Page 88 of Declan

“I love you, Lena.”

“Declan, no! Please, I love you!”

Then.

Bang.

Derek’s eyes go wide before his body crumples to the ground.

Behind him, gun still raised, stands Wesley. He came through the back door.

Lena screams, sobs ripping from her throat as I rush forward and drop to my knees. I pull the ropes free, my hands shaking as I pull off the duct tape, and gather her into my arms.

“I’ve got you,” I whisper over and over. “I’m so sorry. I should’ve told them. I should’ve never let you go. I swear to God, I’ll never let anyone hurt you again. Not even me.”

“I was so scared,” she sobs into my chest.

“I know, baby. I know. But it’s over now.”

Behind us, the guys move Derek’s body. No questions asked. No words spoken. Just action.

Wesley walks over, his gun tucked away. His eyes meet mine, hard and protective.

“If you hurt her again,” he says low, “I’ll kill you.”

Then he takes Lena in his arms, kissing the top of her head. She cries harder.

Wesley looks at me over her shoulder and slaps a hand against my back.

“She’s safe now,” he says, voice thick.

I nod, holding Lena once he releases her, tighter than I ever have before.

But deep down, I know I’ve got a hell of a lot to make up for.

Chapter 25

Lena

It’s been six months since Declan almost took a bullet for me.

Six months since Wesley burst through the back door like some avenging angel and saved us both.

It still feels unreal sometimes. Like my brain hasn't fully caught up with how close I came to losing everything. To losing him. And yet, here we are alive, in love, and somehow stronger than ever.

Declan begged for my forgiveness in the days that followed, even though it wasn’t necessary. I saw it in his eyes, in every single thing he did afterward. The way he hovered protectively without suffocating me, how he held me through the nightmares without saying a word, how he looked at me like I was his entire world. That kind of love it doesn’t need apologies. But God, it still meant everything to hear him say it.

All the doubts I once had about how he felt, the secrecy, the hesitation, vanished the second he offered to take my place, willing to die just to make sure I walked out of that house alive. That’s the kind of love you don’t question. That’s the kind of love you fight for.

Wesley? Now that was a tougher road. My brother is a stubborn, overprotective, emotionally constipated jackass but he’s my jackass. It took time, and more than a few heated conversations, but even he couldn’t deny what was right in front of him. Declan proved himself, not just to me, but to Wes. Every moment since that day, he’s shown my brother that he’s not walking away. That he’s in this for the long haul. That he’s my person.

Jeanne, in her usual blunt brilliance, told me the moment she saw the two of them nearly come to blows and then somehow find peace in the wreckage, she knew I’d be a damn fool not to take Declan back. She visits often now, always carrying some ridiculous gossip or demanding Declan make her a drink. She acts like she owns the place, but neither of us mind.

Because now this is home.

I moved in with Declan a few months ago. At first, I kept most of my stuff packed. Some kind of mental safety net in case it all went to hell. But now? My toothbrush is next to his. My books are on his shelves. Our lives are tangled together in the most chaotic, beautiful, wonderful way.

“Baby, you almost ready?” Declan’s voice carries from down the hall.

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