Page 28 of A Dark and Stormy Night

"Shhh. She'll hear us." But Gwen clung to his shirt and grinned up into his face. "When I run her bath, I could drop in a toaster."

"I like that. But if Landon was around, he would somehow figure out a way to blow the circuits and she would escape injury."

Gwen snorted. "How about a bomb? We could wire the bed so when she puts her rapidly expanding behind on it, the mattress blows up."

"Too complicated. I could wire explosives into her lamp and when she turns it on, it blasts her out the window."

"Too fancy. We could just throw her out the window."

"She would land on those mammoth tits and bounce."

Gwen giggled.

"And that girdle she wears would explode and the elastic would put someone's eye out."

Gwen giggled harder. "It's a shaper, honey. They call them shapers now."

Mario waited until Gwen had found a napkin and wiped her damp eyes. Then he said seriously, "Or I could tell Landon to get the hell out."

"Why would he do that?"

"Because after today, he's afraid of me."

"Oh." Mario seldom lost his temper, but when he did, it was powerful and impressive. Apparently, Landon had finally set it off.

"I would tell Landon to get out, go bodily pick up Cecily and fling her over my shoulder—"

"She would be thrilled by that. If she is to be believed, you want her."

He snorted. "She can't tell a wandering eye from the evil eye?"

Gwen should not feel so pleased about Mario's harsh comments.

Mario continued, "I'll use a fireman's carry on her, and while I'm bringing her down, you will swiftly pack their belongings. I'll put her in the car. You will dump their suitcases on the driveway. We will come inside, lock the doors, and go upstairs and make love."

"We would have to bar the doors and windows." Gwen's brief burst of exuberance evaporated. "I don't doubt that somehow she has managed to make copies of our keys and gain access to our security information."

Now Mario was paying close attention. "How is that possible?"

"I don't know. She's always on the computer."

"She isn't smart enough."

"I think that's where you're wrong. I think she's very smart." Gwen remembered those wide curious eyes, those clever, cutting comments. "She's cunning."

"Smart enough to hack into our accounting system?"

Gwen's jaw dropped.

He used his finger to shut it. "That's it. Tomorrow they are going, never to return, and we will deal with the ramifications as we must."

Gwen nodded. "Yes. You're right. This ordeal is over."

***

Cecily took off her headphones, put the digital spy recorder into her bag, and slipped backward through the dining room and down the hall to her room.

"Where have you been?" Landon was in bed in his pajamas. "I thought you were injured. I thought you couldn't walk by yourself."

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