I’m not one to dwell on things that can’t be fixed.
“Is a mobster what you wanted to be when you were growing up? And don’t give me some oblique answer. I want specifics this time.”
I can tell he’s trying not to laugh. “Oblique?”
“It means indirect.”
“I know what it means, lass. I’m just amused by your choice of words sometimes.”
Offended, I say snippily, “So I’m a word geek. Sue me.”
“Aw, don’t be sore. What’s your favorite word?”
That stumps me. I mull it over for a while as we drive, passing more gigantic estates set back behind locked gates and tall hedges. Bermuda seems to be entirely populated by paranoid rich people.
“Serendipity.”
“Serendipity?”
“Yeah, because of the way it sounds, and also because I like its meaning.”
Spider nods. “Happy accident.”
And here I thought he was just another pretty face.
“Yes, exactly. I also like the word ‘mellifluous,’ because when you use it in a sentence, people think you’re super smart. And it’s pretty. Mel-li-flu-ous. It sounds like you’re chanting a spell. That’s what I wanted to be when I was growing up, by the way. A witch. God, it would be so badass to be able to put curses on people, don’t you think? And fly. Except I wouldn’t want to fly around on a broom. A broomstick stuck up your cooch would be crazy uncomfortable.”
Spider has his fist over his mouth. He’s trying to stifle his laughter.
“Hey! I’m being open and honest here! You could at least have the manners to keep a straight face.”
“Witches are supposed to ride their brooms sidesaddle, lass, not with the bloody thing clamped between their thighs.”
I roll my eyes. “Excuse me for not knowing the proper way to mount a broomstick. I missed that day at Hogwarts.”
Spider laughs and laughs, clearly enjoying himself. I wonder when the last time was that he had a good laugh. His job probably doesn’t afford many occasions.
Staring at his grinning profile, I say suddenly, “Are they going to be okay?”
He knows who I mean. His voice gentle, he says, “Declan’s a wicked smart man, lass. And wicked powerful. He’ll not let your sister come to any harm.”
“But what about him? I bet there are lots of guys who want to do him harm, right?”
“Aye. But he’s been around this game a long, long time. He knows every trick in the book, even the ones that haven’t yet been written. More than twenty years he’s had in the life, and he’s still standing. He’ll stand for another twenty easy, mark my words.”
Spider is obviously very proud of his boss. His confidence in Declan sounds unshakeable. It makes me breathe a little easier, but I also know that nobody’s invincible.
No matter how smart you are, there’s always someone smarter. Even the highest and most secure castle walls can be breached.
Case in point: Malek.
He came in and out without being seen by any of Declan’s guards. I locked the patio door, and he somehow unlocked it from outside. I haven’t heard a peep about triggered security alarms or violated perimeters, but he snuck onto the premises without raising any red flags, appearing noiselessly in my bedroom where he could have quite easily murdered me.
But didn’t.
He called me baby and left me a white rose, instead.
I haven’t decided what I’m going to do if he shows up again.
I’m not na?ve. I know he’s dangerous. He wears violence like cologne. Trusting men like him is what gets women like me killed.
But there’s something both powerful and undeniable that draws me to him. An irresistible natural force, like gravity. He knelt next to my bed and took my face in his big rough hand, and my heart opened like a flower.
Clearly, I have the same brains god gave a flea.
“Did Declan tell you anything about the situation with his old boss when you talked to him about taking me out for a drive?”
“It was a text message.”
“Oh.”
“But I did talk to him last night.”
I can tell from his voice that he’s got information. Sitting up straighter in my seat, I look at him eagerly. “And? What did he say?”
“Long story short, without getting into all the gory details, Diego’s got amnesia. Can’t remember a bloody thing that happened to him.”
I gasp. “No way!”
“Aye. They saw him in the hospital. The poor sot doesn’t even recognize Declan. Doesn’t know his own name. Has no bloody idea who or where he is.”