She’s right. Snow-capped mountains, and smoky clouds that look as if God himself breathed them into life. They’re imbued with majestic dignity. The stark gray and white of the jagged peaks make my heart ache with the knowledge that we’re only small beings in a massive, wide universe.
My phone dings with another text.
I’d love to sit on this porch with you when the weather’s nicer.
I nod. “Och, aye, doll. We’ll make sure that happens.”
She flushes a bit. Gorgeous.
She’s got a bag over one shoulder, and I can see the very corner of the book the girls gave her last night. There’s a bookmark in it, a good third of the way in.
“So you’re reading that nonsense about the mafia, hmm? You know that’s not real, don’t you?”
She gives me a withering look and rolls her eyes, and she clearly has a thing or two to say, for my phone buzzes, then buzzes, then buzzes again.
First, it isn’t nonsense. It’s entertaining genre fiction.
Second, it’s not like you’ve given me anything better to do.
Third, if you’d read this book like your sisters suggested, you’d see how eerily similar it is to this place.
I frown. “Really?”
She nods as if to say,really.
Should that be something that concerns me? Being private and anonymous is of paramount importance to the Cowen clan.
“Interesting.” Why would there be a book on the market similar to our actual clan life? It must be the girls’ imaginations. Still, I’ll take another look later when we get back.
We reach the lodge in a few minutes and Islan meets us at the entryway. She’s got a large bag filled with all sorts of beautifying paraphernalia, and I leave Cairstina to get dolled up with her.
“Make her looknothinglike her actual self,” I warn Islan.
“On it, brother.”
“Has anyone seen Paisley?”
“No, but she texted me and said she’s in town doing some shopping and will be back at dinner.”
I grumble to myself. “She’d damn well better have men on her.”
Islan waves me off. “I’m sure she does.”
But when I ask our security team if anyone’s with her, they all come back with a resounding no.
Goddammit it.
I text Paisley myself.
Where the hell are you and why aren’t you with a detail?
I’m not surprised when she doesn’t respond.
I call Mum and tell her what’s going on.
She sighs. “You’ve been too heavy-handed with her. Do you want her to rebel? Because that’s exactly what you’re doing to her.”
“You know I don’t, but we also need to make it clear what’s at stake.”
