Page 11 of Cruel Ice

“I’m the one who got lucky.” Declan smiled at her.

Such a killer smile.Her breath left her in a surprised rush. Declan was an attractive man, but when he smiled that particular way…wow.She felt that smile in every inch of her body.

“Though, for the record, I truly could have saved myself.”

Why was he still spinning that story? “Liar,” Marley accused, and for some reason, it almost felt like an endearment when she said the word.

Declan’s head moved in the smallest of nods.

I’m still touching him. And I still like it.

Another loud throat clearing came from Parker. “I have questions,” he groused. “I need to know who took you. I need to find the bastards because I don’t like people terrorizing others inmytown.”

Marley finally pulled her hands away from Declan.

He turned more toward the cop. “I have no idea who took me. When I think of last night, I remember waking up, tied to a chair.” He glanced down at his body, and his face tightened in distaste. “This gown has got to go.”

She didn’t think he had on anythingbeneaththe gown. So if that gownwentanywhere, she and Parker would be getting quite the show.

“We’ve got our crime scene team scouring the basement where you were held. We found the discarded ropes. We found the torture instruments.” Parker whistled. “Someone was planning for one hell of a party with you.”

That wasn’t exactly Marley’s idea of a party. Her stomach twisted.

The detective pushed, “Who hates you so much that they’d want to do that to you?”

Declan rolled a shoulder.

Marley gaped at him. Was he seriously showing zero concern? When someone had abducted him and clearly planned to spend a large amount of time torturing the man? “You have no idea?”

Before Declan could respond to her, Parker noted, “I’ll need a list of your enemies. Both those in the business world and in your personal life.”

“That’s gonna be one hell of a long list,” Declan told him after the faintest of pauses. “I don’t play nicely in business…or in my personal life.”

Tech billionaire.Declan was supposed to be some sort of mega genius when it came to tech. He had all sorts of secretive contracts with the government, and he’d created software that would allow people to surf on the web and be completely untraceable and he’d?—

“Is this abduction related to the mob?” A stark question from Parker. “Because we need to cut through the BS and get to the truth. That setup at the cabin sure as hell looked like something mob organized to me.”

The temperature in that small hospital room seemed to drop. Marley shivered because the cold slithered in every direction. No, it seemed tocomefrom Declan and slither out to fill up all the other space. His attention was suddenly focused one hundred percent on the detective. “You think I’m some sort of criminal?” Declan questioned in his emotionless voice.

“There have been rumors for?—”

“I work with the US government. I have dozens of contracts with them and with foreign entities. My companies provide satellite links, they provide security services, and they provide the needed tech to help keep this world moving.” A muscle flexed along his jaw. “You really believe government bureaucrats would approve my contracts if I was some kind of mob thug?”

Not a thug. “Royalty,” Marley murmured.

Declan’s head swung toward her.

She could have slapped a hand over her mouth. But, come on, why pretend the elephant wasn’t in the room? Especially considering what had happened the previous night. Parker wasn’t wrong. The abduction did feel like a mob job. A message had clearly been sent. “The gossip says you’re mob royalty. That your grandfather and father were involved—that theycreateda syndicate that took power in Chicago and throughout the northeast.”

“I am not my father.” Cold. No,chilling.“Never make that mistake. I’m not my father. Not my grandfather.”

She sucked in a breath.

He eased a bit closer toward her. And he’d already been very close. “My fiancée should know better.” A low rasp. “If the US government thought I was a criminal, they wouldn’t be in so many partnerships with me.”

“Not necessarily.” Marley just felt compelled to add, “Pretty sure they’ve been involved with criminals before.”

His eyes narrowed. That hazel…back to beingso very dangerous.

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