Page 56 of Midnight Secrets

His laugh soothed my tattered nerves. “Nothing. Maybe you just didn’t see her before.”

Lifting my mug of tea and a cookie, I left the men in the kitchen to fend for themselves. Xavier was in the living room, staring out the window. He spun around when I walked in.

“Uncle Lucas trusts me to protect you and your sisters. Ash is my oldest friend, so I know him better than anyone else in the world.”

I held my hand up to stop him. “I’ve heard this lecture from Ash, so you can save it. He tortures himself enough without any help from the rest of us. I know he considers himself damned because of his father and not good enough to be anywhere near me. Does that cover it or is there some other heinous act you want to bring to my attention?” I dunked the cookie into my tea before biting into it.

“No, I think that covers it.”

“Great. Now, can I go to my room, or would you like to search it for any unsuitable males lurking under the bed?”

“Lucy, be reasonable.”

“No, Zee, put yourself into my shoes and tell me the way you’re treating me is fair.”

He glared at me and his arms came up to fold over his broad chest. I refused to look away or sit demurely as I had in the past. If Ash could treat me like an equal, then my cousin could as well.

“When did you grow up?” he finally said.

“We’ve all grown up, Zee. Papa can’t keep us locked away forever. Catarina is already rebelling, Sofia is at university. All I want is to be allowed to create a business doing what I love. Is that too much to ask?”

He slowly shook his head. “No. It was something I tried to discuss with Uncle Lucas a few years ago and he shot me down.”

I took a step forward. “Ash is the first person who took the time to listen to my dreams. He helped me when I had no one else to turn to. Please don’t spoil this for me.”

Xavier moved to me, his arm engulfing my head to hug me. I gripped my mug tighter. “I’ll do my best with Uncle Lucas, but I can’t promise anything.”

“Thank you.” I rested my head against him. “Are you coming to the show?”

He released me to smile down at me. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

I wiped away the tear that escaped and gave him a shaky return smile.

“Can we come in?” Jordan asked from the doorway.

“Yeah, Lucrezia was getting crumbs on me anyway,” Xavier replied. “She was just about to tell us all about her plans for the show. We’ll need extra security on site and some eyes in there before hand.”

“On it,” Jordan said. “I’ll make sure to add it to my personal list. Have you considered tagging your pieces so no one tries to exchange or steal them?”

My eyes widened in horror. “Who would do that?”

“It’s a jewellery show with lots of rare and expensive diamonds on display.” Jordan shook his head at me in disgust. “It’s the perfect place for con men and thieves. Tagging your more expensive pieces will ensure we know where they are.”

I shot a look at Ash. “Are they always like this?”

“I’m afraid so. You have several million pounds worth of stones sitting upstairs. I probably should have activated the alarms earlier when we went shopping.” He flashed a wry smile that made my heart skip a beat.

“I need coffee,” Jordan snapped. “Or a glass of something stronger. Whatever I can find first in that kitchen. When did you buy this place?”

Ash shrugged. “A few years ago when I was sorting out a property for Mum in the area. It made financial sense.”

I knew Ash well enough to know this wasn’t an investment. Until I came along, this had been where he hid from the world when his demons became too much to fight.

“There’s a bottle of Papa’s scotch in the second cupboard to the right when you go into the kitchen,” I said automatically.

Jordan rolled his eyes at Ash. “First they take over the kitchen. Next thing you know your house will be invaded with cushions like Xavier’s apartment. Then comes the colourful knick-knacks with no purpose.”

Ash smiled and sat back in his chair. “The place could do with a little colour.”

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