“Let it,” Isa said with vicious satisfaction.
“If it was just Mother, I would, but there’s Sofia to consider,” Cass said. Those little flinches when Russ had touched her baby sister had worked their way under Cass’s skin, setting off alarm bells all over the place. “I swear she’s scared of him.”
There was a tense pause from Isa. “Do you think he’s hurting her?” she asked cautiously.
Doing her best to set aside her emotions, Cass replayed the events from earlier. “Physically, no, but something’s not right there.” She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, skewing her glasses. “I asked her to brunch tomorrow.”
“And…?” Isa asked.
“And…” Cass opened her gritty eyes and adjusted her glasses. “She said she’d send me an address. I’m sure he’ll be with her.”
“No doubt. Will Grayson be with you?”
The last was asked with concern, not the teasing Cass would normally expect. Still, she resolutely kept her eyes off the man in question. “I haven’t asked.”
“Ask,” Isa commanded. “Have him keep the fiancé busy while you drag Sofia to the bathroom and get some answers.”
“You and I both know that would be a minor miracle.” Cass’s younger sister made it her life’s mission to be the perfect daughter, no matter how much it cost her.
“You have to try,” Isa said.
“I know,” Cass said. If she didn’t try, she’d add another painful regret to the pile she already carried.
“And if things are bad, you know Des and I are here. We’ll get her safe.”
This time Cass’s “I know” was quieter but no less firm.
If Sofia was at risk, Cass would use every resource at her disposal to not only get her safe but also ensure that she stayed that way. Unfortunately, she couldn’t shake the feeling that those actions would leave the Ambrose family in ruin.
Chapter 6
Grayson
“You can sleep in here.” Since the blinds in his bedroom were drawn, Grayson hit the switch to illuminate the space.
Cass stood in the short entry hall as she looked into the room then back at him. “I’m not taking your bed.”
Since he was pretty sure offering to share it with her would get him slapped, or worse, he throttled his hormones into maturity. It didn’t take much, especially since the recessed lighting made it hard to miss the physical signs of her exhaustion.
“My couch is a sleeper, Cass. The bedroom gives you privacy, plus it has an en suite.” He left her at the door and set her bag on his bed. “The second switch will open the blinds. The windows have a privacy tint, so no worries about giving the neighbors a show.”
That earned him an amused snort. He turned and found that she had followed him and now stood next to his bed. Her expression stated that she was going to push back on the sleeping arrangements.
Since he wasn’t inclined to argue, he kept speaking, motioning to the opening near the dresser and opposite the bed. “Bathroom’s through there. Since I did laundry before I headed down to Phoenix, the towels and sheets are clean, so we’re good there.”
She sighed then sat on the edge of the bed, her shoulders slumping as she fiddled with the strap to her bag. “Thank you, Grayson.”
Despite her quiet tone, her sincerity came through loud and clear. Still, it was obvious that events were catching up to her in a big way. He wasn’t surprised to find he wanted to go to her and hold her, but that wasn’t who they were. Give it a few more days, and maybe he could get away with it, but for all intents and purposes, they’d only known each other for less than a day, even though it felt longer.
“Hey.” He waited until she looked at him. “What can I do to help?”
Color chased away the wan shadows in her face, and her smile held a hint of the woman who caught his attention back at Wonderland. “Okay, I know how this sounds, but are you for real?”
He leaned a hip against his dresser and folded his arms. “In what way?”
“All of this,” she said, canting her head to the side as she held his gaze. “Driving a complete stranger six hours in the dead of night? Standing at my side through some serious family drama? Opening up your home? You’re being remarkably friendly to a stranger.”
He put a hand to his chest. “And here I thought we were becoming friends.”
