Page 24 of Kristoff

“A woman got lost up at the Faust stronghold,” I explain, which is more than either of them deserve.

“Why would you think you could intrude into our business, and into our home?” he demands, anger coming off him like a wave.

What right does he think they have, to be questioning me? I’m the authority here. “Didn’t you hear what I said?” I beef up my defenses. “I’m looking for a lost woman.”

“If the woman is lost,” he bites out, “why would she be in our bar? Or even worse, in our shower?”

I open my mouth, ready to put him in his place. But no words come to mind. I cock my head, sure I can come up with a reason a woman who’s gone missing a hundred miles away would be in their shower…with Celia. And they’d be naked, gloriously naked, together. Damn, why didn’t I take the blow job from Erica when I had the chance?

Obviously, I should have thought past the possibility of coming to toss the place. Schunior is trying to make me look like a fool.

“Faust has people searching the countryside—in their area—for any sign of her.”

“No.” I set aside my anger toward them. If that many people are hunting for her, there’s a chance someone else will get my reward. I need to do something quickly.

“This needs to stop,” he says with finality.

I close my mouth, squaring my shoulders as I prepare to take him on.

“And it needs to stop right now.” He points a finger to the floor, emphasizing his statement. “You terrified the hell out of Celia. She has no reason, whatsoever, to be treated this way.”

I lift my chin, indignant over the way he’s acting. “I had no way of knowing Celia would be in your shower.” I glare at Harlan. “Or. In. Your. Bed.” He lowers his head, taking a threatening step in my direction, like a hungry jaguar closing in on his prey.

He wouldn’t. But a shiver runs down my spine just the same.

Schunior puts a hand to his chest, holding him in place.Hrmph.Who does he think he is? And why is he the one rolling around in bed with the woman I want? Oh, I’ve got it. The answer is so simple. How could I have missed it? Whatever he’s paying her is for her services. Everything else is part of the act she puts on. Yes, and now the situation changes, leading to new possibilities.

“Let me remind you,” Schunior say, snapping me back to attention. “You have foundnothingout of the ordinary in this bar.” He glares at me, as if he’s defending something of value. “And how many times have you busted in here? You’d think we have some grand conspiracy you’re trying to discover.”

“Who do you think you’re fooling? You two are up to something.” I give them each a narrow-eyed glare. “I just haven’t found what.”

“We sank all the money we had into this place.” Schunior waves a hand at the room behind him.

So he knows I’m determined to find what they brought with them when they arrived. I know, deep inside, it’s sure to be a fortune. Fine, then the gloves are off.

“You know exactly how much we paid.” He leans toward me. “How much did you report to Faust?”

He’s hitting dangerously close to home. “You paid a fair price.” I try hard to keep from twitching. We don’t need to discuss what they paid. Faust would never believe a word they said anyway.

“I’m sure you reported afair price,and you’ll have to come up with a story about what happened to the rest,” he threatens.

Well, there has to be proof, and I made sure he has none. Unfortunately, he’s too tall for me to stare down my nose at him.

“Now, unless you want to upset everybody along the route, I suggest you let me finish fixing dinner.”

That statement spurs me to move. The last thing I need is for those men to start getting rowdy when they’re in town.

“Do you plan to stay and explain why their dinner was burned to a crisp?” he taunts.

“Certainly not.” I clear my throat. “It’s only because I’ve had a very long day, and I have no wish to deal with any unnecessary problems.”

Harlan snorts.

“Of course,” Schunior says, exchanging a knowing look with his brother.

“I’m organizing a search for her first thing in the morning,” I address both of them. “You’ll be required to help.”

“We can’t shut down, Gerald,” Schunior informs me. “We have people counting on the meals we prepare.”

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