Music immediately began blasting again. Only this time, the music was coming from Nash’s phone. The same grating tone. He pulled out his phone, and, as Ryan smirked at him, Nash put the phone on speaker. “Hello, Agnes.”
“Ohmygosh. It is such a relief to speak to my favorite brother,” she began.
“You are on speaker,” Ryan informed her.
“I stand by my words!” Agnes immediately retorted. “Because a favorite brother doesn’t hang up on you when you call him!”
“I am her favorite,” Nash informed Ryan with a shrug of one shoulder. “She’s not lying. Sorry if the truth hurts.”
Ryan just sighed.
“I need to speak with Delaney,” Agnes said. “The woman is not used to danger and drama, and she’s probably freaking out. Someone needs to reassure her. I’m that someone.”
Actually, other than the scream when Ryan had gone into her bedroom, she’d been pretty good and oddly controlled about things. Even handled the scene at the motel room with surprising calmness. “She’s not freaking out.”
Silence on the phone. Then, “Nash, may I please speak with my friend Delaney?”
Hell. He’d basically never refused Agnes anything since the day he’d met her. When he’d first come into the Quinn household, he’d been so scared his knees had knocked together. He’d stood there, bruises hidden beneath his clothes, and he’d waited for them to reject him.
Then a little fireball—seriously, Agnes’s red hair had been bright back then—had hurtled toward him. She’d been all skinny legs and arms, and she’d thrown herself against him as she happily cried out, “A new big brother! I will love you forever!” And she had.
That was his sister, Agnes, though. Even as a kid, she’d loved with her whole heart, given herself completely, faced life at one hundred miles an hour. Generally, she was a tornado, and she got exactly what she wanted in this world.
“Be firm,” Ryan mouthed at him.
Because Ryan had the same weakness that Nash did. Nash nodded to his brother even as he had to force out, “Sorry, Agnes, no can do.”
“What?”
“No can do.” It was easier to say the second time.
Ryan gave him a thumbs up.
“Why can’t I talk to Delaney?” Her voice had gone ominously low. “Do not tell me this is a classified situation.”
That was exactly what he was going to tell her. “It’s classified.”
“Nash!”
Both he and Ryan winced.
“Don’t worry,” Nash assured her. “I will stay with Delaney until the danger has passed. I will do whatever it takes?—”
“Even marry her,” Ryan inserted in a very unnecessary and loud manner.
“—to protect her,” Nash finished.
More ominous silence. Then, “Did Ryan say…marry her?”
The door to the right began to open.
“Got to go,” Nash told Agnes. “I’ll call you again when the case is closed. Until then…classified.”
“But—”
He hung up. He expected to see Delaney walking out of that room. Instead, Jezebel slipped out. She shut the door behind her. Her gaze darted between him and Ryan. “Gentlemen.” A nod. “We need to talk.”
His own stare shifted to the door. “Why is Delaney still inside?”
