“Do you have people working for you 24/7?” I asked.
Declan brushed his thumb on my jaw. “I do. And before you chide me, I pay them very well.”
I smiled. “Chide you? I wouldn’t presume to try to tell you how to run your business.”
“You would probably do a pretty good job of it yourself if you were in my position.”
“You have that much confidence in me?” I asked.
“I have every confidence in you.”
I leaned up to kiss him gently on the lips. He made a sound of pleasure low in his throat, but then Xander was making a noise of disapproval.
I looked over at the face he made, amused.
He pulled his mouth away from the phone. “I thought we were supposed to be working here.”
“It’s part of the job requirements,” Declan told him.
“Yeah, pretty sure that’s sexual harassment. Anyway, your dad said if we could access the notes for each scientist in the laboratory, we might find more information. I know it was a secret project or whatever, but they have to log equipment and what they used for every experiment. Your dad said he already knows most of the ingredients or whatever, but if we could figure out the rest, he can recreate the serum.”
“Recreate it?” Declan asked, walking closer.
“Not that he’d need to, but then he would know just what it was capable of. Or at least get an idea. And then we’d also know who else might be involved.”
I nodded. “Tell him we’ll work on it.”
With Xander’s expertise, we got most of the information we needed by lunchtime. We’d also narrowed down the scientists to three. All of them worked closely with Mr. Dark. I scanned the list and saw two unfamiliar names—Johnson and Vigil—and then my dad’s name.
“Is it creepy or good that your dad is on this list?” Xander asked.
“We already know my dad was involved,” I told him. “Or that he was consulted.”
“He had no idea what the project was for,” Declan said, looking distracted. “But there is someone on the list who probably does.”
I followed his gaze to two other names on the list and my stomach clenched at the veiled fury there. Shit. Who did he know on that list? Or what did he know that he wasn’t saying?
“Do you recognize someone?” I asked him.
Declan glanced up and gave me a tight smile. “I know almost everyone who works in the lab.” He sighed and shrugged. “It just doesn’t sit right with me that one or more of them might be in on something deeper and darker.”
I studied his features, noting the strain around his lips and feeling deep in my gut that he wasn’t telling me the whole truth. I was getting pretty good at reading him as well and something felt off.
Xander slid a sheet of paper over. “And here’s a list of most of what was used for this serum. I can’t pronounce most of them.”
I looked over the sheet of partially familiar words and descriptions. But even I couldn’t understand at all.
“We should show this to my dad,” I said.
Declan nodded. “I can have someone bring it over.”
“Actually, I was hoping I could leave a little earlier and take it to him myself. I wanted to check on him and…” I didn’t finish the sentence. Actually, I just wanted to talk to him. Spend some alone time with him.
Declan checked his watch. “I planned on putting in another hour or two, and then I can go with you.”
“No.” I shook my head. “It’s fine. I thought I could spend an hour or two with him alone. And I want you to make sure you get your work done.”
A muscle worked in his jaw while he thought. “I don’t want you to go by yourself…”
“I’ll be fine. I promise. I can get Randy to take me or—”
“Not Randy,” Declan said. When he saw the confused look on my face he continued, “It’s not that I don’t trust him. It’s that I have a small team of men that I’m used to working with. They’re armed and used to dealing with situations that might be more intense. I’ll get Parker to take you.”
Xander gave me a wide-eyed look before going back to his computer.
Declan took my hand and guided me further away from the table, close to his desk, in front of the window.
“I can’t let anything happen to you,” he said, his voice low and filled with emotion. “Please understand. I’m not trying to stifle your individuality or boss you around, but I am asking you to do this for me. Please go with one of my guys so I can make sure you’re safe. So I can get through the rest of the afternoon without worrying about you. At least not too much.”
I reached up and touched his cheek, moved by how much he cared. And happy that he was asking me instead of telling me. “Of course.”
His gaze softened. “That easy?”
I nodded. “That easy.”
We made a copy of the list to bring to my father and after I’d said goodbye to Xander, Declan walked with me to the elevator.
“I promise I’ll be okay.”
He nodded but didn’t release my hand, even when the elevator doors open. “I’ll walk down with you.”
We stepped into the elevator, our hands still locked together, fingers entwined. His warm ones laced with my cold ones. I never felt like a cold person before, but around Declan, it always seemed that way because he was so warm.
“I’ve instructed Parker to go straight to your father’s house, where he can relieve one of the men there. Please don’t ask him to stop along the way.”
I shot him an amused look. “Where would I stop?”
He shrugged. “Just making
