Page 59 of Cruel Ice

Guilty as charged. “It’s a small world.”

“No, it’s not. It’s a giant world with well over eight billion people in it.” A long breath. “Is your connection to the Ice Breakers just through your brother? Do you know about them only because of Royal?”

Declan’s lips pressed together.

“No.” Royal’s lazy reply. “I’m helping him with a case.”

Her eyes widened. Her wide eyes did not leave Declan. “You didn’t think that was important to mention? The fact that you’re working with the Ice Breakers on a case?Whilesomeone is attempting to kill you?”

He didn’t speak.

“The Ice Breakers are working over thirty cases right now,” Royal announced. “You can’t know every case other operatives are investigating—and is it okay if I call you Marley? That’s a rather interesting name by the way.”

“My parents lovedA Christmas Carol.” She spoke that part as if distracted. “Named me after Jacob Marley. My brothers are Ebenezer—Eb—and Jacob—Jake. Jake was named after Jacob Marley, too. Jacob Marley was always my mom’s favorite character.” Marley fired a suspicious glance Royal’s way. “Why do I get the feeling you already know all that about me? You been digging into my life, Royal?”

I’ve been digging into your life.Declan didn’t speak that truth.

Royal sent her an innocent smile. “Like I was saying, you can’t know every case that the Ice Breakers are working. And this one? It has a particular classified designation. In other words, Declan didn’t want anyone but the select few working it to know the truth.”

Declan saw her delicate jaw harden as her swirling gaze returned to him and seemed to darken even more. “Declan.” His name came out as a sigh. An angry one. “You’re being hunted by someone, and you’ve got the Ice Breakers stirring up a cold case. They’re looking into—what? A disappearance?Murder?”

“Both,” came the response from Royal. He practically had his nose to the painting now. “I don’t buy that you’d have a fakeanythingon display in this creepy house of yours?—”

“Haunted castle or Wayne Manor,” Marley said with a fast wave of her hand. “But it is not creepy.”

Soft laughter rumbled from Royal. How could the guy laugh so easily? Declan knew just how bleak and dark Royal’s past was. The man should be just as twisted as he was. And yet…

And yet Royal fell in love with Violet. He has a whole other life down in Savannah. A different brother. A cop friend who’d take a bullet for him. Royal has played in the darkness more times than anyone else I know, yet he still laughs and smiles and loves and…

I’m so fucking jealous of him.

“Hey.” Marley reached out and curled her hands around his arms. Declan hadn’t even realized she’d closed the small distance between them. “I don’t know where you just went, but I don’t like the sadness I saw on your face. You stay here with me, got it? Even if I’m pissed at you, you stay here with me.”

He blinked. No, no, there could not have been sadness on his face. He wasn’t sad. That was ridiculous. He was?—

“He’s sad because the Ice Breakers are looking into our mother’s disappearance-slash-murder.”

Damn but Royal had a big mouth on him. Big and loud and his tendency to overshare was going to get him in serious trouble.

“Our mother is his tie to the Ice Breakers. When I was two years old…” Royal had finally turned away from the painting. “I vanished. Courtesy, we believe, of our dear, dead mom.”

Her lips parted. She didn’t let Declan go. If anything, her hold tightened on him.

“Not sure how much he’s told you about me,” Royal continued.

“Not enough,” she responded. Still, she did not let Declan go.

He realized his jaw had locked. He should explain. But he didn’t typically explain. Didn’t talk about his past with anyone.

She’s not anyone.And she was staring at him with a gaze gone soft with compassion and worry. She didn’t need to feel compassion for him. Not worry, either. He wasn’t worth it. “My mother was afraid. She ran away. Took Garrison—uh, Royal—with her. I believe she was going to come back for me, but she didn’t have the chance.” Did he believe that? Really? Or did he just say that shit when in all honesty…

Maybe she left me behind because she feared I was already too much like our father.

He swallowed.

“Why was she afraid?” Marley asked.

Easy. “Because our father was a sadistic and controlling sonofabitch. I told you before that he was obsessed with her. His version of love. But if she did anything he didn’t like, if she violated any of his strict rules, he’d punish her. He punished us all.”Until I was the one to finally punish him.

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