Page 14 of Liar For Hire (For Hire 1)

“What is your problem, Declan?”

He smiled, and the darkness disappeared. “No problem. This will

be great. I’ll charm him, get the job, and finish it with a bonus. Don’t worry.”

“Great. I’m glad to see you more cheerful. And I don’t want to argue either. We do better getting along.”

“We do. And also...”

“Also?”

He reached for her hand and squeezed it then let go. “I turned Lachelle down.”

“What do you mean?”

He looked over at her. “You didn’t want me to go on a date with her, did you?”

“I-uh-I… Makes me no never mind.”

“She asked me out, and I said I’d rather not get involved with family. She tried to change my mind, but I insisted. In the end, I convinced her.”

Relief flooded Janessa. “Well, it’s probably for the best. She wants a baby, and you don’t want kids.”

“Right.”

“But, Declan, did you turn her down because of me?”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“No. I mean did you do it because you thought I wouldn’t like you seeing her?”

“Maybe.”

He shrugged, and she rolled her eyes at him. A second later, she dismissed the annoyance. Her days always went better when she and Declan weren’t fighting. Staying angry at a person took too much energy—especially when she loved said person.

A few miles down the road, when she was relaxed and expecting good things to come, Declan slammed on the breaks and swerved to the shoulder of the road. He barely missed causing the car behind them to crash into them.

“What in the world?” She grabbed the handle on the ceiling to keep from knocking her head against the window. Her heart felt like it was coming out of her chest.

Declan threw the car in reverse like he was about to do a U-turn. “Forget this guy. We’re not taking the job.”

“Say what? Are you crazy? We haven’t had a job in a few weeks, Declan. Cash is tight. Why would you suddenly have a problem with him when you haven’t even met him?”

“I can’t explain.”

“Oh you’re going to explain alright.”

He stared down the highway in the direction that they had been headed. The look in his eyes scared her. Fear, rage, determination, and a whole range of emotions flitted over his face.

“My instincts were right,” he grumbled.

“Huh?”

He looked up at the sky through the windshield and turned the car off before jumping out. She followed from her side and ran around the car. Declan frowned at something in the far distance. She squinted but she couldn’t make sense of the black dot.

“What’s that?” She rubbed her eyes and looked again. Whatever it was seemed to be headed their way, but she figured it was some type of bird. “Why are you interested in birds all of a sudden? We’re going to be late for our meeting.”

“We need to get out of the area.”

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