Page 40 of Cruel Ice

No, Marley did not. But she figured they could have this discussion in private. No need to set off more suspicions from the detective. He was already anti-Declan enough.

“She’s to act in an advisory role,” Declan continued silkily. “And, of course, as my fiancée, she will be receiving full protection from my security team. From here on out, Marley will be monitored twenty-four, seven.”

Um, she didn’t like the sound of that. And back to her shooting… “So, by any chance, has my small, really-only-a-flesh-wound injury been kept from the media?”Please. Don’t let that bit have been leaked to the press.

“No, it hasn’t been kept from them,” Parker immediately informed her. “The press knows about the murders and your connection to them. Any story that involves Declan Flynn is guaranteed to attract attention.”

Her shoulders slumped. “That’s unfortunate.” Her family would be pissed. But they were out of the country, so maybe her brothers wouldn’t hear the news. A woman could hope. Dealing with Declan was bad enough. Dealing with the worried twins?

After the incident with Sebastian, I thought they were going to lose their minds.And her brothers didn’t know she’d recently hung up her PI shingle. That would be another fun surprise for them.

They thought she was happily making pastries somewhere. Their mistake.

“Any other information you wanted to share, Detective Ellis?” Declan lounged back in the chair. “Or do you just have more accusations to hurl my way?”

Steam practically rolled from Parker. “You’re not cooperating with the investigation.”

Declan raised his brows. “The police were called to the alley. Not like I tried tohidethings.”

Marley didn’t point out thatshe’dcalled the cops.

“You won’t provide me with a list of your enemies,” Parker fumed.

“That’s because the list would be far too long. And I actually don’t know anyone who has the balls to kidnap me and torture me.” Declan’s voice was still mild. Vaguely musing. “That takes a special kind of sonofabitch, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, it does.” Parker crossed his arms over his chest. His head turned toward Marley. “You could have died tonight.”

She was aware, yes. “But I didn’t.”

“The way I see it, you’ve already lost several of your nine lives. How about you stop tempting fate?”

She could make no promises.

The faint lines near Parker’s eyes deepened. “If the mastermind is eliminating loose ends, you get that you could be next, don’t you, Marley? Maybe you weren’taccidentallyhit tonight. Maybe the bullet just didn’t go in your heart as planned by the shooter because you got lucky.”

Marley shook her head. No. The shooter hadnotbeen aiming for her. Parker was wrong.

He was also, apparently, not done. “Because if I were the perp…” A long exhale from Parker. “And I knew one woman was the reason why I had failed in my plan to kill Declan Flynn, then I’d be damn infuriated with her. The kind of fury that would drive me to kill.”

She fiddled with the sheet. “Good thing you’re not the perp, huh?”

Parker pointed at Declan. “Protect her. If you do nothing else…keep her the fuck safe.”

“If you believe nothing else I say, believe this—she will be protected at all costs.” Flat. Chilling. A vow. “You have my word.”

“The word of a killer. Great. Just what I wanted to feel all warm and reassured on the inside.” Parker spun away. Marched for the door and hauled it open. “How about we try to keep the dead bodies to a minimum, huh? Three was a damn big day.” He swept out.

Marley’s breath expelled in a rush. She hadn’t even realized she’d held her breath at the end. She stared at the closed door for a moment. Then her head angled toward Declan.

His eyes were on her. Glittering. Intent. So filled with a deadly determination that she had to swallow twice in order to clear the lump that rose in her throat. And even before he opened his mouth, she knew he was going to say?—

“Who the fuck is Sebastian Glass? And do you want me to kill him for you?”

Shock rolled through her. Okay, so shehadn’trealized he would say that last part.

Do you want me to kill him for you?

Chapter Nine

---