“Go,” I tell him, throwing him physically toward the door. “Get the fuck out of here.”
She takes her phone and dials a number, her hand shaking but her voice clear.
“Put me on the phone with my father.”
She gives me an apologetic look and covers the mouthpiece. “I’m sorry, Mac, I’ll have to make this call privately, and I don’t want him knowing anyone else is listening.” She jerks her head at Michail. “Will you keep an eye on him, please?”
I narrow my eyes at him as he walks to the exit, limping, wiping at his lips. Can’t believe her father would put a douche like him in charge of her care anyway. He looks over his shoulder, shooting daggers at me. I take a step toward him, and he runs out the door.
She needs real protection. Real fucking protection.
I hear the rise and fall of voices while she speaks on the phone with her father. I wonder what they're talking about. I hate the idea of him finding out she's with me, and her getting into any kind of trouble at all. What would her father think if he knew that she was with a Cowen? Does he care about those things? Will it even occur to him that his daughter would be in danger?
Why does it trouble me to think of her being in danger with anyone… but me?
The door behind me closes, and I turn around to look at her. She looks so fucking gorgeous, her cheeks flushed pink and her eyes alight. She looks away when I meet her eyes.
“Everything alright, Bryn?”
“Aye,” she says with a sigh. “I reported him to my father, and my father asked who I was with.” She meets my eyes. “I told him the truth.”
I nod. It’s part of my fucking plan. This is exactly how it works. If he knows she’s with me, he should worry about what I’ll do to her. He’ll know that I might be coming for revenge. He fucking ought to know that, anyway.
“And?”
She smiles. “He says it’s time we put the past behind us. He said that he won’t allow anyone to be on my protection team who isn’t fully vetted, going forward.” She shrugs. “Looks like we’re in the clear.”
It seems too easy, though. Way too fucking easy.
“And your mum? Do you need to go home?”
She sighs. “No, he says she’s been taken to an assisted living facility. It seems she tried to hurt herself, and he wanted to be sure she doesn’t try that again.”
“Jesus, baby. I’m sorry.” I hate how her lower lip trembles. I hate how her lips turn down in a frown.
I lean in and kiss her lips, brushing her hair off her forehead. “It’ll be okay,” I whisper in her ear. “We’ll figure this out.”
She takes in a shuddering breath and nods. “Thank you.”
I kiss her temple, then the bridge of her nose. Then I pull her to my chest and hold her.
“What is it you wanted to tell me?”
She shakes her head. “It doesn’t matter now. It’s no big deal.”
“You sure?”
She pauses before answering, then says quietly, “Aye, Mac. I’m sure.”
“Good. Then pack your things and come home with me,” I tell her. “You’ll get your work done, and I’ll get mine done. We’ll eat dinner with everyone, and then later…” I run my fingertips down her back. Up and down, gently, and she shivers against me. “Tonight, we’ll spend some more time together, aye?”
She nods. “Aye. Let’s do it. I need to get this dress done, and it’ll be nice knowing there’s something waiting for me at the end of the day.”
Still, she looks as if she’s hiding something. I wonder if her father threatened her. After watching me beat up her bodyguard? She might be afraid to tell me anything else. Maybe she knows that her father doesn't want me to be with her, and she hasn't told him the full truth. Or maybe she has told him the full truth, and she is worried about what I'll do.
Everything’s going exactly to plan.
Then why do I hate how this makes me feel?
My phone rings, and I pick it up quickly. Leith.
“Yeah?”
“Mac. Are you within earshot of her?"
"No." I look briefly up at Bryn, but she can't hear my conversation.
“The wedding could be the exact opportunity that you need. Could be an easy in, you see.”
“Aye. Been thinking the very same myself.”
“Not to mention the fact that I'd feel a lot more at ease knowing you were at the wedding with the girls."
I chuckle. “That, too. Listen, Leith, we’ll be back up for dinner tonight, alright?”
“Aye, of course. See you then.”
I feel guilty when I hang up the phone. I've been battling this feeling from the moment I met her, but every moment that I spend with her magnifies it. I hate it. I hate knowing that I either have the choice of hurting her, or of letting down my family. I wish there was some happy medium, but there isn't.