The Enforcer or The Mafia Prince

Chapter 25

"Ciaran was happy with the results from last night," Declan told Jessica over his shoulder once she was buckled into her seat.

"How thrilling," Jessica deadpanned.

"You two should go to dinner tonight; keep that momentum going."

"Absolutely not. I haven't had a decent night's sleep in four days. I'm not only going to be on time tonight but early. If anyone tries to stop me, I'll drown you in my bathtub." Jessica said all this with her eyes shut against the setting sun and her head against the window. "Don't think I've forgotten about the frozen peas for a second."

Declan looked in the backseat to see Jessica passed out. The sun shined on her face, illuminating every feature and flaw. Declan noticed the bags under her eyes and the pimple forming on her cheek; he felt terrible. She'd handled a lot this week. Perhaps it would be best to let her rest.

Once they returned to the condo, Jimmy pulled into the garage instead of in front of the building. Jessica was out cold, and he thought it'd be unwise for everyone to see Declan carry her upstairs again. As Declan pulled Jess out of the car and began to take her to the elevator, it opened to reveal Tristan. He was about to run an errand when he saw Jess in Declan's arms. Tristan couldn't stand someone else touching his woman. Despite his efforts to improve himself for Jess, he was still petty enough to think of her as his girl.

"I'll take her," Tristan told Declan, reaching for Jess.

"I can carry her; it's not a problem." Declan had a blank look on his face as he walked to the elevator.

"Declan," Tristan said, not looking at his best friend. "Give her to me."

Something in Tristan's voice made Declan worry. Either Tristan knew about the events between himself and Jess, or Declan had done something wrong. Not wanting to argue, Declan turned around and transferred Jess into Tristan's arms. Asleep, Jess nuzzled into Tristan's chest. Tristan noticed the way Declan clenched his jaw when Jess did that. Now he realized that his best friend, his brother, had feelings for the same girl.

Neither man spoke in the elevator. When it stopped on Jimmy's floor, he escaped the awkward tension. Declan watched Tristan enter the condo and banked left, going into Jess's room without hesitation. While putting Jessica in her bed, Tristan thought about the situation. He removed her shoes and set them on the floor, laying Jess's leg on her bed. Declan needed to be out of sight for a while. Tristan sat Jess up and removed her sweater, draping over her desk chair. Maybe he'd send Declan on a business trip so he could spend one on one time with Jess. Tristan kissed her forehead and wished her good night before leaving the room and shutting the door.

"Declan," Tristan called from the dining room.

"What's up, Tristan?" Declan responded, walking back into the living area from his bedroom.

"Do you still want to switch jobs?" Tristan knew Declan didn't want to do the dirty work much longer. He'd worked hard since meeting the O'Sullivans. He got his GED and then worked while earning an MBA. Declan was brilliant; his role as enforcer and bodyguard didn't suit him anymore.

"You know I do. I thought you decided I wouldn't switch until this plan with Jess is finished." Declan didn't want to be given anything. Ciaran may be his adoptive father, but Declan told him long ago that he wanted to earn his place in the family.

"I've been thinking it might be time. Jess will have a full-time female bodyguard soon, so you won't need to watch her much longer."

The two men sat at the dining room table, ignoring the elephant in the room. Tristan was offering Declan the opportunity he'd been waiting for. On the one hand, Declan had wanted this for years. He worked hard to improve his position and rank in the family. He'd get more advantages and pay, not that he needed the money. There were small benefits, too. For instance, Declan could grow his hair since he wouldn't worry about washing blood out so often. He and Tristan would be on a more even footing. It was hard treating your brother-best friend as your boss. In a way, improving his standing would make him feel more like a part of the family. On the other hand, Declan would have to give up Jessica.

"What would I have to do?"

"I'll talk to Dad about it. I think you've proven yourself in your eyes. If you're ready to move up, I'll help you," Tristan smiled. He knew that Declan was loyal to his family and wouldn't be able to resist the offer. It was true that Tristan wanted to help him, and it'd been a long time coming. Declan deserved more honor and respect. Tristan was adapting the situation to better suit his personal needs. Declan clenched his jaw and thought about it. He wasn't supposed to have feelings for Jess. They'd only known each other less than two weeks. Tristan was his brother.

"Okay, let me know what he says," Declan responded. At the very least, he could see what would be required of him, then decide.

"I will." Tristan got up from the table, smiling, and pat Declan on the shoulder as he left.

The door shut behind Tristan, and he walked down the hall to the elevator. He felt sick to his stomach. Declan and Tristan had been thick as thieves for over a decade. He didn't want to be without him, but he couldn't risk losing Jessica. His selfish persona and the one that genuinely cared for Jess and Declan were at odds. Still, Tristan comforted himself; this was a part of the plan. I'm supposed to be with Jessica; Declan is supposed to run part of the business. So, why did it feel like he was the devil himself?

Jessica slept through the night, not even waking up to eat dinner. Jess walked onto the balcony on Sunday morning. The freezing wind ripped the residual grogginess from her. She took a deep breath of fresh air. It had been cold the last couple of days and wouldn't warm up to the seventies until the end of the month.

In the kitchen, Jess boiled water for a mug of tea while contemplating how to spend her day. She was free for the next week and didn't have any work to do over the break. Declan walked into the kitchen and reached above Jess for a mug. She hadn't heard him leave his room, so his sudden arm hovering over her head made her jump.

"Well, good morning to you, too," Declan said while chuckling at Jess's reaction. His husky morning voice made her legs grow weak.

"Good morning," Jess replied, trying to smile.

"What are you doing?" Declan shuffled around the kitchen to make a cup of coffee.

"Just thinking about what to do today." Jess leaned on the island and stared out the window. From that angle, she had a partial view of the lake.

"You don't have any homework?" Declan walked to the front door and grabbed the morning paper.

"No. Why do you read the paper?" Jessica asked, not tearing her eyes away from the window.

"Because I want to read the news?"

"Sure, but I mean, why the paper? Don't you know that print is a dying medium?"

Declan grabbed his coffee from the Keurig and sat at the table with his paper. Why did he prefer to read the paper? Was it because he'd grown up watching Ciaran do it? No, that didn't seem right.

"I don't know. It might be because Ciaran used to do the same, and I'd take the sheets from him to read as he finished them," Declan scratched his chin. "I don't like reading the news online because it's too much eye strain." Jessica bit her lip and nodded, still caught in her stare outside.

"Jess?"

"Yeah, Declan," she responded, finally looking at him.

"Do you like Tristan?" The blunt question came out of nowhere.

"I don't know. I think so." She answered with as much honesty as she could. Jess didn't know how she felt.

"Do you like me?" Declan locked eyes with her. What would she tell him?

"I do," Jess said, uncomfortable with the starkness of the situation. She didn't want to ask him how he felt. If Jess asked, and Declan said he didn't, it would make her awkward around him.

Hearing Jessica admit she liked him but was still on the fence about Tristan made his heart sore. Tristan's offer yesterday was too good to pass up. Tristan and Ciaran would know he did it for Jess if he did. However, he wasn't sure Jess would forgive him if he took the offer.

"Would you hate me if I left?" The question sounded so innocent.

"Why would you leave?"

"Just, hypothetically, if I left and was gone a while, would you hate me?"

"No," Jessica thought for a moment. "You've made your position clear. Like everyone else, you want me to like Tristan. I have no idea how I'd feel if you left. I wouldn't hate you, at least." Jess stood up and walked over to the table. Declan noticed she didn't sit beside him but one chair down. She was doing her best to stick to the boundaries between them.

"Okay," Declan said with a grimace. He started flipping through the paper.

"How do you read so fast?" It had been bothering Jess since her first morning at the condo.

"I don't know. It's something I've always done." Declan shrugged. He didn't look up at her.

"Declan?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you uncomfortable that I have feelings for you?" Declan stopped moving his eyes but stared at the paper.

"I'm not uncomfortable."

"But?"

"I'm not supposed to want you, Jess. You know that," Declan responded with a pleading tone. He needed her to change the subject. Jess felt her eyes begin to water. She willed her tears back and ran her tongue along her back teeth.

"Okay, Declan," Jess whispered. She got up and sat on the couch. After flipping through a few channels, she settled on a documentary about Mesopotamia.

"I'm sorry, Jess," Declan responded softly. Jessica pretended she didn't hear him. There wasn't anything else to say between them. What do you do when a person doesn't want to have feelings for you? It was almost worse than them having no feelings at all.

Jessica's phone pinged; Gia had sent her an email. Grateful for the distraction, Jess went to her room to pull up the attachment on her laptop. Gia had sent Jess a training schedule and diet to follow. Someone had told her that Jess would be off this week, so Gia took the opportunity to schedule a sort of 'hell week' for her. It was filled with several one on one training sessions, along with some independent workouts. One of which was swimming.

"Hey, Declan?" Jess walked back into the dining area.

"Yeah?"

"Is the pool heated? Gia scheduled swimming for me in the evenings, something about how it would be a good way to relax my muscles before bed."

"It is."

"Good. Also, can you take me to get a new suit? I-"

Declan interrupted her, "You'll need to ask Tristan about that. I think he was hoping to take you."

"Oh," Jess said, nodding absentmindedly. She didn't realize how far Declan was willing to go to put distance between them. He wouldn't even drive her to the store for something remotely tantalizing. "Sure, I'll text Tristan then."

As Jess returned to her room, looking forlorn, Declan wanted to kick himself. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her or make Jessica feel sad. Declan wanted to see her happy and smiling. Still, he'd seen Tristan's face yesterday and couldn't erase it from his mind. His friend looked so upset. Declan couldn't tell if it was anger, heartbreak, or even betrayal. All Declan knew was that getting any closer to Jess would ruin his relationship with Tristan. He was unwilling to let that happen.