Page 197 of Nanny and the Beast

“What did you do now?” I ask.

“Why do you always assume I did something?” he asks.

“Because you have that guilty puppy look on your face,” I say. “And you’re being extra nice to me. Coming from you, it’s all very suspicious behavior.”

“Can’t a guy just show some love to his best friend?” Alaric says, his eyes all innocent.

I raise an eyebrow at him.

“Fine, I did something,” he says. “But it was a very long time ago, so you can’t judge me for it. It doesn’t count.”

“I’ll be the one to decide that,” I say.

He dabs a handkerchief over his forehead.

“You’re sweating,” I say. “How bad is it?”

“It’s very, very bad, but you have to understand that I have my reasons,” he says.

“Naturally,” I say.

“Oh my God, I already know you’re going to besomad at me. I think I’m going to throw up,” Alaric says.

I sigh at his dramatics. “Can we at least go inside? It’s freezing out here.”

I move past him, but he blocks my path.

“Okay, so there’s good news, and there’s bad news,” he says. What would you like to know first?

“The bad news,” I say.

“I’ll start with the good news,” he says. “Approximately forty-eight hours ago, I got a call from the Resistance’s Europe division. It was to tell me that they found your brother-in-law. They had his exact location and needed my word before making a move.”

He pauses for effect.

My heart thuds in my chest, working overtime now.

“You lost him?” I ask.

“Why do you always assume I’m so incompetent? It’s offensive,” he says. “For your information, I found him. He’s in my basement as we speak.”

I push past him, heading toward the house. But Alaric catches up quickly and stands in my way again. He presses his palms against my chest to hold me back.

“Will you justlistento me for a second?” he says.

There’s only one thought left in my head. I need to see Richard with my own eyes. I want to feel the sweet satisfaction of vengeance flowing through my veins.

“Why are you standing in my way?” I ask.

“Because if I let you inside, I know you’re going to cut his face up like some psycho serial killer,” he says.

“He deserves worse,” I say.

“And I agree, but?—”

Alaric is a strong man, but he’s no match against me tonight. I have too much adrenaline coursing through my veins. I push past him once again and head toward the entrance.

Alaric doesn’t physically stop me this time. Instead, he uses the stupid security app on his phone to lock the front door.

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