Chapters (65)
- Title Page
- Copyright Notice
- Dedication
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty–one
- Twenty–two
- Twenty–three
- Twenty–four
- Twenty–five
- Twenty–six
- Twenty–seven
- Twenty–eight
- Twenty–nine
- Thirty
- Thirty–one
- Thirty–two
- Thirty–three
- Thirty–four
- Thirty–five
- Thirty–six
- Thirty–seven
- Thirty–eight
- Thirty–nine
- Forty
- Forty–one
- Forty–two
- Forty–three
- Forty–four
- Forty–five
- Forty–six
- Forty–seven
- Forty–eight
- Forty–nine
- Fifty
- Fifty–one
- Fifty–two
- Fifty–three
- Fifty–four
- Fifty–five
- Fifty–six
- Fifty–seven
- Author’s Note
- Acknowledgments
- Also by Becky Masterman
- About the Author
- Newsletter Sign-up
I said to Gemma-Kate, “If Beaufort is guilty and it has to do with me, and if he has the connections he could have, he’ll send someone after me. I can deal with that. But if he comes here to quiz Carlo—”
“Excuse me—” Carlo started.
“I should stay here until you’re back,” Gemma-Kate said, looking at me.
“Look, I hardly need—” Carlo started again.
“I could skip a few classes,” she continued as if Carlo hadn’t spoken.
I considered. “What if he takes you off guard again?” I asked, finally addressing Carlo.
Carlo spluttered. I didn’t recall seeing him lose control before, except for that time he got upset with Gemma-Kate and me and threw a book at the wall. “I’m a six-foot-three man,” he nearly bellowed.
Gemma-Kate finally acknowledged him. “As opposed to what, a short woman? Aunt Brigid, tell him how Dad trained me.”
“You mean about breaking a collarbone? She can break your collarbone,” I said to Carlo. “Or push the bridge of your nose into your brain. What’s that bone called, GK?”
“Nasal bone.”
“Duh.”
“Oh for God’s sake, she can’t even reach it,” Carlo shouted and then looked embarrassed at letting himself be in the same room as this exchange.
“That Nolan is short,” Gemma-Kate said.
“I will not contribute to this inane reasoning. No, no, no, and no,” Carlo said. “Look at me. Do I look like the child in Home Alone? Nothing is going to happen in the seventy-two hours you’re away.”
“I’m here already,” Gemma-Kate said, as if that clinched it.
Carlo glared at me. It was a lot different from his gaze of just an hour before.
“Can I talk you into staying in the house?” I asked, thinking of all the security I’d installed.
He still looked sheepish but said, “With the doors locked.”
“And you won’t let Beaufort in no matter how he tries to con you? You don’t know anything about me going to investigate my connection to him, right?”
Carlo didn’t grace that with an answer. Against my better instincts, and in light of how adorable he was to me at that moment, I gave in.
Except for one last shot. Knowing how she thought, I said to Gemma-Kate, “Do not, do not get involved with this. Understand?”
Gemma-Kate tried to look innocent and failed. “Nobody hurts Uncle Carlo,” she said, batting her round blue eyes.
“Nice act,” I said, batting her back. “I hear you’ve tried anything with this guy and I’ll report to the university that you lied about being an Arizona resident.” Ah, threats, part of the Quinn family dynamic.