Page 26 of Taken By the Mobster

“You too,” Conor replied. “From Ezra.” He tossed a bottle of pain pills on the bed. “You look like shit.”

Drew chuckled. “Thanks.”

“We’ll catch up later, kid. I’ll see you.” Conor excused himself, leaving Drew, Declan, and Olivia to stare at each other.

Drew broke the uncomfortable silence first. He nodded at Olivia. “Who is this?”

“This is Olivia,” Declan said. “She fixed you up. Olivia, this is my brother, Andrew.”

“Thank you,” Drew said. “And call me Drew.”

“You’re welcome.” She glanced at Declan. “Can I check his bandages?”

Declan nodded. “Go ahead.”

Olivia straightened her shoulders and crossed the room to stand beside Drew. She checked his bandages and examined the uncovered wounds. Declan leaned against the wall by the door, watching every move she made and waiting patiently for her to finish.

“Have you eaten anything?” she asked.

“Yes,” Drew replied. “Some eggs and toast. I also drank some water.”

“Good.” She cleared her throat and stepped away from the bed.

“I’m sorry, but you look really familiar,” Drew said. “Do I know you?”

Olivia glanced at Declan. He shook his head. He didn’t know if Drew even remembered Olivia, and he wasn’t ready to reveal her secret to anyone else. It was enough that he and Conor knew. No one else needed to know whose daughter she was.

“I … I don’t think so,” she mumbled. She scooted away and perched on the edge of the chair.

Drew looked at his brother and Olivia. Declan knew Drew didn’t believe her, but he wouldn’t pursue an answer, not if he thought Declan didn’t want him to ask questions. After growing up the way they did, Drew knew when to keep his mouth shut.

Declan gestured to Olivia. “Come on. I’ll walk you back to your room.”

She smiled at Drew, got up, and followed Declan out the door. She walked quietly behind him back upstairs and went into the bedroom without a word.

Declan stepped inside and closed the door. He caught Olivia’s hand and dragged her into his arms. He kissed the top of her head.

“I’m sorry about earlier. I shouldn’t have shut you out.” He hugged her tightly. “You have to understand something about me. I have lost everyone I care about in this world, except my brother. My go-to defense is silence. I’m not always good with words, Liv. Can you forgive me?”

Olivia nodded. She pressed her face against his chest and returned the hug. “Don’t do it again, though, okay? I’m not going to sit by and blindly take orders from you. If I’m going to stay, you need to understand we are in this together.”

“I won’t do it again. I promise.” He kissed her and for the first time since Drew showed up, Declan thought things might be okay.

Chapter 13

Olivia

Olivia pushed her tangled hair off her face, sat up, and turned on the bedside lamp; it didn’t do much to illuminate the room. She checked her watch and saw that it was almost 10 p.m.; it had been hours since she had seen anyone. After Declan left her room, she slept for a couple of hours, tossing and turning the entire time. She was awake when Ezra marched in around four in the afternoon, set food on the bureau, and left without a word.

After she ate, she paced around the room and stared at the ceiling and the floor. She went through the dresser and the closet, though she didn’t know what she was looking for in either place. She knew she was sick of doing nothing. Olivia wasn’t an idle person: she liked to read, do yoga, and jog. She had also gotten invested in a couple of shows on one of the streaming services. Being locked in a room with nothing to do made her feel like her brain was rotting.

Olivia stood up, took two steps to the window, and pushed the curtain aside. The darkness outside was so thick that it seemed like an eerie, odd blackness had taken over the world. She let the curtain fall back into place, then she tiptoed across the floor and pressed her ear to the door.

Silence.

She sighed. Sitting was unbearable, so she paced around in circles instead. She was restless, irritated, and trapped. She wanted to scream.

Olivia paced for almost an hour before she heard a knock on the door. It opened, and Declan stepped into the room.

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