She furrows her brow adorably as the large lodge comes into view.
“I should’ve known,” I mutter to myself. “You’re the only one that even knows how to bloody get here. Did you tell someone else?”
“Of course not.”
Was that an admission?
“What if the girls ask questions?” she asks.
I pull to a stop right outside the main house. “You’re a writer,” I tell her, because I haven’t bloody let her get away with that lie. “Make something up.” I shut off the car. “Stay there until I come and get you.”
She’s so angry, which makes no sense. I’m not the one that wrote the fucking books and tricked the whole bloody Clan.
Maybe she doesn’t like that I found her out. Maybe she doesn’t like that the ruse is up.
She sure as hell won’t like what has to happen next.
She’s a good girl, though, and at least this once she does as she’s told. She waits for me, sitting there pertly, her hands flat on her legs.
I crook a finger at her. “C’mere.”
She slides out of the car and takes my hand but doesn’t meet my eyes. I slide her hand through my arm and we walk, with my hand covering hers, toward the main house. I speak in a low voice. I don’t want anyone to hear what I’m about to say.
“I can’t tell anyone what I’ve found out today.”
“You haven’t found out bloody anything.”
“I fucking have and you know it.”
Again, silent fuming.
“So we’ll go up there and be cordial. I’m angry about what you’ve done, but not so angry that I’m about to turn you over to my brothers. They’ll show no mercy.”
“Is this your version of good cop/bad cop?”
“No, love. This is my version of bad cop and criminal.”
Love.
Oh, God.
A brisk breeze picks up as we reach the main entrance, and she shivers. I throw a protective arm around her shoulders. I want everyone to believe we’re getting romantic, that I have feelings for her. It will make what I have to do so much easier.
So this makes it look legit, like she’s really sidling up to me and I’m into her. I want my father, especially, to know this.
When we reach the door, I wrap my fingers around the back of her neck and bring my mouth to her ear.
“You’re in so much fucking trouble when I get you alone. The only mercy I’ll show at all is not to do what my brothers expect me to. You’ve gotten way too free around here, Fran. You’ll behave yourself in here. Am I understood?”
She gives me a little salute. “Loud and clear, captain,” she says. I give her a firm little smack to the rear.
“Hey!” Her cheeks flush red.
There’ll be so much more where that came from.
“Be a good girl.”
“Are you doing some sort of role-play thing?”
