17. Declan

Chapter 17

Declan

I t was impossible to sleep last night. All I could think about was getting Ayla back home. I could’ve sent her alone and handled everything with Vincent to get it over with, but I couldn’t let her out of my sight without knowing she got home okay.

The sun had just risen, and Ayla was still asleep beside me. We still had about an hour before we needed to get to the airport; it couldn’t come soon enough.

My phone vibrated on the nightstand, and I saw Ian’s name pop up on the screen. My pulse skyrocketed because I knew he was going to have information on Vincent. I slid out of bed and answered it quickly, keeping my voice low to avoid waking Ayla .

“Ian, what you got?”

I didn’t know what I wanted him to say. If he confirmed it was Vincent here in Charlotte, then I had to assume it wasn’t a coincidence. Especially, after finding the bullet right in my path.

“I had Reed tap into the security systems in your area to see if they could pick up anyone that resembled Deluca,” Ian informed me.

The line went silent.

“And did you?” I asked.

Ian sighed. “We did. He’s there in Charlotte. Whether it’s a coincidence or not, I don’t know. But he’s there, Declan.”

His words hit me like a punch to the gut, but instead of gasping for air, I wanted to push through headfirst into danger. There was an urge inside of me that I knew wouldn’t go away now. I knew what I had to do.

I glanced back at Ayla still asleep in the bed. “Can you keep tabs on him? I can’t go after him right now. I need to get Ayla back to Alabama where I know she’ll be safe.”

“Go. We’ll do what we can. I’m going to head there tomorrow, and you can meet me once you’re done in Alabama.”

It was going to be good to have Ian as a partner. However, it was only a reminder that I didn’t have my brother anymore.

“Sounds good. I’ll be in touch,” I said, ending the call.

Ayla started to stir and her eyes slowly opened. I was good at hiding my feelings from everyone else, but it was clear she could see right through me.

“Has something happened?”

I didn’t want to scare her, so I shook my head and smiled, even though my insides were warring within me. I didn’t want her anywhere near Vincent Deluca. If he was hunting me, he’d hurt her to punish me for killing his brother.

“Everything’s fine,” I replied. “But we should probably get packed up and head to the airport.”

Her brows furrowed in disbelief. “Something’s wrong. I can see it on your face.”

I thought about last night and telling her I loved her, and realized it opened something within me. I couldn’t just leave and not tell her what I was going to do. That wasn’t how I wanted to continue our relationship.

She sat up, the bed sheets falling from her naked body. The overwhelming urge to take her right then and there was almost painful. I didn’t realize how much I needed someone like her in my life. There was nothing I wouldn’t do to keep her safe.

I moved to the bed and cupped her cheeks, staring right into her emerald eyes. “You’re right, Ayla. There is something wrong and I plan on telling you everything. But first, I have to get you back home. It’s very important that we leave now.”

“Is this about the guy you talked to me about last night? The one you thought you saw?”

“Yes,” I answered, my gut clenching. “And I need to get you as far away from him as I can.”

I didn’t want to tell her all my secrets just yet.

Ayla jumped out of bed and didn’t ask any more questions. She packed up quickly and we said our goodbyes to Kat and Jonah.

The car ride to the airport was silent, but I needed the time to gather my thoughts. Because as soon as we made it back to Alabama, I was going to come clean.

My future with her hung in the balance and it scared the fuck out of me. I’d had a taste of what happiness feels like and I was so afraid I was about to lose it.