Page 44 of Cruel Ice

After a moment—a long moment, granted—Declan grabbed the chair he’d been using earlier. He hauled it a wee bit closer tothe bed. He sat down, spreading his legs out as best he could. His gaze remained on her face.

He pulled out his phone and sent another text to James.

Sebastian Glass is a problem.

Three dots appeared on his screen as James prepared his reply. Then…

What do you want me to do about this problem, sir?

Shouldn’t the answer be obvious?

He wanted the problem to fucking disappear.

In the bed, Marley slowly turned on her side, moving away from him.Notthe side with her injured arm.

His gaze swept to her, then back to the phone. He fired off one more note.Life is always easier when your problems have been eliminated.

When she wason her side—and making sure that she wasn’t jarring her injured arm—Marley slowly opened her eyes.

Declan’s confession rang in her ears.

I’m a killer. As twisted and hollowed on the inside as they come. When I was sixteen years old, I killed my own father. And I didn’t care when he begged me for mercy. He should have known I would have none. After all, he turned me into the devil I am today.

A tear leaked down her cheek.

Chapter Ten

Seven days later…

“I’mbored out of my ever-loving mind.” She slammed the fancy office door shut behind her for dramatic effect. After all, sometimes, dramatics were needed in order to get a point across. This was, indeed, one of those times.

Marley stared across the massive office space and watched as Declan slowly closed the laptop in front of him. The Chicago skyline waited behind him. Of course, Declan’s office would be on the top floor of the high-rise building. Not like she had a fear of heights or anything.

Oh, wait. I do.

After her shooting, he’d whisked her out of Georgia. He’d used the pretense of saying that he had to return to Chicago on business and that, as his PI, she had to come with him.

Not like she’d wanted her client to be jetting off without her, so she’d boarded his private plane. She’d thought that he would be giving her a glimpse into his life. Letting her meet his employees. Talking to her about business rivals. Providing herwith an all-access pass into his world so that she could snoop her heart out and find the perp who’d abducted him.

Only…nope. None of that had happened. Not one single thing had gone as she’d envisioned. Instead, she’d been put in a swanky room at his freaking mansion, she’d been told to rest…and she’d been pampered and waited on by his staff like she was some kind of long-lost princess.

Sure, normally, that sounded like one fun way to spend a few vacation days. Being waited on? Living the lifestyle of the rich and privileged? Hello, sweet joy.

But this was not a normal situation. It was no dream vacation. She had a job to do. And Declan was stopping her from doing her work.

His fingers steepled beneath his chin as he studied her. “How did the doctor’s appointment go?”

And that was another thing. The man was obsessed with her small scratch. Stupid bullet. He’d never let her hear the end of that incident. “The stitches are gone. I’m all good. Better than good.” She put her hands on her hips and marched forward. “In fact, I’m in a fighting mood.”

His gaze swept over her. “I was getting that impression.”

Her hands slammed down on his gleaming, too perfect desk.

His hazel eyes immediately dropped to her hands. One dark brow quirked.

“Declan.”

He leaned back in his chair and gazed up at her. “Marley.”

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