Page 25 of Fight for Love

“Trust me,” I reiterated. “Trustme,Harold.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Coulda told us ye were back, lass.”

“I was going to. We’ve only been back a couple of hours.”

Harold’s eyes flicked from me to Eric and back again. “Trouble?”

“Nothing we cannot handle,” said Eric.

“He’s right,” I agreed. “I’ll speak to you and Morag later. Dinner, maybe?”

Harold gave a sharp nod. “Aye, we’ll be back for dinner, lass.”

He took his leave.

We watched Harold walk back down the lane, gun resting on his forearm, his steps faltering slightly as he went around a carefully concealed trap.

Alone again with Eric, I watched him begin to make coffee. He had no intention of going back to bed, then. I was nearly dead on my feet.

“The Prince of Wales himself warned me about you, you know.”

He showed barely any shock, just one slightly raised eyebrow, and made an artform of his drink as he did that thing baristas do to create a feathering on top.

“You having one?” he asked, holding it out to me.

I shook my head. “Heading back to bed.”

“He warned you and yet, here you are, comfortable enough to fall asleep in my presence.”

I kept my face expressionless. “You’re disavowed while they investigate you, I take it?”

He chuckled, back resting against the kitchen counter as he sipped his drink. “You watch too many films, and read too many books. I’m just on leave following a period of intense action. I’ve filed my reports. They’re watertight.”

“On leave?” I scoffed. “That’s not what I heard.”

“The Prince of Wales dislikes me because I’m much cleverer than him. End of.”

I picked at my nails. “But he likes Caelan?”

“Ha! A master of disguise, your man is. I told you, Flora. He doesn’t tell you anything.” He put his coffee on the side, shoved his hands in his pockets and looked up the ceiling, jerking his head at this or that, as though the cabin was a bit of an extravagance or novelty. “Checked the paperwork for this place, have you?”

I didn’t like his insinuation—and I didn’t want to know.

“Someone on leave doesn’t go back to the hovel they grew up in.” I intended to pry, to hurt, to upset. “Not unless they’re in dire straits.”

He only looked at me blankly. “Question my sanity, sure. But question my ability? Now, that would be your downfall.”

“Your ability is directly linked to your sanity, especially if Caelan’s involved.”

“This isn’t about Caelan. And it’s not about you.” He thrust his hand out to press home the point, a red, angry vein popping in his temple. “It’s about people who want information and will do anything to get it.”

That stopped me in my tracks and made me feel hopeless. Astonished this wasn’t over yet, I said barely above a whisper, “This is about my father. Some other secret he kept?”

More money hidden away? More … something.

Eric said nothing and intended to keep his mouth shut, I could tell, turning his back and taking up his coffee again.

I was almost at the staircase and ready to go back to bed, when I turned around and headed for him, my finger raised in his face. “You were raised by animals and I know what you are. I know what you come from. I know they were monsters. And that you could be a monster, too.”

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