Page 60 of Cruel Ice

“Declan.” A sigh. Then she wasn’t just gripping his arms. She was hugging him. So hard and tight. As if she wouldn’t ever let go.

A lie, of course. Everyone eventually let go.

“Ahem.” From Royal. He’d sauntered closer. “I am certainly no expert on these matters, but I think you’re supposed to raise your arms and hug her back. Sure, hugs probably aren’t exactly typical in a client-PI relationship, but I’m getting that things aren’t typical with you two.”

His hands began to lift. Not that Declan had needed the guy to tell him to hug Marley. He knew how to hug someone, dammit.

Carefully, his arms curled around her. Circled her. He pulled her even closer, though she’d already been close before. Her body crushed against his. Warm and soft, and jasmine and amber filled his nose.

He pulled in a deep breath. Let it out.

“I’m so sorry about your mom.” Her soft words. “And, of course, Declan,of course,she was coming back for you. Never, ever think anything different.”

His chest ached. His head bent, and he brushed his face against the softness of her hair.

“If you two need like…a minute, I can go explore the house. See what other pieces of priceless art you just have hanging around like they’re family photos. Which, by the way, I notice there are none of.”

He’d destroyed all the photos of his father long ago. As for his mother’s photos? His father had ripped them all down and burned them right after Declan’s mother had vanished.

Declan slowly forced his hands and arms to release Marley. He straightened his spine. “Take any art you want. Already told you, half the fortune is yours.”

“Yeah, I don’t want it. I prefer to make my own way in the world. Like I already toldyou,I also know our father didn’t leave much behind. All of this…” A wave of his hands to indicate the house. “It’s because of you. Otherwise, the creditors would have taken it all when you put our father in the ground.”

“How is Royal alive?” Marley questioned haltingly. “But your mom isn’t? What happened?”

“Thought they were both dead.” Had he told her that part before? Everything seemed to blur, and his chest wouldn’t stop aching. The past wasn’t supposed to hurt, but his felt as if it had just stabbed him in the heart all over again. “I was told they’d died in a fiery car crash. Their vehicle fell into a ravine. Exploded. The bodies—there wasn’t really much left. That’s the story I was given so long ago. We buried two caskets that always remained closed.”

Her breath shuddered out.

“I didn’t give up.” He wanted to hug her again. Instead, Declan clenched his hands into fists. “Hired plenty of PIs over the years.” He’d told her that truth before.

“You mean I’m just the latest in a long line of PIs for you?” A faint, wan smile tilted the corners of her mouth.

Her question gave him pause. “You are nothing like the others.”

A wince as her smile faded in an instant. “I worried you’d say that. It’s because I’m so new to the gig, isn’t it?” She turned away. “Okay, Royal, how did you?—”

Declan’s hand flew out and caught her wrist. He spun her back toward him, and, in the next instant his hand rose and curled under her chin. Gently, he lifted her head toward him. “The others can’t come close to you. You are special, Marley Jones.”

A little smile tilted the corners of her lips. “I think you’re pretty special too, Declan Flynn.”

She did?

“Okay.” A long and loud exhale from Royal. “Before I get nauseous or before you two start ripping off each other’s clothes, let’s get back to business, shall we? Someone is trying to kill Declan. And me. That attempted murder bit pisses me off. When I get pissed off, bad things happen. It’s just the way of my world.”

It was the way of Declan’s world, too.

“To help get back to our focus, how about I sum some things up? That good for everyone in the room?”

Marley moved to Declan’s side. They both watched Royal.

“As a kid—hell, I was barely walking around at two, just a damn toddler—I wound up in New Orleans. On Royal Street.” A mocking smile came and went on his lips. “Thus, the name.”

Marley’s hand reached out. Her fingers pressed against Declan’s fist. Surprised, his hand opened. Then immediately, his fingers locked with hers.

“I thought I’d been abandoned. That no one wanted me. I grew up on the streets of New Orleans. Made my own family with a very protective and annoying brother, Beau LeBlanc. Lived a life that wasn’t typical. Did shit that would give you nightmares. Raised lots of hell. The usual.”

Hardly. Declan knew that Royal’s particular talent—the unique skill set that had landed him a job with the Ice Breakers? It centered around the fact that Royal hunted killers. Hunted them and stopped them, by any means necessary. A very unusual and dangerous side gig. But then again, Declan had discovered that his brother was unusual and dangerous.Far too similar to me.

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