Declan (Undercover Billionaire Book 4) Read online

  There wasn’t much information he could give. He was stopping in as a courtesy, and he’d be in and out of there in thirty minutes max. They were all silent as they moved through the busy city streets of San Diego.

  He went into the station, basically repeated what he’d said to the captain, made it official with his signature, then walked out much to their irritation. He didn’t have time to wait around.

  His director’s words were also ringing in his ears. He shouldn’t trust anyone, not even the cops. He’d feel a hell of a lot better when they reached Washington. There, he knew exactly who he could trust. He just hoped there wasn’t an argument from Angela. For her own good, she needed to listen to him.

  If she didn’t do it for herself, he was sure she’d do it for her son. He’d use that if he needed to. He’d do whatever it took to keep her safe.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Is there anything you need from your apartment?” Declan asked as they drove to the school to pick up Timothy.

  Angela had been very quiet since he got back in the SUV. He was sure she was in shock and trying to pull herself together before her son was there. If kids only knew how much parents suppressed to keep them warm and bubbly, they’d have more appreciation for the sacrifices parents made. Then again, he’d been told that really wasn’t something most people realized until they were parents themselves. Then half the time, they still didn’t look back.

  That was another big change from the days of his grandfather. Some changes were amazing and needed. Others he could do without.

  “There’s not much, just some clothes and maybe Timothy’s books. I didn’t take a lot with me when I left Washington, and I’m renting the place week by week. I didn’t think they’d find me here, but I also wanted to be able to go quickly if somehow they did.”

  Declan was impressed. She wasn’t as foolish as he’d thought; she did want to survive. Some victims gave up because the emotional toll was too much to deal with. Not Angela. She’d never give up.

  “Are you ready to go home?” he asked.

  She sighed. “I don’t want to put my friends in danger.” She gave a humorless laugh. “That is if I still have friends after the way I left.” He tried to say something but she held up a hand. “I do want to go home. It seems there’s nowhere truly safe, so at least there I know Timothy will be taken care of if something happens to me.”

  Her words broke his heart. She seemed so damn defeated right now. It was easy to feel hopeless after something like this happened. He took her hand and squeezed her fingers.

  “You still have friends, plenty of them, who will do anything to protect you and Timothy. Going home is the smartest thing you could do,” he assured her.

  “Being a single mother isn’t easy. There are so many women out there who make it look like a piece of cake, but I second-guess every single thing I do. And the world has changed so I don’t know right from wrong half the time. Morality has been flipped upside down, and it scares me. What if I do it all wrong? But at least this mistake is something I can fix,” she said, a tear in her eye.

  “Would you want to live in a perfect world?” he asked.

  That stopped what she’d been about to say. She smiled as she wiped away a tear. Owen was silent, and he was grateful his brother was giving them this moment to talk. He was pretty sure Angela had forgotten his brother was even there.

  “Of course I would. Isn’t the dream to live in Utopia?”

  “That’s not my dream,” he said. “I’d love it if innocent people quit getting hurt. But how boring would it be to have a life of perfection? I think part of what’s wrong in the world today is we don’t have to work so hard.” He pulled back his sleeve and showed her a scar. She ran her finger along it, and his gut clenched. He loved her touch. He’d like to have a lot more of it.

  “I got this scar when I was twelve. I thought there was nothing in the world I couldn’t do. There are times I still think that, though the older I get, the more I realize my body will age. I’m not slowing down yet, but someday I might,” he said with a chuckle. “But I decided I was going to ride bulls. My dad didn’t tell me no. He believed in letting me do whatever I wanted, so he took me to a rodeo.”

  “You rode a bull at twelve?” she exclaimed. That drew a chuckle from Owen.

  “Not a chance.” He chuckled again. “He let me ride a sheep. My dreams of riding ended that day. I got the orneriest one there and that thing threw me into the fence. I was mighty proud of this scar. We watched the bulls that night, and I saw a guy get gouged in the leg. Then my dad took me back to speak to the riders, and I saw how beat up they were. I wasn’t afraid of riding. I knew I could do it. But I didn’t want to be thirty years old and limping. I decided a less dangerous profession like the Marines was the route I was going to take.”

  “Less dangerous?” she gasped.

  He chuckled, a real heart-felt chuckle. “That was my idea of sarcasm. I wanted to be a hero. I didn’t realize then that a hero doesn’t want to be one. A hero is the woman who protects her son. A hero is the grandma who teaches her granddaughter how to sew. A hero is an everyday person who does what they do because they want to give. A person who wants to be a hero will never be one.”

  She was silent for a moment, then she shocked him when she leaned in and gave him a kiss. It wasn’t a long kiss; it wasn’t a romantic kiss. It was a thank you. He wanted to take the thank you deeper, but his freaking brother was in the front seat. She pulled back and cupped his cheek as she smiled.

  “Thank you, Declan. You will forever be my hero. Not only for saving my life, but for making me feel like a better person.”

  They arrived at the school and Owen parked the car. “Keep your hormones in check. We have a herd of animals exiting the school.”

  “You’re just a riot, Owen,” Declan told him.

  Angela stepped out of the car and ran up to her son. Timothy threw his arms around his mom, and Declan didn’t doubt for one moment how much love the two of them shared. They came back to the car as Timothy talked a hundred miles an hour.

  When she opened the door and he saw Owen and Declan, he beamed. “Mr. Owen, Mr. Declan!” he exclaimed. “I’ve missed you.”

  Declan saw Angela’s flinch, though she covered it quickly. He could see she felt guilty for taking her son from the home he’d loved. But she’d done it to protect him. She was right, no choice was easy for a mother, or father, for that matter.

  “We’ve missed you too, buddy,” Declan said.

  “How are you?” Owen added.

  “Great. We painted today. Summer is almost here and Mrs. Bowers said she’s ready for vacation,” Timothy said.

  That got a chuckle from all three of them. “I bet she is,” Declan said. “A roomful of kids all year round calls for a two month vacation.”

  “Why?” Timothy asked in all his innocence.

  “Want to explain that one?” Angela asked, a sparkle in her eye. Declan loved seeing that sparkle.

  “Because she has to plan the next school year and she wants it to be perfect,” Declan said with a waggle of his brows.

  “Good save, brother,” Owen said with his own laugh.

  “What are we doing?” Timothy asked, the conversation going over his head.

  “How about we go home?” Angela asked.

  That made Timothy’s smile stretch so far, Declan thought his cheeks might just split open.

  “Really? We get to go back?” he asked. “Yahoo!”

  “I guess that solves it,” Angela said with a shrug. “How do we do this?”

  “It’s simple. We have two vehicles, so let’s have Timothy ride with Owen so he doesn’t get lonely, and you and I will drive back in your car,” Declan said.

  He wasn’t telling her that he’d rather Timothy was away from them in case danger followed, but by the knowing look in her eyes, he could see she perfectly understood that.

  “That sounds fun,” she said. “Do you want to ride with Owen and keep him com
pany?” Angela asked.

  “Can we stop at Taco Bell?” Timothy asked Owen, who laughed.

  “Taco Bell is my favorite. I think we have to stop at Dutch Bros too. I like my coffee.”

  “Do they have kid drinks?” Timothy asked seriously as if he had to consider this extra stop.

  “The best kid drinks ever,” Owen assured him.

  “Good. Then I say yes,” Timothy said. “When do we leave?”

  “Right now,” Angela told him. “We’re all ready to go.”

  “It’s a looooonnnnngggg drive,” Timothy said. “Coming here took forever.”

  “Yeah, buddy, it is, but we’ll make some stops and stay somewhere with a swimming pool,” Owen assured him.

  “This is the best day ever,” Timothy said as he threw his fist in the air.

  “I’ll talk to you on the phone anytime you want, but it’ll be a couple of days until I see you,” she told Timothy with a slight sheen in her eyes.

  “I’m a big kid now, Mom. You’ll be okay,” Timothy assured her.

  “Yes, you are. I’m so proud of you,” she told him.

  “We better get going. I want some Taco Bell desperately now,” Owen said as she hugged her son. “Buckle up and I’ll take you to your car.”

  They all buckled and Timothy talked non-stop on the way to her car. They got there too quickly. She hopped out, obviously not wanting to let her son out of her sight, but knowing it was best for him right now.

  Declan stood back as she hugged her son extra tight again, and then he placed his arm behind her back and held on as Owen and Timothy walked to the car and drove away. He wanted to leave immediately, but he gave her a minute.

  “He’s going to be just fine, and I’m going to be able to protect you better if I’m not worrying about him.”

  “I’ll worry about him,” she said. “They come after children to get to the parents.”

  “They won’t lay a finger on him. I promise you that,” Declan said. And he vowed that was a promise he’d keep forever. No one would harm that child. “We’re traveling different routes just to make sure we aren’t followed. That won’t be easy for you, but it’s what’s safest for Timothy.”

  She nodded. He could see how difficult it was for her to keep her tears at bay.

  “Then let’s hurry inside and grab my clothes then get on the road. I want to get back to him as soon as possible.”

  “Of course,” he answered. They packed in less than ten minutes, then he walked her outside and helped her into the passenger side of her ridiculously small car before he jumped into the driver’s seat. He barely fit. This wasn’t going to be the most comfortable drive, but he’d manage.

  “Thank you again, Declan. Thank you for caring. I know this goes above and beyond your job description.”

  “You’re family now, Angela,” he told her. And he realized as he said those words, he wanted them to be true. He wasn’t sure when or how, but he wanted this woman to be family. What in the world had happened to him?

  He wasn’t sure, but he didn’t mind. Maybe he’d fallen under the same spell as his brothers. And maybe that wasn’t the worst thing in the world.

  Chapter Twelve

  Angela was exhausted. The day had begun with her life perfectly normal. She’d dropped Timothy off at school, gone to her favorite café, and then Declan had shown up. Twelve hours later she was entering Santa Barbara. It felt like a week had happened in a day.

  She’d walked away again without telling anyone. She’d pulled Timothy out of school again. She’d uprooted her life, and she’d done it without blinking . . . again.

  She wasn’t sure what she was going to do next. All she knew for sure was that the roller coaster had to come to a stop soon. No one could live their life on an adrenaline high for long without it wearing them down. She wasn’t sure how SEALS did it, or how the firemen kept it up. She’d only done this for a day and could barely keep her eyes open.

  “I wanted to get farther tonight, but you look as if a slight breeze could blow you over,” Declan said.

  “Yeah, this seat is broken so it’s impossible to get comfortable,” she told him. “But I’m okay. I don’t want to keep Timothy waiting and since we’re taking the coastal highway and they’re on the freeway, it’s already going to take us a lot longer.”

  “You were napping for a few minutes so I talked to Owen. They’re already a hundred miles south of San Francisco. Timothy is full of Taco Bell, and Owen has lots of energy so he’s going to drive a few more hours. He’s getting a hotel with a pool and letting Timothy swim for one hour in the morning, then they are getting on the road again. We’ll stop for the night, then switch over to the freeway to speed us up. No one is following,” he assured her.

  “That we know of,” she said.

  He smiled. “If someone was on our tail, I’d definitely know.”

  “Is there anything you aren’t confident about?”

  “Nope,” he said.

  “I believe you.”

  Her stomach rumbled and he laughed. “Let’s get a place and find food. I haven’t eaten since the muffin I had early this morning,” he told her.

  She really was hungry, but she was determined not to complain about anything. She’d already complicated this man’s life by leaving and making him chase her down. And she wasn’t going to starve if she didn’t eat for a day. But she also wasn’t going to stop him if he wanted to get food. She felt as if she could eat an entire cow right now. Maybe it was the adrenaline of the day or the stress of the past few weeks, but whatever it was, she’d found the appetite that had been gone for a long time.

  “If I have a coffee, I could probably go longer,” she said.

  “Let’s just have an early night and leave first thing in the morning.”

  She had zero desire to argue with that. They drove through town, and she was more than happy when he found a nice hotel right on the beach. She’d been living in San Diego for a couple weeks, but she hadn’t had a lot of time to play. To look out at the ocean tonight sounded like the perfect stress-relief. Her small apartment certainly hadn’t had a view. Places in San Diego with a view were way beyond her budget. Nothing was for Declan, she realized.

  He’d grown up wealthy. But she respected and liked that he didn’t use that as an excuse to live a life of ease. Neither he nor his siblings did. They might have some expensive toys, but they also were assets to society. There weren’t a lot of people who could say the same, unfortunately.

  She waited in the car while he checked in. Though tired, she was getting a burst of energy from the relief of stopping. She hadn’t had time to stop since this had all begun.

  “We’re all set,” he said, startling her when he opened her car door. “Grab your bag and let’s put our things away, change, then walk down the beach. The manager said there’s a nice place with outdoor seating and a great view.”

  “Oh, that’s just what I want,” she said with a sigh.

  He helped her from the car and carried her bag. She appreciated that. She wasn’t sure she could even carry herself at this point.

  The room was spectacular, and when she realized they were sharing it, she felt a bit of a twinge in her gut. It was a suite with two bedrooms and a small kitchen and living room, but still, to be that close to this man was making her think thoughts she hadn’t been sure she could think anymore.

  “I’m sorry about one room, but I don’t want you far from me. I don’t trust anyone right now. I have an agency credit card I use for things like this so we aren’t traceable, but with all that’s happening I need to know you’re okay,” he said.

  She had to fight tears. It seemed she was doing that a lot on this day. It had to boil down to how tired she was. But at the thought of them sharing a room, her exhaustion seemed to evaporate. It seemed the power of hormones was stronger than a need for sleep or food.

  “I understand,” she told him. She did, but she was scared too. Not scared of him, but scared of her reaction to him.<
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  They left the room and began walking down the dimly lit path along the beach. She was very aware of how Declan kept watch all around him. To someone passing by they might seem like a normal couple taking a romantic evening stroll, but she was very aware that he was one-hundred percent the FBI man. He was assessing every person they passed and, no doubt, profiling them. She felt safe with him.

  They reached the restaurant and she winced. It was beautiful. She’d been expecting some small beachfront café, but this looked like a five-star resort. There was a patio with heaters, candlelight, cloth tablecloths, and an impeccably dressed staff. This was the kind of place she never could afford. But the smells drifting out were making her stomach rumble embarrassingly loud.

  She was way underdressed. “I don’t know if we can go in there,” she said, feeling slightly shy.

  Declan laughed. “We’re fine. Lots of people spend the day on the beach then crawl up here, starving, in nothing more than a beach cover-up,” he told her. “I’m not at all worried.”

  “If we get kicked out, I blame you,” she said.

  “Okay, deal,” he replied.

  They stepped up to the outside hostess platform where a man greeted them with a genuine smile. He didn’t seem at all worried about their attire. She was glad Declan had changed from his suit to jeans and a light jacket. She knew he wore the jacket to cover the gun he carried. That gave her an added sense of security.

  “Two this evening?” the man with the tag saying Jefferson asked.

  “Yes, outside please,” Declan said.

  That’s when Angela really looked at him. Declan carried his wealth on him whether he lived like a rich man or not. She glanced at his watch, which probably cost more than her car, and the shoes on his feet, which she knew cost more than her entire wardrobe. He might not be a snob, but he was used to the finer things in life, and she was sure people on staff at this place could easily spot that. They could also see that he was way out of her league. She was trying not to let that dampen her mood.

  Declan took her hand and placed it on his arm as the host led them to a table tucked into the front corner of the patio with a spectacular view of the ocean. The curved table had a bench and Declan sat next to her, their thighs almost touching. This was so much like a date it was making her heart thump.