Tristan cleared his throat and Ara darted a look at her older brother. There were questions in his eyes. Given the stubbornness of the MacLeod bloodline, he wouldn’t give up until he had answers.
Finn’s voice filled the room and she let out a mental sigh of relief. She could postpone her brother’s interrogation until later.
Finn said, “Thanks for that, lass. Given the circumstances, I needed a good laugh.” Finn’s brown eyes stared straight into her, not even once moving to the scar on her face or the healed burn on her neck. Ara resisted fidgeting under his intense gaze. She nodded and he continued, “I’m here because I need to talk with my clan. I hate to break up the baby time, Arabella, but you know your stuff, and I need your help. Can you set up a secure video connection from here?”
She nodded. “Yes. I always keep a back-up computer at my brother’s house.”
“Good. Then let’s get to it. I need to go back and maybe help Bram with something.”
Hugging Annabel close, she replied, “A please would be nice.”
“Lass, will you please help me? Pretty please? My clan would thank you.”
Arabella blinked. She hadn’t expected him to cave so easily. “Okay.”
Avoiding eye contact with Finn, she stood up and walked over to her brother. She really didn’t like the mixture of concern and determination in her brother’s eyes.
Once Tristan took the baby from her arms, her dragon scurried back into the far reaches of her mind. For some reason, the action stung a little.
Carry on, Ara. There are far worse things happening right now. She moved toward the door to the little room used as an office. Just as she reached the door, her brother growled and said, “Don’t follow her, Stewart.”
She stopped and looked over her shoulder just as Finn replied, “Arabella is a grown dragonwoman who speaks her mind. She didn’t say anything about waiting out here.”
Even with the baby in his hands, her brother took a step toward Finlay. “I don’t care if you’re Lochguard’s leader or not. This is my home. Try ordering me around and see what happens.”
Oh, bloody hell. Ara moved between Tristan a
nd Finn. Looking at her brother, she said, “Tristan, it’s okay. With the door open, I’m virtually in the same room. I’ll be fine.”
Her brother’s brows furrowed. Crap. She knew that look. When they were alone, he was going to question the hell out of her.
From the corner of her eye, she caught Finn smirking. She faced him. “Just because I didn’t outright say to stay out here doesn’t mean you can just enter any room you wish in someone else’s house. I’m sure you have things you don’t wish for strangers to see.”
Finn’s smirk widened. “Lass, there are things I verra much want you to see.”
The Scot exaggerating his accent was the last straw. Ara’s restraint shattered. “Stop with the innuendo. It’s not sexy. It’s irritating. Just for that, you stay out here. Once I have things set up, I’ll call you.”
Before he could reply, she walked back toward the door to the small office and entered the room. Taking out the laptop, she plugged it in and turned it on. While she waited for it to boot up, she couldn’t decide whether to sigh or to laugh. The expression she’d glimpsed on Finlay’s face, one of open astonishment, made her day.
Working as quickly as she could once the laptop was ready, Arabella heard nothing but silence coming from the other room. When everything was set up, she walked out to see Finn and her brother staring at each other. It was then she noticed Melanie studying her with the careful look her sister-in-law always used when trying to spot clues to solve her latest puzzle.
Bloody hell. It would be a double-team interrogation later. She hated being under such constant scrutiny. All she wanted was for her brother and his mate to allow her to recover in her own way. Yes, she’d needed the kick in the arse to leave her cottage and face the clan, but that had been over nine months ago. As Finn had said, she was a grown dragonwoman.
Rather than think about agreeing with Finlay Stewart on anything, she cleared her throat. Everyone’s eyes moved to her. Arabella motioned toward the office. “It’s ready.”
Finn walked up to her. “Are you going to show me how to work it?”
She raised an eyebrow. “Don’t be daft. You know your way around a computer. Do it yourself.”
The corner of her brother’s mouth ticked up, but she ignored it. Many of the clan members might be intimidated by her brother, but Ara wasn’t afraid to tell him what she thought of him. Sometimes he was a right cocky bastard. She’d deal with him later.
Finn let out a long, drawn out sigh. “Right, then I’ll do it myself.”
As he walked toward the office, she held out her arms to her brother. “I want Annabel back.”
Tristan said, “I could use her as leverage to make you answer a few questions.”
His mate, Melanie, piped in. “Tristan MacLeod, stop it. I won’t let you use our children as leverage. Give Ara our daughter. We can talk with your sister once things calm down.”