Page 206 of Forced Vows

"She's probably down at the boathouse telling Kara and Fiona everything." Brogan grimaces. "Once my mother finds out…"

He just shakes his head morosely, not finishing the thought.

"How many underwater guards do you have on duty?" I ask over my shoulder, heading toward the door.

Even if the number is half a dozen, I'm not comfortable with Róise hanging out in the boathouse without me right now.

Hell, probably never. It's just too damned exposed.

"None. I told you we don't need them. I ran tests on our sonar's detection levels and nothing is getting past it. Even if it could, it would take a plasma torch to get through the net."

Which Róise and Kara paddled right over in their dinghy.

My gut twists. If the sonar had alerted to the women during their great escape, they wouldn't have gotten away.

No one can approach the boathouse during the day in a dinghy without being seen. Not with the men Brogan has patrolling that part of the property and watching water.

My men make four more sets of eyes. With Brogan's security, it should be enough, but my gut is screaming it's not.

I send a text, instructing my men to converge on the boathouse and pull up Róise's tracker just because.

Relief surges through me at the steady dot located at the boathouse. She's going to be pissed when they crash the party with her cousins, but better safe than sorry.

I'm halfway to the boathouse when I hear a scream. I start to run.

Chapter 72: RÓISE

All the bay doors are open in the boathouse. Fitz is dangling his feet in the water and we're all hot. Even with the doors open, the breeze isn't enough to compensate for the hot summer temperatures.

I just finished telling my cousins that Gabriel had my dad killed. They're furious, but every time I mention Miceli's name, Kara gives me a concerned look.

"You're in love with your fiancé, aren't you?" she asks.

"If I am, don't you think he's the first person that should know that?"

"Why shouldn't she love him?" Fiona plops down next to Fitz and drops her feet into the water. "Loving your partner is a good thing isn't it?"

"When they love you back, it's the best thing. But when they don't, it's…" She looks at Fitz, gives a little shake to her head and finishes. "Not."

"Well, I think he loves her too. You saw the pictures from their engagement announcement. He's got moony eyes."

"What's moony eyes?" Fitz asks, suddenly tuning into our conversation.

"Like this." Fiona makes her eyes really wide and adoring.

"You look funny, Aunt Fi."

Fiona tickles Fitz and he tickles her back.

Under the sound of their feet splashing, Kara asks, "Are you planning to tell him?"

"I don't know." I might as well have just said I loved him to begin with.

Because how is that not an admission?

"Why not tell him?" Fiona asks. "Isn't it better to share your feelings with each other?"

"Are you and Zoey sharing feelings?" I ask because I don't have an answer and I don't think Kara wants to give one.

---