Chapter 4 - THE WOMAN WHO REFUSED TO HIDE
Mave was halfway to the subway when a black sedan pulled alongside the curb.
She stopped.
The rear window lowered.
Declan Gallagher looked out.
“Get in.”
Mave stared at him.
“No.”
His jaw tightened.
“Someone is following you.”
“Then tell me that instead of ordering me around.”
Declan exhaled.
He stepped out of the car.
Rain darkened his shoulders.
“Someone sent me a photograph of you. They threatened you because I'm investigating Brutus's history.”
Mave went still.
“Who?”
“I don't know yet.”
She looked toward the street.
A gray SUV idled near the intersection.
Its headlights switched off.
Mave's stomach tightened.
“Is that them?”
Declan followed her gaze.
His expression changed.
“Probably.”
Mave looked back at him.
“I'll ride with you to the police station.”
Declan blinked.
“What?”
“If somebody's threatening me, I want it documented.”
For a moment, he seemed ready to object.
Then he nodded.
“Fine.”
At the station, Mave gave a statement.
Declan supplied the messages and photographs.
The detective assigned to the case, Rosa Bennett, listened carefully.
“You believe this is connected to the dog?”
Declan nodded.
“And to Patrick Voss.”
Bennett wrote down the name.
Then looked at Mave.
“Do you have somewhere safe to stay?”
“My apartment.”
“Anyone living with you?”
“No.”
Declan shifted.
Mave noticed.
“Don't.”
He looked at her.
“I haven't said anything.”
“You're about to offer me a penthouse with armed guards.”
Bennett almost smiled.
Declan looked irritated.
“I was going to offer a guesthouse.”
“Worse.”
Eventually, they agreed on a practical arrangement.
Mave would stay with her cousin for several nights.
Police would increase patrols around the Copper Anchor.
Declan would provide the threatening messages and relevant records to investigators.
No secret confinement.
No demands.
No dramatic rescue.
Mave insisted on every detail.
When they left the station, Declan walked beside her.
“You don't trust me.”
She glanced at him.
“Should I?”
He considered the question.
“Not automatically.”
That surprised her.
He continued.
“I've spent years expecting people to obey me. It's becoming clear that isn't the same as earning trust.”
Mave looked at him.
For the first time, she saw something beneath the dangerous reputation.
A man who was beginning to recognize the damage his power could do.
Then his phone rang.
Dr. Price.
He answered.
Listened.
His face went pale.
“What do you mean he reacted to the recording?”
Mave stopped.
Declan looked at her.
“The veterinarian played an audio clip of the man from the restaurant.”
“And?”
Declan swallowed.
“Brutus reacted before the man said a word.”
Mave's pulse quickened.
“What was on the recording?”
May you like
Declan looked toward the street.
“A whistle.”
