Page 18 of Bianca's Bastard

“To file a report, yes,” he said calmly. “But I was wondering if you could help me identify someone. You and Eden know a lot of the same people, correct?”

He was doing thatwe don’t know each other except professionallything that she hated again. She figured in a minute he was probably going to call her “Miss Loring” again. Like everyone in the room didn’t know much more had passed between them.

Bianca tried not to show how much it bothered her that he was treating her like a stranger. “Of course, we do. I’ve known her pretty much my whole life.”

“I was wondering if you could come with me and take a look at some security footage at Newton-Wellesley Hospital. It’s close by, I won’t take much of your time.”

Rafe stepped forward with a look of laughing disbelief on his face. “My sister’s not going anywhere with you,” he said.

“Rafe—” Bianca began, trying to reason with him.

“I don’t want Bianca involved in this either,” Elias said, immediately understanding Rafe’s reason for objecting. “But she called the Weston police, who then called my office. I’m hoping after this, if there are no more calls made, calls which are recorded and can’t be ignored,” he added shooting Bianca a warning look, “I can terminate her involvement with the case completely. Declare her inactive.”

Bianca rocked back on her heels. There was one small part of her that hoped maybe he was here because he wanted to see her, but the opposite was true. He was here to remove her from the case, to get her out of his life completely. She felt Jinx snuffling around her feet and picked him up for something to do besides look at Elias and feel devastated.

“And holy shit, what happened to that dog?” Elias added, maintaining the same explanatory tone he’d been using.

Bianca couldn’t help but laugh. He had great comedic timing. Most guys she met were such duds when it came to a sense of humor.

“He’s my Jinxie. Oh, I can’t take him to the hospital, can I?” she added, realizing the conflict.

“I’ll take Jinx. You can get him at Rafe’s tomorrow, or here. I’ll be here working,” Abbe said.

Rafe made a face. “Do wehaveto take the mutant?” he grumbled.

“Pay no mind to him,” Bianca said, handing Jinx over. “You should be so lucky to have a fabulous creature like Jinx in your house every night.”

“That dogbelongsto you?” Elias said, then lifted his brow.

“This dogcompletesme,” Bianca corrected, looking at his smooshed face and his leathery body with love.

“Why does that make perfect sense?” Elias said, a charmed smile on his face.

He seemed completely at ease with her friends and family, and he also seemed to understand something as incomprehensible as her hideous dog. Rather than being something that confused him, he seemed to grasp enough of her personality to know that she wouldn’t adopt a pretty, perfect dog. She’d adopt a difficult dog who was downright ugly and who hated everyoneexcepther because earning something’s love and trust was more important to her than how something looked. She felt a glowing smile on her face, and let it melt away. She didn’t want to joke with him or learn to care about him any more than she already did.

“Fine. Okay. Let’s just go and get it over with,” she said briskly, ending the possibility of any more small talk. Charles shot her a knowing look, followed by a pitying one. Was it that obvious to everyone else that she was already attached to Elias, but he was in the process of ditching her?

When they got outside, she began walking toward her SUV and Elias stopped her. “It would be easier if you came with me,” he said. “I have to walk you through several levels of security.”

She started to follow Elias to his car, and her driver jumped out from behind the wheel of her car.

“Miss Loring?” the driver called out. “Where are we going?”

Bianca let out a sigh. Why did everyone treat her like a fragile child? All of this security around her was probably making Elias think something was wrong with her, like she couldn’t even be trusted to get to and from a simple appointment without someone making sure she didn’t get lost or arrested. Or stuck in a boat, drifting down river.

“It’s okay,” Elias called back. “I’ll drive her home afterward.”

The driver gave him anice trysmile. “And I’ll be following you the whole way,” the driver said.

Bianca felt like screaming. She blew a few breaths between her lips and tried to stem her embarrassment. Elias glanced over at her disbelievingly.

“Is he seriously going to follow us?” he asked under his breath.

She gave him a tight nod in answer, not trusting herself to speak until she had cleared her throat and collected herself. Acting like a child and throwing a spoiled girl tantrum would only prove the point that she couldn’t be trusted to go where she pleased without someone watching her.

“Newton-Wellesley hospital,” she said as politely as she could to the driver, and then spun around, walking with as much dignity as she could muster, to the passenger side of Elias’ car.

When they got in the car she sat looking straight ahead, trying to stay calm. Elias didn’t start the engine right away. He was looking at her, trying to formulate what to say. Finally, he gave up with a frustrated sound and started driving.

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