Page 91 of The Devil's Deceit
I cross over to the window, waiting for him to appear. He does, flanked by his father and Alexander. He looks up at the window, raises his hand, then climbs into the car. Once it’s driven away, I dart into the bathroom and text Arron.
Me: He got called away before I could tell him, but nothing’s changed. I’m doing it when he gets back.
I sit on the toilet as I wait for a reply. It takes him a fullfive minutes, and something tells me the reason for that is because he saw my message and called Uncle Daniel.
Arron: Okay. Do what you have to do.
Me: Have you told UD?
Arron: Yes.
I knew it.
Me: And what did he say?
Arron: You don’t want to know.
Me: No, I probably don’t.
I wait to see if he says anything else. Nothing comes through. I heave a sigh and turn off the phone, aware I’ve let both of them down, but even knowing that doesn’t change my mind. Confronting Christian at the start wouldn’t have worked. He’d have had his security escort me off the premises and that would’ve been it. Now… he might still do that, but I have a far better chance of him telling me what I want to know than I did three months ago. It’s all I have to cling to.
I use the bathroom, dress, and head off in search of breakfast. I only ate junk last night, and I’m craving something healthy. When I arrive at the dining room, Tobias and Saskia are there, their heads together. Tobias looks more serious than I’ve ever seen him.
“Hey.”
They both look up. “Grace, hey. Come on in. Sit down.” Tobias gets to his feet and holds out a chair for me. “I take it you know.”
“Yeah. Christian just left with your dad and Alexander.” I plunk down in the chair and reach for the jug of orange juice.
Saskia’s mouth flattens. “It should’ve beenallof us. She wasourmum.”
“It’s better if we don’t arrive en masse,” Tobias says. “We don’t want him alerted before we get there. Besides, Xan has more skin in the game.”
“Granted, butChristiandoesn’t. If anyone should’ve gone with Dad and Xan, it should’ve been Nicholas. He’s next in line.”
I squirm, sensing a family split and not wanting to get in the middle of it. Returning the jug to the mat, I sip my juice.
“Yes, but Nicholas can be as impulsive as Xan. Christian’s calmer. If it all turns to shit, he’ll be able to strike some balance.”
“Stop logic-ing me.” Saskia pouts. “I hate it when you do that.”
Tobias laughs. “That’s Saskia’s way of saying I win, Grace.”
She flips him off, then the two of them chuckle. “In case you haven’t figured it out yet, Grace, Tobias is a twat.”
“True.” He nods. “But a logical twat. I’m sure Nicholas is fine with it. He’ll want to do what’s best for Dad and Xan, and if Dad thinks Christian is a better choice, then he’ll respect that.”
“Hmm.” She doesn’t sound convinced. “I’m going to ask Vicky what Nicholas thinks about being cut out.” Drawing her phone toward her, she taps on the screen, and a ringing tone sounds.
“Hey, Saskia.”
“Vic, you’re on speaker. Tobias and Grace are here. Ineed you to settle an argument. Is Nicholas pouting over Dad’s choice to take Christian with him to Greece?”
“Pouting? No,” she says. “Scowling, muttering to himself, and stomping around the apartment? Yes, yes, and yes.”
Saskia flashes a smug look in Tobias’s direction. “I knew it. If you want to escape from Mr. McGrumpy, you can come down here.”
“It’s fine. I have a ton of work to do today. I’m going to lock myself in my office and wait for him to calm down.”
