Page 32 of Under Arthur’s Protection

“You’re being ridiculous.” I took the five paces back to the island and grabbed his plate.

He’d left a forkful of pasta on it. “I was eating that!”

“Meal’s over.” I scraped the last of his food into the drain and rinsed it. Before he said more, I flipped open the tiny compartment next to the sink and turned on the garbage disposal.

But as I washed his plate, Gwen’s face popped into my mind. The way her eyes had closed when she tried the first bite of bread with the oil. She’d loved it as much as she’d loved the pasta.

Lance just stood there and stared, waiting me out.

I turned off the racket and switched topics before he could continue. “We need to talk about the car from the airfield.”

“She’s a fucking amazing woman, Arthur. And for the record, you’d be a⁠—”

“Enough, Lance. I didn’t want to talk about it with her here, but we need to make sure we’re on the same page.”

He pivoted and rested his back against the counter. “I clocked it when we turned onto the main road. Dark sedan. Stayed about six car lengths back for most of the drive.”

“I think it was behind us when we left the airport, but I lost it for a few minutes, so I’m not sure if it was the same car.”

“Could be nothing.” He frowned. “Could be someone who recognized the Penn heir⁠—”

“Fuck off.”

The corner of his mouth slid up, and he winked at me. “Or some gossip hound who heard a Gulfstream was flying into a tiny airfield in the middle of nowhere and thought a celebrity scandal was coming to town.”

“Or it’s connected to Gwen and the sword.” I placed Lance’s plate in the drying rack and pulled my phone from the counter. I opened the monitoring app and was greeted by a screen full of green lights. No motion detected, no perimeter breaches, and the camera feeds showed empty gravel and dark gardens.

“Is it smart for us to stay here?” Lance asked. “We might be better off lying low at a rental or a hotel.”

I set the phone face-up on the counter where we could both see it. “The security system covers every approach. If anyone gets within a hundred feet, we get an alert. And if the absolute worst happens, the safe room’s stocked and ready.”

“This morning, I wouldn’t have thought that was even a vague possibility.”

“So, we stay. If any direct threats emerge, we reassess.”

Lance nodded. “Okay.”

He was right. I had been weird at the restaurant. I’d wanted to keep talking to Gwen and ignore the rest of the table, but a gracious guest paid attention to everyone sitting with them. Although if I hadn’t been driving Lance home, I might have tried to prolong the evening with her.

Fuck, who was I kidding? I definitely would have. Physical only, though.

Because emotional connections are dangerous, right, Dad?

Emotions meant letting your guard down and risking everything. Now that I had a company of my own, my team’s success required I keep my head on straight.

“You should get some shut-eye,” I said.

“What about you?”

I gestured toward the cutting board and the stovetop. “No staff here right now, so I’ve got to clean up.”

Lance straightened, stretched, and yawned. “Any chance you’ll make us Hettie’s waffles for breakfast?”

I pulled the dish towel off my shoulder and snapped it at him. “Go to bed.”

He nudged me, then went to get his jacket at the end of the island. As he pulled it on, he turned and said, “She’s fucking amazing, but I didn’t have my head screwed on right at the time.”

“Go to bed.”