Page 54 of Crimson Heart

Danielle tilted her head to the side. “You mean like what we did?”

“That was different.”

“It wasn’t,” she replied. “We did what our hearts dictated, and we didn’t know each other any longer than Charlotte has known Byron.”

“She’s got a point,” Austin interjected.

“Well, thanks for your support, bro,” Jude said dryly.

“Not to start a fight or anything,” Mason said, “but Byron might be the lesser evil.”

Jude shot him an annoyed look.

“I’m not saying that he’s the best choice,” Mason added quickly, “but he’ll protect her better than any one of us can. Let’s face it: if we forbid her to see him, all she’s gonna do is try to escape. That alone will put her in danger. But if we allow her to speak to Byron, she has no reason to leave, and she’ll be safe here on the estate.”

He hated that his cousin had a point. “But what if he lied? What if he really tries to get her pregnant so that we have to accept him into the family?”

“How about I talk to Charlotte woman to woman?” Danielle asked.

“And ask her what?” Jude said.

“Leave that up to me. She needs to speak to a woman. She’ll confide in me,” she assured him.

Slowly, he nodded. “Alright, but we’ll still keep our eyes on her.”

Then he looked at Austin and Mason.

“Let’s dig into Steve and the Leon pack. They must have skeletons in the closet. Let’s find them.”

Jude looked over his shoulder at Danielle. “We’d better get started. But that doesn’t mean you have to get up yet. Why don’t you rest a little? My tossing and turning last night probably didn’t help you get a good night’s sleep.”

She smiled at him. “You boys go. I’ll be down soon.”

He followed Austin and Mason out of the master suite. From downstairs, he could already hear the sounds of several people. The smell of coffee drifted to him, and coupled with the smell of bacon, it made him hungry.

“Uhm, Jude,” Austin said and stopped walking. “What are we gonna tell Mom and Dad? They need to know. Frankly, I’m surprised our phones aren’t ringing off the hook.”

Jude stopped, and Mason turned toward them.

“I’d rather wait to tell them about the Leon pack until we have tangible evidence that Steve Leon is unsuitable as Charlotte’s mate,” Jude said. “You know Dad as well as I do: if we come to him with just hearsay, he’s gonna accuse us later of manufacturing evidence.”

“If we tell him that we’re looking into some allegations, at least he might give us more time,” Austin mused.

“Let’s cross that bridge when we get to it,” Jude replied.

“That might be sooner rather than later,” Mason added. “Let me check in with my parents to find out whether they know where your parents are right now. Then we can decide what to do.”

“Just be careful what you tell them,” Jude advised.

Mason winked. “Don’t worry, I know how to handle my mother. If there’s anything useful to know, I’ll get it out of her.”