“Babe, that makes sense only to you. You have to be more specific.”
“I don’t know where my brother is. Or who has him, if anyone, and I can’t let you go home because I have a feeling you could be used to blackmail him.”
I gasp. “Oh no. You think Connor is in trouble.”
“Jesus.” Dina moves over to stand with Declan and grabs his hand, leaning her head on his arm. “Of course she can stay.” She’s staring at me like she’s asking me not to refuse him. Dina can ask me for anything. She’s the big sister I never had.
“Of course, Declan. I’ll stay.”
“Call Chi-chi,” Declan says to Dina while leveling me with a cold stare. My insides twist into a knot. Declan is very scary when he wants to be. “Could you be used as leverage to blackmail my brother?”
“I don’t think so.”
His gaze slides to Hanna.
I step in front of her, suddenly not giving a shit about the dehumanizing look in his eyes.
“I disagree. I think my brother is… courting you, for lack of a more modern word.”
Heat travels up my face. “When you put it that way, he might be.”
“Has he kissed you yet?”
“This feels like an interrogation, and it’s uncomfortable for me,” I whisper.
“Too bad.”
“Declan, please,” Dina says. “I can talk to her about this.”
“Has he?” Declan pushes.
I shake my head.
“Do you like him? Do you guys get along?”
“Yes and yes.”
“Final question.” A small smile softens his terrifying demeanor. “You think you can handle him?”
“Absolutely not.” I doubt anyone can. “He seems to operate on a different frequency from most of us.”
Declan points a long, elegant forefinger at me. “You are a dangerous woman, Ekatia. Very dangerous. If you need anything, tell the staff.” He holds out his palm. “Your keys and the phone.”
Dina pinches the bridge of her nose. “Dec, that’s not necessary.”
Declan’s hand is still out, eyes hardening with each passing moment that I’m not giving him what he wants. I dig into my purse and drop the car key and the phone into his palm.
“Apartment key too.”
“It’s not like she can get to it,” Dina says, stepping away from him and standing with me. She crosses her arms.
“Apartment. Key.”
I drop the entire key chain into his hand and point at the small one. “That’s the mail key.” I point at the next one. “My locker at the hospital. The building key is this one. And finally, the key to my apartment. Anything else? My firstborn?”
Declan slides the bundle of keys into his pocket. “Not right now.”
“Are you done?” Dina asks him.