Chapter 8 - A Sister in Danger|
Sophia was on her feet before Declan reached the room.
“Emily's in danger.”
He took one look at her face and called Marcus.
“Get the car ready. Have the police meet us at her address.”
Sophia grabbed her coat.
Declan blocked the doorway—not to stop her, but to steady her when pain made her stumble.
“You're not going alone.”
“I wasn't planning to.”
“Good.”
The drive to Milwaukee felt endless. Sophia sat in the back seat with her phone pressed to her ear, calling Emily repeatedly. Every unanswered ring tightened the knot in her chest.
Declan sat beside her, giving orders in a quiet voice. He didn't ask her to calm down. He didn't tell her that everything would be fine.
He simply stayed.
When they arrived, police officers had secured the apartment building. Emily was sitting in the lobby with a blanket around her shoulders, speaking to a female officer.
Sophia hurried toward her.
“Emily!”
Her sister rose and threw her arms around Sophia, then immediately pulled back when she remembered the injured shoulder.
“I'm sorry. I'm sorry.”
“Don't apologize. Are you hurt?”
Emily shook her head.
“The man knocked, said he knew you, and asked me to come outside. When I refused, he left the message. I called the police.”
“You did exactly the right thing.”
Emily looked past her at Declan.
“Is that him?”
Sophia followed her gaze.
“Yes.”
“The Mafia boss?”
Declan sighed.
“That's what people call me.”
Emily stared at him.
“You look like a man who forgot to shave.”
Sophia burst into a laugh, then winced.
Declan looked offended.
“I've had a difficult week.”
“Join the club,” Emily said.
The tension eased for a moment.
Police reviewed the building's cameras and found footage of a man wearing a dark cap entering the lobby. He had not attempted to force his way into Emily's apartment, but he had clearly come to intimidate her.
Sophia gave a statement. Declan arranged for a security consultant to review the building's access procedures, but he did not insist that Emily move.
Instead, he asked what she wanted.
Emily decided to stay with a friend for a few nights while the police investigated. She refused Declan's offer to pay for a hotel.
“I don't want to owe you anything,” she told him.
“You don't owe me anything.”
“That's what rich men always say before they send a bill.”
Declan looked at Sophia.
“Your sister is worse than you.”
“She has excellent instincts.”
Before they left, Emily took Sophia aside.
“Are you sure you want to be involved with him?”
Sophia looked through the glass doors. Declan stood outside, speaking with Marcus while keeping an eye on the lobby.
“I don't know what I want yet.”
“He looks at you as if you're the only person in the room.”
Sophia swallowed.
“He looks at everyone as if he's deciding whether they are a threat.”
“Not you.”
Emily's words stayed with her during the drive back to Chicago.
That night, Sophia found Declan in the kitchen, making coffee.
“Do you ever sleep?” she asked.
“Sometimes.”
“Lying again.”
He handed her a mug.
“Your sister is safe.”
“Thank you for helping.”
“You don't need to thank me.”
“I do. You asked what she wanted instead of deciding for her. That mattered.”
He nodded.
They stood beside the counter, listening to the rain against the windows.
“Declan,” she said, “why did you really ask me to make your suits?”
He looked at her.
“Because you were the best tailor in the neighborhood.”
“That isn't the whole answer.”
He considered the question.
“The first time I came into your shop, you told me my jacket made me look like a funeral director.”
“You did.”
“I'd spent the day surrounded by people who agreed with everything I said. You were the only person who told me the truth.”
Sophia smiled.
“And you kept coming back?”
“Yes.”
“Even when you didn't need a suit?”
He didn't answer immediately.
Then he said, “Especially then.”
Her heart beat faster.
Before she could respond, Marcus entered the kitchen carrying a folder.
“We found the man who threatened Emily.”
Declan's expression sharpened.
“Who is he?”
“An employee of a company owned by Raymond Kessler.”
Marcus opened the folder.
“And he told the police something else. Kessler isn't trying to kill you simply to take the shipping routes.”
Declan looked at the page.
“What does he want?”
May you like
Marcus hesitated.
“He believes you have a ledger that belonged to your father.”
