Page 59 of Hush Money

I shove Ravenna away and focus on the issue at hand: Lucien acting in my so-called best interests without consulting me first. I don’t want to make such a big deal out of this that I ruin the night or even the next ten minutes. But he needs to understand that his approach will never work for me. “I don’t think you understand. I don’t like it when you do things behind my back and keep me in the dark about your motives. That’s all I’m saying. I need a boyfriend. Not a filthy rich puppet master who uses his money to get whatever he wants without discussing it with me first.”

He comes closer, his expression darkening even further. “I don’t think you understand. I will do whatever it takes to protect you. Don’t expect me to apologize for that. Ever.”

Wait, what? Protect?

“Protect me? From what? Life?” I say with a disbelieving laugh. But then I remember what he told me yesterday about his mother’s disappearance and death. And that wasn’t even the only time that a woman in his life disappeared on him, was it? That particular lightning bolt has struck him twice. First with his mother, then with Ravenna’s “death.” No wonder he’s so protective. I get it now. Those traumas would leave their mark on anyone. But Lucien being Lucien, he’ll never just come out and say it. “Wait. This is about what happened with your mother, isn’t it?” I say, my heart suddenly aching for him.

There’s a flash of something in his eyes, but it disappears before I can analyze it. Then his expression closes off, leaving a brick wall overlay on top of his handsome face. “Anything that might harm you. Don’t expect me not to fight for what I need. That’s not who I am.”

“Need doesn’t involve manipulation. Not in a healthy relationship.”

He scoffs. “I’m not?—”

“The funny thing is, I want us to have a future together. I want to talk about it. But I want you to treat me like your equal even if I don’t have money like you do.”

“Ms. Scott.” Crooked smile. “You’re the only equal I’ve ever had in my life. It’s a shame you don’t know that. It’s also a shame that we both want a future together but you keep letting Ravenna inside your head.”

“I don’t mean to.”

“Then stop.”

“I’m not sure I can. How am I supposed to un-hear everything she said?”

He stares me dead in the face. “Your faith in me should be louder than her voice.”

Oh, God. He’s right. And with that realization, I’m suddenly all talked out. I head for the door before these grand Ackerley walls completely close in and collapse on me.

“Tamsyn. Where are you going?” he calls after me.

“To the cottage,” I say, sudden exhaustion setting in. “I need to think, don’t I?”

“You can’t take off every time something pops up,” he says. “I’m going to burn that fucking cottage to the ground so you have nowhere to run off to. Then you’ll have to stay here and work things out with me.”

That flares me right up again. “News flash: that would be another manipulation, wouldn’t it?” I say with a hollow laugh as I swing the door open and hurry through it. “What a surprise. You being manipulative.”

I have the delicious satisfaction of slamming the door in his thunderous face before he can respond. At least until I turn the corner and come face to face with a startled Ted and Maddie, who are striding down the hallway talking animatedly. Luckily, they dodge and separate to make room for me before I plow them down like a runaway horse, then stare after me with concerned expressions.

“Sorry,” I say, ducking my head with embarrassment and going straight to the stairs up to Lucien’s bedroom. I need to pack a few things for my lonely and no doubt painful night alone in the cottage.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

LUCIEN

“Back already?” comes a voice behind me at around eleven that evening, when I’m on my way back from the dock. I turn and discover Ted Winwood walking the manicured and silent grounds with large sweeps of his flashlight.

“Yep.” I decide not to mention that my heart wasn’t in tonight’s sail around the bay. I hope to take Tamsyn out in the boat sometime soon, because I know she’d love it. Going by myself tonight didn’t scratch the same itch. Worse, one of my greatest pleasures only served to magnify my loneliness. I should have just gone for a jog and called it a night. “What did I miss around here?”

“All quiet.” Winwood’s flashlight catches a flash of movement near the ground. He stiffens and quickly focuses in on the spot, illuminating a disgruntled-looking raccoon scuttling for cover under the nearest bush. Both of us breathe a sigh of relief. “We did get a report from our eyes on the hotel at around twenty-one-thirty. There are satellite trucks there. No idea if they’ve talked to Mrs. Winter.”

“Shit.” This is the kind of news I don’t need, especially tonight, when my morale is already in the gutter. “I’ll mention it to my PR team and see what they can find out. Right now, I’m headed to the pool. Try to keep us safe around here. And let’s pray nothing else blows up for the rest of the night.”

“Will do,” Winwood says, continuing on his way.

I head down the path toward the pool, eyeballing the cottage on the way. Tamsyn’s got the shutters drawn and the lights out except for the blue flicker of the TV. She’s probably watching a movie. I feel a hard pang in my gut. I wish I were there with her right now, snuggling on the sofa and maybe copping a feel or two under the blanket. And I would be. If I didn’t keep shooting myself in the foot every ten minutes. I keep replaying the whole argument, wondering when things went south on me and my dictatorial switch got flipped on. And then I kept making it worse by?—

The sound of approaching flip-flops pulls me out of my sullen thoughts. I glance around to discover Roman’s final approach from the pool. He’s got wet hair and swim trunks and a towel slung over his shoulder.

He takes one look at my face and smirks. “Blown it with Tamsyn already?”

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