Not only that, I’d dressed in a bright fuchsia tank and jean shorts after seeing how sunny it was outside, because I was on a mission.
She jumped up and squealed while I laughed at her excitement. Archer would be at the front door, and Hades somewhere down the hall. I’d have to fight them, but I knew it was doable. Rosy had helped me pack up a basket. I was on a mission to breathe summer air no matter what anyone said. We deserved an outing, and I would take it whether Jameson Knight liked it or not.
“Mia.” Archer’s voice sounded alarmed when the front door opened. Two men were standing with him outside.
Armed.
“Archer.” I nodded and held up a basket. “We’re having a picnic later, but first we’d like to go to the country club to …”
I wasn’t sure what Franny enjoyed doing at that stuffy place.
“To play tennis and eat chicken fingers.” Franny nodded next to me.
“That’s not authorized, Mia,” he said softly, glancing at his guys. One of them walked off, mumbling into what I was sure was his earpiece.
Great. This wasn’t going well.
“Will you drive us, or shall we walk?”
“Woman, are you trying to get me in trouble?” Archer crossed his arms, and I shrugged.
“We haven’t even saged this place yet. If we had, it might help you be in less trouble, you know? Maybe we can stop at a store on the way home?”
“What’ssagemean?” Franny tilted her head curiously.
“Can you both go back inside?” Archer took a step forward and so did his men, as if to corral us.
I wasn’t a sheep.
I would not be herded.
“We’d like to be outside today, Archer.”
His shoulders were getting tenser and tenser. “It’s not safe out here, Mia.”
Franny stiffened at that, which had me glaring at him. Didn’t he realize she needed this as much as I did?
I lifted my chin in defiance. It was obvious Jameson had given him orders, and if I was going to be the only one to be considerate of her needs, so be it.
I grabbed Franny’s hand and stomped forward off the porch steps. “We will walk, then.”
“No. You. Will. Not.” Jameson Knight’s voice sliced through the whole front yard. He stood at the top of the stairs, his fury palpable.
Maybe it wasn’t smart to be willfully ignorant of what this man did for a living or be unconcerned with my own self-preservation in that moment. But I didn’t care.
I was getting my way for Franny, come hell or high water. So, I smiled broadly at him and dared him to say no again. “Oh, so you’re driving us then,Jameson? Great. Of course I know it might be a bit of a bother for you to take your daughter and her nanny out, but we’d appreciate it. Which car of yours should we take?”
Jameson
ABIT OF Abother? Mia Darling’s mouth didn’t seem to know the half of it. The idea of her in my head didn’t seem to get the memo about that, because it ran like a fucking unhinged animal through my thoughts all day long even though I’d purposely avoided her for two weeks straight.
She’d avoided me too.
I’d see her in the hall, and she’d turn the other way. The only time she graced me with her presence was if Franny needed something, but my daughter was all smiles and barely asked for me.
I should have been getting work done. The syndicate would be having another meeting soon, and I would be sitting at the head of the table.
Yet, when Archer, Hades, and Cal met me earlier that week, Hades had to elbow me to get my attention. I found my mind wandering to what she was doing, to how her wrist was healing, to what her life was like before I dragged her here.
