She looks ready to punch me. Jasper adopts a wounded puppy look.
“Did the goods arrive?” I ask Reino.
“Just before you got here. It didn’t take long to pack up.”
I hold the door for the women, who don’t ask what we’re talking about.
We ride up in a tense silence. Reino gets the door to the suite. As he’s familiar with the floor plan from doing a security check, he shows Tatiana to one of the bedrooms leading off the lobby where she can put Noah to bed.
Familiarizing myself with the layout, I walk around the spacious lounge and test the sliding doors. After unlocking one, I check the balcony. The rail is high enough. A child won’t be able to slip through the bars. Still, I don’t know how agile or adventurous Noah is. What if he drags a chair outside and decides to climb on it? The hair on my nape stands erect at that thought.
I go back inside, lock the door, and pull the curtains closed. A toilet flushes. When I turn around, Jasper stands in the middle of the lounge with her arms crossed, facing off with me.
Her statement is bitter. “I guess this means I’m also staying here for the night.”
I go to the dry bar and pour the overpriced scotch into three glasses. Carrying a glass to her, I work my tie loose. “It’ll have to be a little longer.”
She grabs the glass from my hands. “How long are we talking about?”
I throw the tie onto a chair. “As long as it takes.”
She dumps the drink in the flowerpot that holds a plastic fern and slams the glass down on a side table. “For what?”
“Excuse me?”
She huffs. “As long as it takes for what?”
“For getting Tatiana and Noah settled in.”
Her back goes rigid. “Settled in where?”
“Where they belong.”
“You mean in New York City.” She adds with snide, “In your house, I assume.”
“Correct.”
Her lips part as if she expected me to deny that statement. “You can’t. You can’t take her back there.”
I cock an eyebrow. “Come on, Jasper. You’re cleverer than that. I can put her and Noah up in any place of my choosing, and the same goes for you.”
“You just want to make sure I don’t run to the police and report this kidnapping, because this is what it is.”
“Correct, again.”
She points a finger at me. “You have no right to do this.”
“I can do whatever I want. I can make you do whatever I please, and I think you know that.”
Her cheeks pale. She lowers her hand to her side.
“Go to bed, Jasper. We’ll talk about what comes next in the morning.”
“I want to see Tiana.”
“Tatiana is fine. You’ll see her in the morning.”
“If you hurt her?—”
