Page 12 of A Rhapsody of Ravens and Revenge

“Well then,” Robert said, getting to his feet. “It looks like three’s a crowd. I’ll leave you two to get acclimated. I’ve got a plane to catch.”

“Oh, no,” Evangeline said, standing. “You’re not going anywhere until you explain what the hell is going on.”

“I told you, Evie. You need a bodyguard and I’m out of eligible bachelors. That leaves Cal. You agreed to take precautions for the week. Don’t go back on your word now.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, but it was a wasted effort because he’d already turned toward Cal.

“Son, you always did have a way of making women want to claw your eyes out.”

“It’s a gift,” Cal said, grinning.

Evangeline could count the number of times she’d wanted to do violence to a person on one hand, and she was pretty sure they all involved Cal.

There were very few people in the world who knew the real Calvin Cruz. Maybe not even her come to think of it. He was brilliant, no doubt, and that brilliance was only one of the aspects she’d found fascinating about him over the years. The layers of Cal had always intrigued her. And it was obvious to anyone who knew him well that he covered a whole world of hurt with smart remarks and general rudeness if it suited him.

He’d never cared one bit about being anyone other than himself, and he never made apologies for his behavior. People either loved Cal or they hated him. There was no in-between.

“You might as well take him back with you, Daddy. There’s no way I’m going to let Cal be my bodyguard. You know his attention span won’t last the week. He’ll be playing poker with the staff and fleecing them out of all their money after two days.”

“Still bitter about that are we, Evie?”

She turned to face him, putting her hands on her hips. “I was twelve, you moron. And no, I’m not still bitter. Some of us learn to grow up. Want to take a guess who in this room hasn’t?”

“Not really,” he said with a shrug. “If by ‘grow up’ you mean turn into a boring spinster who doesn’t know how to have fun I think I’ll pass.”

“You made me what I am,” she said, and then she remembered her father was standing there and pinched her mouth shut before she said too much. “Get out of my house.” She was surprised by how even her voice was. Because on the inside she was screaming. “If you’re not out in the next ten seconds I’m going to shove my fist down your throat and jerk your cold, worthless heart right out of your body. And then I’m going to feed it to a shark along with the rest of your corpse.”

Cal arched a brow and gave her an insufferable smile. “You’ve given that a lot of thought, Evie. Kind of disturbing if you ask me. I don’t remember you being so violent. I wonder where all this pent-up aggression is coming from. Have you thought of seeing a counselor?”

A sound came out of her mouth that was somewhere between a gasp and a shriek. “I’m going to kill you. Murder you in your sleep. And no jury would convict me.”

Good grief, she had to get a hold of herself. He was turning her into a shrew. The way to deal with Cal was to outsmart him. He thrived off emotional reactions, and she was giving him exactly what he wanted.

She took a deep breath and tried to smile, though she wasn’t sure she was successful in her attempt. “You’re right, Cal. I apologize. I’m completely overreacting. I think it’s because Daddy’s been pressuring me to settle down by throwing men into my path every chance he gets. My reaction is just reflex now.”

The look in his eye was calculating as he tried to figure out her angle.

“You make me sound like a tyrant trying to sell his daughter to the highest bidder, Evangeline.” Robert stared her down, his lips pursed. “I find that highly insulting.”

“Your speech is getting proper again,” she said, narrowing her eyes at him. His lips pinched even tighter together and he gave her a look that would’ve sent any number of his agents running in the opposite direction.

He was really still a very attractive man for someone in the latter half of his sixties. He stood military straight, his shoulders broad and his body still in good shape from years of training. His hair was thick and had been completely silver since she was a child. It was a shame he hadn’t found a woman to keep him occupied so he’d stay out of her business.

“You’re pushing your luck, Evangeline.”

“No, Dad. I’m being serious.” She shrugged and then crossed her arms over her chest. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe it’s time I took your advice and settled down. And you’re handpicking these men, so there must be something good about them. I figure one is just as good as the next. You’ve always loved Cal like a son anyway, so maybe we should just see where this goes.”

The color drained from her father’s face and he went completely still. She would’ve burst out laughing if it wouldn’t have completely ruined her plan. But when she turned and looked at Cal any humor she saw in the situation dried up immediately. She recognized that look. It meant trouble.

“Now, Evangeline,” Robert sputtered. His eyes cut back and forth between her and Cal, gauging the potential fallout. Just like always.

“It’s okay, Daddy. I’m sure Cal knew exactly what he was getting himself into when he agreed to take this job. It’s not like you’ve been subtle about your attempts. Now if you two don’t mind, I think I’m going to lie out by the pool for a couple of hours. The idea of a vacation sounds nice now that you put the idea in my head,” she told her father.

She’d taken two steps toward the door when Cal stopped her and said, “Just hang tight a minute, Evie. You and I need to go over the ground rules. This isn’t just a vacation. You’re going to take every precaution while you’re here.”

“You do love your rules, don’t you, Cal?”

“Rules tend to keep girls out of trouble.”

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