Page 2 of Vow of Vengeance
I stare at him a moment before I roll my eyes. "That's basically what I said. If some guy found out my husband was fucking hiswife behind his back, maybe he snapped? We should figure out who all he cheated on me with so that I can figure out who's responsible for this."
"Is that what you really want?" His eyes rove my face, looking for something he doesn't bother giving a voice to. "You want to know the truth about what happened?"
"Obviously." I snort.
"Why?"
"Why?" I laugh. I’d think that answer would be obvious.
Declan shrugs. "Why do you want to know what happened? It won't change the outcome."
I hate the betrayal his words spur inside of me, the disappointment that unfurls through me at the indifferent tone of his voice. The tears are back to pushing at my lids; I feel one slip down my cheek.
"I losteverything."
"You didn't." Declan argues. "You lost a cheating husband. No loss there."
He doesn't say anything more, doesn't mention the thing that I know he knows. The thing that he so boldly threw in my face. The thing that I've never said out loud, as if doing so would solidify what was already set in stone.
"I lost mybaby." Even my own voice betrays me, breaking over the little word and leaving space for a sob to burst through me. "My baby, Declan."
My heart hurts, a heavy useless thing that seems like it would be enough to sink me to the bottom of the ocean right now. I turn to go because I'm not going to be able to make this man understand my pain. And if he can't understand it, he doesn't deserve to share this agony.
His hand closes on my wrist as soon as I've turned, and he uses the leverage to spin me back to face him, pulling me in close. His broad chest is pressed against me, his dark eyes hungry as helooks down at me and with the hand that he used to stop me, he tips my chin up to make me look at him.
"What do you want, Soren? Beveryintentional with your answer. If you want to move on with your life and heal, tell me that. If you want to find out the truth about that night, tell me that. But you can't have it all, so you have to make a choice. Protect your peace, or go down a road you won't be able to turn back from?"
I stare at him, the earnestness in his eyes and the set of his soft lips. I don't know what he means, or what he means to do based upon my choice. But the fact that he's giving me a choice after telling me I need to learn to let go of my need to control, means more than I can even begin to contend with. I think carefully about what I want— or rather, I think carefully about how to say what I want. I know what I've wanted for the past year; it's never changed.
"I want justice for that life."
“Vengeance.” He agrees with a nod, like he expected that answer. “Then you will have it.”
two
Declan
Thewayshestaresme down from across the table, you'd think I was asking her to take my dick in her ass while I let a friend fuck her throat. It's a thought that makes my balls tighten, even though I don't have any friends these days I'd share with. More than that, I would never share her.
The fact that her husband had her before makes me want to murder a man who's already dead. I want to erase him from her life completely, but I can't do that when she's revering him as a good husband who got a little wayward. I've got to show her the ugly truth about him.
Somewhere deep inside of me, a small part of me is vindicated by the information I have yet to share with her. A small part of me loves that I can finally shatter the illusion of her husband as anything other than a fucking predator, who saw his wife as prey. I wanted to shatter Soren Palmer, and the information I now have on her husband will do that without a shadow of a doubt. She will be so broken after this that the only thing that will keep her moving is me. But first, I need to know she's strong enough to be put back together.
"It's a fucking bagel, not bull testicles." I roll my eyes when she glares up at me, her eyes sharp and angry.
"This is stupid." Soren crosses her arms, looking at the spread set out before her. A bagel with lox, a small bowl of cereal, a plate of what I think is fruit, sliced cheese, yogurt with granola, and a glass of orange juice.
For such an empty house, the maid sure kept the kitchen in the main home well-stocked. I may have gone a little overboard, knowing that she isn't going to eat even half of what I put together. I'd have cooked pancakes or French Toast if Soren seemed like the type to enjoy sweets. I've never had anyone to prepare food for, but I'm not going to tell her I actually enjoyed getting everything set up like this.
"It's just food. You need to eat."
Her eyes slide to the bagel, looking offended by the lox atop it. "Is this because I refused your bagel at work?"
I laugh but shake my head all the same. "No, Soren. This is because in the time I've watched you, I've seen you eat a couple of crackers, the cheese off the pizza Marissa brought to your place, and stale rice cakes. I've seen you drink nothing but coffee and wine and you were so fucking dehydrated that it took hours before your body could let go of some of it."
She glares at me as if I've offended her and turns her eyes back to the table. "This is excessive."
"This is called having options." I shrug. "I didn't tell you that you have to eat every bite. I just said you have to eat."
