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Dick spun around to face him, a startled expression on his face. "I'm here on a social call."
"It's my property. You can talk to me." Declan struggled to keep his voice calm. This man was scum of the lowest level. The law didn't care, but Declan did.
The thought made him pause. The cops had done nothing about Dick. Nothing. Because he had power. But Declan wasn't a cop right now. Which meant he had different rules.
Dick held up his hands in a friendly de-escalation move. "Hey, sorry. I must have the wrong house. No biggie."
All the years of working to take down scumbags settled in Declan's core, all the years where he'd had to watch them walk away, because red tape set them free. All the years of terror this man had probably inflicted on those who trusted him and loved him clamped down on Declan. This man was a threat to the woman he loved.
He hadn't been able to protect Diana, but Piper?
Different. Fucking. Story.
He walked right up to Dick and stepped into his space. "I'm anex-cop," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "I'm armed. I'm dangerous. And I'm not bound by rules anymore."
Dick's eyes widened slightly. "Are you threatening me? Because I'll call the cops."
"If you so much as go near Piper ever again, I will call in favors from people you won't want to know. You'll never see them coming. You'll never know what hit you. And no one will fucking care."
Dick stared at him, and his right eye twitched. Fear? "You're threatening me?"
Satisfaction pulsed through Declan. "You abused your wife and kids. That doesn’t fly. You stop looking for them. You stop going after Piper."
"What? You liar?—"
At that moment, Declan's mom's Porsche came roaring up the driveway. She screeched to a stop behind the Range Rover, vaulted out of her truck, and trotted past Declan. "I decided I'm not letting Piper off that easily," she called out. "She needs to get brave."
Declan grinned as his mom basically sprinted into the house, shouting Piper's name.
Piper was going to get a Kitty lecture. He'd had a few of those in his life, and annoying as they were, his mom was usually right. Then he saw Dick watching Kitty.
"No." Beside him, Angel growled, drawing Dick's attention to the dog. "I love the women in my life," Declan said. "I protect them, and I'm good at it. You don't want to fuck with me."
Dick narrowed his eyes. "I'm not afraid of you?—"
"You should be. My first wife died in my arms from a gunshot wound during a drug raid. I know what loss is like, and I will not let that happen again. No matter what the cost." His voice was cold now, laced with an emotion he hadn't felt in a long time. Deep, dark commitment to a cause, no matter what the cost. "I got another chance, and I will spend every fucking minute protecting her from you, and anyone like you." He smiled, a cold,hard smile. "You're the kind of man who drove me to become a cop, but I'm not one anymore. I can do whatever I want. And the joy I would get from having an excuse to hurt you is indescribable."
Unmistakable fear crept into Dick's eyes, probably because he heard the truth in Declan's words. A truth that surprised Declan. He hadn't realized how much anger he had under all the grief, numbness, and guilt.
Anger felt good.
Standing up against a bully? Even better.
"Here's my suggestion," he said. "File for a divorce from your wife. Give her a good settlement. Set her and your kids free, and go get therapy. Maybe there's humanity under there. Maybe not. But if you try to find her, if you try to trap her, if you threatenanyone, I will find out. And then I will make myself happy by ensuring you get what you deserve."
Dick stared at him for a moment, then he turned and walked back to his Range Rover, not saying a word.
He got in, hit the gas, and then peeled out.
Declan let out his breath and shrugged his shoulders, surprised by how good he felt. How light. It was like all the rage that had been coiled up inside him for so long had finally been heard. Or maybe it was telling Piper he loved her.
Either way, he felt the best he'd felt in a long damn time.
He crouched down beside Angel. "You did good, sweetie. You're very brave, growling like that."
She wagged her tail and licked his face, making him laugh. "Yeah, right? Feels good not to be hiding anymore." He ruffled her fur. "What do you think? Should I go back in there and have an actual conversation with Piper? I might have been a little quick to bolt after my declaration." He'd told Piper it was to give her the space to not respond, but really?
He'd been afraid of her response.
