothered because of who he is."

"So, you want me to lure Cooper Donaldson back to a hotel room, goad him, then kill him in self-defense, ending his rumored reign of terror?" she summed up. "Is that it?"

I nodded, my chest feeling tight. "None of my men are able to get close enough to him, and using a real prostitute is a risk."

"And the O'Brien clan has no other women that can do the job for them?"

Without thinking, I answered, "None that we're willing to risk."

Something flashed in Keavy's eyes, but it was gone before I could identify what it could be. However, while I could have phrased it better, it was the truth. Though we had no blood sisters in the family, we had plenty of sisters-in-law, but no O'Brien would ever put his wife in harm's way. We were a protective lot like that.

"Okay," she said, surprising me. "I'll do it."

I blinked down at her, unsure of how I felt about her answer. I'd been expecting more questions, more arguing, or even to kick around different options, but I supposed that was my fault for forgetting that Keavy didn't think or react like other women.

"You'll do it?" I echoed.

Keavy nodded. "Yes."

"You're…you're not bothered by the idea of taking down Cooper Donaldson?"

The infuriating woman shot me a look. "Even if I were, I'm more bothered by the idea of living in your basement for the rest of my life because I owe you two men."

That reply had my stomach tightening again. "You'd rather risk your life going after Donaldson than be with me?"

Keavy let out a hollow laugh. "I've got news for you, Declan O'Brien. Though you might be charming when the occasion calls for it, and though your face is too gorgeous to be real, and though you might be extraordinary in bed, no man is worth living tied up in a basement, surviving off scraps for the rest of my life."

"What if you were tied to my bed instead?"

"That sounds uncomfortable, Declan," she replied. "Plus, I'm not big on crowded beds."

So, apparently, telling her that my bed was never cold was another mistake to add to the list.