Page 202 of Tempting Little Thief

Slowly, his attention moves to Bastian and he takes solid steps toward him, not stopping until they’re nearly chest to chest.

“If my daughter isn’t walking through the door of Greyson Manor by nine a.m. sharp …” He leaves the threat open, and when the only response he’s given is a nod, he moves to climb into the driver’s seat, but he doesn’t leave.

He pulls forward, parking right in front of Bastian’s car, and he waits.

With a clipped chuckle, Bastian gives my shoulder a slight squeeze before gripping my hand and leading me toward the vehicle. We climb inside, and then we’re on the road heading home.

I have no idea what we will find when we get there, but it can’t possibly be any worse than any of the other shit we’ve gone through.

I mean … right?

“I can feel you thinking,” Bastian finally says, his shoulders heavy and voice less sharp than normal.

The last few days have done a lot of work on him in ways I likely can’t imagine.

“My father is angry.” I look to Bastian after I say this. “You are angry.”

Bastian nods.

“What are we going home to, Bastian?”

His eyes leave the road for a fraction of a second to meet mine, his words, not the ones I want to hear. “A whole lot of fuckery, baby. Your world is shifting and you’re not going to like a lot of it. The only thing I can promise you is that you’re mine, and nothing will change that.” He reaches over, pulling my hand to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to my knuckles before gently nipping at the tips. “Nothing.”

That’s the last word spoken and what a bold one it is.

Chapter 37

Bastian

At no point on the drive does she ask where we’re going, just sitting back, trusting wherever it is I will lead her, but as we round the giant wall that protects the Greyson Estate from the outside world, she sits up in her seat, things coming back to her that the last few days have blocked out.

Slowly, her head swivels toward mine, but I don’t look and just keep curving around for another mile or so until we reach the back of it, where a second estate sits.

The mansion is just as ridiculous as the one she calls home but less kept up. As far as I was told, the place hasn’t been touched in decades, and I like it like that. There’s a twisted, haunted appeal to the place that fits me perfectly. It’s dark and gloomy and damn fitting of the shit I’ve used it for so far.

Hayze did have someone come in to fix some shit up though. Couldn’t have us sleeping on moth-eaten mattresses. The whole fucking place was furnished, heavy sheets and shit lying over some fancy-ass furniture, like some shit out of evil times. The chairs that surround the giant table, which I’ll never allow enough people in this house to fill, are straight-up thrones.

We had them pull everything out of the bedrooms, though, and I stayed on a dusty couch downstairs while a team came in and set the room up the way I wanted. All I told them was I don’t like color and I like my privacy and they went to work.

As we roll up in the driveway, her mouth drops open, and she can’t hold it in anymore.

“How in the …” she trails off, eyes slicing my way. “What the hell have I missed?”

My lip curves into a small smirk, but I don’t pull my head off the seat, exhaustion sweeping in and quick.

“You do realize we’ve been trying to find documentation of this property for longer than I’ve been alive? Seriously. We were always led to believe that this was part of the Greyson Estate.”

“It ain’t,” I tell her as I put the car in park. Reaching up, I push her hair over her shoulder. “Ain’t, but can be.” I leave the line hanging between us and climb out, my girl quick on my heels.

She practically dashes up the steps, fingers trailing over the giant stone posts carved out in the shape of a god, with snakes wrapped around his chest and neck.

“Exquisite,” she whispers, rushing for the door, but before she can pull it open, it opens on its own.

She jerks back, eyes narrowing when Saylor, her lady’s maid from the manor, stands there with a smile.

Her head snaps back and forth between the two of us.

“I wanted to make sure I had things set up for you the way you like. Saylor knows all that better than anyone.”

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