Her body shifted against him, and he felt the weight of her braless chest drag over his torso. Lust flared through him but he shoved it down with a glance at the sheriff.
“I appreciate the concern,” he said, in the same cold, clear voice he often used in the courtroom. “We’re done now.”
Gideon’s smile twisted. Cal knew what the man called him—Nate’s “prissy lawyer son.”
“It’s your funeral, boy.”
Technically, it’s hers, he thought grimly.
He walked out of the sheriff’s station, and out into the sun. Nadine was still out cold, but her body wasn’t stiff. Not like a dead body was. She was still pliant enough to be manageable, and anyone looking at them might think—well, he knew what they’d think.
And they wouldn’t be entirely wrong, either.
All her snooping had seemed mostly harmless. If he’d had any idea what she’d really been up to when she was scurrying around, trying to avoid him, he would have put a stop to things far sooner.
It was honestly pretty fucking impressive how much she’d managed to find out on her own. Caledon Cullraven’s journal, for God’s sake. Ben had been shitting bricks over it this whole time, worried that Noelle had put it in safekeeping, to be released in the event of her disappearance.
He would have loved to have told his brother where the book had really been this whole time, but Nadine was already in enough trouble. No, he’d have to find some other place to leave the book where his brother would be sure to happen upon it.Maybe the liquor cabinet.
“Hey.” Rael raced to catch up with him. “You forgot her phone.”
“Put it in the bag.”
“Spangler’s been blowing it up. I don’t know if she told her anything.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Cal said ominously.
Rael let out a short laugh. “I can have a word with her if you want. Distract her.”
“Good idea. Why don’t you do that? Do it all night long.” His eyes flashed down in impatience. “I’m going to need time to deal with this little distraction.”
“She knows a lot,” Rael said. “And she suspects even more.”
“I know.” And he did. He’d been playing the little sparrow the whole time. But apparently, she’d been playing right back. “I’ll take care of it.”
His siblings must have been waiting to ambush him in the library because he didn’t get more than two steps into the foyer before they were both there.
“Oh good, you caught her.” Odessa frowned. “What’s the matter with her? Is she dead?”
“She hit her head.”
“Why did she run?” asked Ben.
“Because she wanted me to chase her, obviously.” He slung a careless grin at his brother. “As you pointed out before, I enjoy dragging her around.”
“She’s been very vocal about her unhappiness,” Ben said. “And with you. I wouldn’t imagine her to be so quick to cater to your twisted desires.”
Cal shrugged. “She enjoys denying me. It’s a fun little game we play.”
“Oh, let Cal have his fun,” Odessa said. “Just because you’re jealous. Caledon Cullraven didn’t find happiness until his second marriage, either.”
Ben ignored her. “I’m watching you.”
“I know,” Cal said. “You like to watch.”
With that, he turned on his heel, and headed up the stairs.
After a brief deliberation, he went into the unicorn room, locking her door behind him.A maiden no longer, he thought grimly as he peeled off her hoodie, which he then tossed carelessly aside before giving the sparrow a gentle push against her bed. She made a noise as her breath escaped her, her brown hair fanning out around her head as she fell back. Too wavy to be straight or neat, and tangled from the wind, it settled around her face in a soft, faun-colored halo.
