Page 38 of Wrangled By the Minotaur
“Of course, of course.” Craig holds up his hands in a placating gesture. “I didn’t mean to suggest otherwise. It’s just… well, as family, I worry about you out here. Especially after reading about this fellow’s history with violence.”
“There’s nothing to worry about.”
“Isn’t there?” His smile falters slightly, and for the first time, I see something harder underneath. “Sweet Frankie, I know you’re a grown woman and you can make your own choices. But this man—this creature—he admitted to nearly killing someone. And now he’s… What? Having you live with him?”
Heat rises in my cheeks. “That’s not really your business, Craig.”
“Maybe not. But Rose was my family too, and she loved you like a daughter. She’d want someone looking out for you, especially with the foreclosure notice I heard about.”
My blood runs cold. “How do you know about that?”
“I make it my business to know about family properties that might be in distress,” he says simply. “And you only have three months, right? That’s got to be incredibly stressful. The kind of stress that might make someone vulnerable. Desperate.”
My heart starts beating faster. “What are you getting at, Craig?”
“I’m just saying that desperate people sometimes make poor choices. And when a wealthy stranger shows up right when you’re facing financial ruin, offering to solve all your problems… Well, a smart person might ask what he really wants in return.”
“Raphael isn’t—”
“Isn’t what? Using you?” Craig’s smile turns sharp. “Frankie, men like that don’t do charity. They see an opportunity, whether it’s a pretty young woman in trouble, a piece of valuable property, or a chance to buy some respectability, and they take it. The question is, what happens when he’s gotten what he came for?”
The ugly implications in his words make my stomach churn.
Craig steps closer. “I’ve done some research on your boyfriend, Frankie. Very successful businessman, very wealthy. The kind of man who could have anyone he wants. So why is he so interested in a failing bee farm and the woman who’s about to lose it?”
“Get off my property.”
“Now, don’t get upset. I’m just trying to look out for you.” Craig’s tone becomes soothing again, but his eyes remain calculating. “Rose left you this place because she trusted you to take careof it, to honor the family legacy. But if you’re making decisions based on desperation rather than good judgment…”
He lets the sentence hang, the implication clear. My hands are shaking now, whether from anger or fear, I can’t tell.
“What do you want, Craig?”
“I want to help my family,” he says simply. “I’ve been thinking about this place a lot lately, about what Rose would want. And I think she’d want the property to stay in the family, to be managed by someone who understands its value. Someone who won’t let personal…entanglementscloud their judgment.”
The pieces click together with sickening clarity. “You want to buy the farm.”
“I want to save it,” Craig corrects. “From foreclosure, from being sold off to developers, from being used as a pawn in whatever game your monster friend is playing. I can pay off the bank, Frankie. I can make sure Rose’s legacy survives.”
“And what happens to me in this generous offer?”
“You’d be taken care of, naturally. Family takes care of family.” His smile is all teeth now. “Though I do think some distance from your current situation might be beneficial. A fresh start somewhere new, away from influences that might not have your best interests at heart.”
The casual cruelty of it takes my breath away. “No,” I say firmly. “The farm isn’t for sale.”
Craig’s expression doesn’t change, but his eyes narrow to sharp points. “That’s disappointing. I was hoping we could handle this as family. But if you’re determined to let your personal feelings override good sense…”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that Rose’s will had certain provisions about responsible stewardship.” He reaches into his jacket and pulls out a folded document. “I looked it over, and I’m quite sure associating with a confessed violent criminal might qualify as irresponsible, don’t you think?”
The world tilts around me. “You can’t… There’s no such—”
He waves the document slightly. “Of course, I’d hate for it to come to that. Legal challenges can be so messy, so public. And they take time… Months, sometimes years. Hard to say what condition the property would be in by the time everything gets sorted out.”
I stare at him, finally seeing Craig Baker clearly for the first time. Not the bumbling, unsuccessful cousin I’d always dismissed, but something much more dangerous. A predator who’s been watching and waiting for the right moment to strike.
“Think about it, Frankie,” he says, tucking the paper back into his jacket. “I’ll be in town for a few more days. When you’re ready to discuss this reasonably, you know how to reach me.”
