Page 36 of Stilettos & Secrets on the 7 Seas

“Mother of the Bride combined with Godzilla. It’s a horror movie in the making. She’ll be over here tomorrow with bridal magazines. She’ll start a Pinterest board. She’ll schedule wedding dress fittings.” I paused. “She’ll tell my relatives.”

At this, Caiyan sat upright. “I see.”

Caiyan had had a few run-ins with my country relatives, including my kooky cousin Hildy, who wanted to lick him like sugar cane.

“The jump is on Tuesday.” I paced the room. “Maybe I won’t come back. Maybe I’ll get stuck with the pirates like Wendy inPeter Pan, and then you can deal with my mother.”

Caiyan stood and pulled me into his arms. “I dinnae want ye to go.”

I pushed back, giving myself some space. “Jake’s made me the primary.”

“The primary?” Caiyan’s forehead wrinkled like he was missing those puzzle pieces again. “What aboot yer defender? Isnae Brodie going? Or Gerry?”

“Nope. If you called your best friend occasionally, you’d know these things. He had a hard dismount from his horse that he wasn’t supposed to be riding, bummed up his bad leg, and the doctor suspended his return to work for two more months.”

“So, Jake is sending ye by yerself?” Caiyan scraped a hand over his face. “Unfuckingbelievable.”

“Not exactly. He’s sending Ace with me.”

“He’s aft his heid.” More face scraping. “Ace’ll stick oot like a peacock in a nest of crows.”

“That’s very unflattering. Ace can adapt.”

“Ace cannae adapt. He’s been arrested in more decades than I have digits. He’s a walking talking billboard for ‘I’m naugh from this time.’”

“Now, who needs to simmer doon?”

Gertie walked through the open door, slid it closed behind her, and frowned at us. “Since when are y’all engaged?”

I looked at my watch. “Since about five-thirty, and it’s not real. Caiyan made the whole thing up.”

“You told a whopper to Cousin Mary?” Gertie went hands on hips and gawked wide-eyed. “If she finds out, you’re gonna pay. You’ll have to give her grandchildren to make up for that lie.”

Caiyan gave a low, growl-sounding grunt at her, and I mentally recounted taking my birth control this morning.

“I can’t think about this right now. I’ve got to prepare for my jump.” I turned toward the stairs, and Caiyan followed me.

“Don’t make a lot of noise during your preparin’. I’ve got to be at work early, and I need my beauty sleep,” Gertie hollered.

I shut the door to my room. Caiyan moved toward me. “Jen, ye know I’d be happy to marry ye. ’Tis jest I’ve this thing hanging over my head and until I figure it oot, I need to keep ye safe.”

“Yeah, you’ve sung that song before. If you told me what the thing is, I’d be happier about our fake engagement.” Like hiding a map to the King’s key.

“I cannae. If yer privy to the details, harm may come yer way.”

“I don’t get it. If I knew the details, maybe I could help you.” I air-quoted details and added my version of his accent for effect, then waited for him to explain.

“Ye cannae. Naugh with this.” He sat on my bed, arms crossed over his chest, lips pressed into a tight grimace. “All I can tell ye is that before Rogue died, he gave me information aboot my grandfather that I’d like to sort oot before I risk involving you.”

I leaned my back against the door, giving us as much space as possible in my small room and waited. Nothing. He stared at me. He wasn’t going to share.

Fine.

He wanted time to sort things out. I needed time to sort things out too. With Marco. Fair is fair, my inner voice reminded me.

Fine.

He had information from Rogue. I knew where to go to dig around in that area.

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