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Ever the gentleman, Cooper placed his hand on the small of my back, ushering me inside like we were on a real date or something. It was also easy to see how a woman could fall under this man’s spell, never suspecting what she was getting into.
Once we were inside, Cooper shut the door as he asked, “Would you like something to drink?”
I pretended to glance around the room nervously, my heart still beating rapidly, but not for the reasons that a normal person might think. Taking a quick look around, the room looked like a pricey suite at any random hotel, but it wasn’t ostentatious. The room actually looked tasteful and like a nice place where you wouldn’t mind spending the night.
Turning back to face Cooper, I answered. “No, thank you.” Giving him a tentative smile, I added, “Your room is nice.”
“Yours isn’t?” he asked as he made his way towards me in the center of the room.
“I…” I swallowed, doing my best to appear nervous again. “I paid for a…a standard room.”
“Well, if we do find that we suit, then you won’t have to worry about wasting your money on future rooms, Mary,” he said kindly, and it really was hard to reconcile this polite gentleman with the monster that he was reputed to be.
I gave him another small smile, then looked around before placing my purse on the decorative table next to the door. “Do…do you mind if I put this here?”
“Not at all, sweetheart,” he replied easily. “In fact, make yourself at home. I’d like you to feel as comfortable as possible.”
I didn’t move from near the door, and when Cooper began to take off his suit jacket, that was my cue. “Wait,” I blurted. “I…uhm…just…can you wait a second?”
His light eyes flashed with the real him for a second before quickly masking his anger. “Is there a problem?”
I shook my head, but then quickly nodded. “I…I just…I think I…I think this might be…be a mistake,” I stammered. “I…now that I’m here, I don’t know…” I let out a deep breath. “I don’t know if…if I can do this.”
Cooper quietly placed his jacket on the back of the settee, then wiped the edges of his mouth with his fingers, obviously trying to appear calm. The energy in the room had shifted with that simple act, and this was the man that shook hands on million-dollar deals and knew the strength of his power. Gone was the charming man downstairs, replaced by the rumors that Declan had told me about.
However, before he could say anything or come at me, there was a pounding on the door that startled me. Though I wasn’t scared, the surprise on my face was real. “Did you…did you invite someone else?” I asked incredulously.
Cooper scowled. “No.”
“Then why is someone knocking on your door?” I stepped back from the table a bit. “Did you…is it another woman? Another man?”
“No,” he bit out, clearly offended. “I don’t share.”
When the knocking continued, he said, “Stay right there.”
Doing as he’d said, my mind started racing with all that could be happening right now. Declan and I had never discussed what I’d do if someone else entered the picture, and we really should have. If Cooper was as sexually deranged as he’d been reputed to be, then why wouldn’t he be the type of man to abuse a woman with a team? After all, abusive men got off on the pain, not the sex, right?
My chest felt tight as Cooper went to open the door, and my heart stopped beating in my chest altogether as soon as I saw Declan on the other side. I had no idea what was going on, but Declan showing up had never been part of the plan.
“O’Brien,” Cooper said, sounding surprised and irritated. “What in the fuck are you doing here?”
My eyes widened as Declan pulled out a gun, then pointed it at Cooper’s head. “Saying hi,” he drawled out, stepping forward, forcing Cooper to have to step back into the room.
“Have you lost your mind?” Cooper snapped. “What’s the meaning of this?”
Declan’s sapphire gaze glanced my way, and once he was satisfied that I was okay, he turned his attention back towards Cooper. “You’ve overstayed your welcome in O’Brien territory, Donaldson.”
Before Cooper could utter another word, Declan fired one shot to his head, Cooper falling backwards, a look of shock on his already dead face. Even though Declan had used a silencer, the vibrations of the muted sound still made me jump, Cooper Donaldson not the only one shocked by this turn of events.
Turning my eyes from the dead body, I hissed, “What in the fuck are you doing, Declan?’
His blue eyes were like lit torches of fire as he looked me up and down. “Doing what I should have done a long fucking time ago.”
“Declan-”
“Get your purse,” he ordered, cutting me off.
“Where are we going?”
