Page 16 of Anger

Lanie and Jess walked out of Jase’s quarters, where their siblings all congregated.

“Are they okay?” Dale asked.

“They are all fine. We’ll let Jase tell you their sexes, and what a surprise they are!” Lanie replied. Everybody frowned, but Jase appeared before them.

“We’ve two boys and a girl. We can’t bring them to you, but you can come visit a few at a time,” Jase announced. He looked tired but so proud.

Lanie loved this for him. Jase deserved this.

Lanie tiredly walked to her quarters. She had to rise early in the morning to return to her home, but this weekend had been something she needed.

McIntyre

Lanie and that Dale guy had spent all weekend in the bedroom. He had not seen them come out once, and he wondered how they’d eaten. Several times he’d checked the feeds were live because there had been no movement from them. Yet, this morning, they left her room and resumed their daily routines.

McIntyre felt a surge of jealousy. Had they been doing the obvious? Or had Lanie somehow fiddled with the cameras to loop back and hide their actions? Because two days locked in a bedroom with no food or drink wasn’t possible. Something was off, and McIntyre was determined to discover what. He couldn’t do his job if he didn’t have all the information.

He hadn’t been in the SBS for nothing. McIntyre had skills Lanie was completely unaware of!

Lanie/Lamia

She climbed into the car, wondering what was wrong with McIntyre. He seemed sullen this morning. Ranson and the second guard up front, Fisher, were fine. Shoving aside McIntyre’s grumpiness, Lanie pulled up her schedule and made a face. She had a meeting with Jonah Preston, a clothing designer whose designs she’d rejected. Lanie prided herself on having functional, attractive, and feminine clothing. She covered day dresses, to female suits, to evening gowns, to casual wear.

What Lanie disliked was wacky idiots who were determined to make a statement. Impractical clothing had no place in her business. Why Jonah had designed such a line, she had no idea. He should have known she’d never approve it. It was beyond ludicrous, with sharp angles and over the top pointed shoulders—and other ridiculous additions.

Lanie sighed and caught McIntyre’s attention.

“Ma’am?”

“Just a meeting I’d rather avoid. I can’t deal with drama, and this man’s going to give me it,” Lanie replied.

“Preston?” Ranson called over his shoulder in amusement.

“Yes. I have an eleven o’clock with him. It is a ten-minute meet, but it will run over. He’s very talented but so dramatic,” Lanie said.

“And you just nixed his latest designs,” Ranson replied.

“I did. Lord knows what he was thinking. I’d never use anything like that in my lines.”

“Some people like to push the boat out,” McIntyre added.

“He pushed the damn boat out and then sank it like the Titanic!” Lanie exclaimed.

“That bad?” Ransom asked, sounding amused, although his face remained impassive.

“Terrible. I don’t know what he was thinking,” Lanie replied.

“He probably wasn’t,” Fisher chipped in.

“Nope. And now I have got to deal with his flamboyant ass.” Lanie shook her head and resigned herself to drama!

???

“Miss Cross, you’re not a designer! You’ve no idea what sells!” Jonah cried, flapping his hands about.

Lanie watched him with narrowed eyes. “I’ve no idea?”

“No. Clearly not. Fashion is not meant for the pedestrian,” Jonah snapped.

---