Page 24 of Mad Love

“I see you’re still entertaining the idea their crash wasn’t an accident.”

“Just saying.”

“Well, don’t. My parents were good people taken from this world too soon by a tragic accident. End of story.”

We’ve discussed his conspiracy theory ad nauseum, and after going round and round, Granger and I agreed to disagree. My parents did a lot of good during their time on this earth. Why would anyone have a reason to hurt them?

“Either way, the men of your family gave you too much freedom for a girl with the kind of background you have. Wealth. Title. A surname that can be traced to British aristocracy.”

“I’m not a snob, Granger.”

“The reason a man can fall deeply for you, Blaise. You are smart, beautiful, courageous, and have a good head on your shoulders.”

I roll my eyes at his string of compliments. “Too bad my head isn’t giving me ideas for making money fast. I have a huge party to throw.”

Granger cleans off his plate, takes his dishes to the sink, and loads them in the dishwasher. Maddox doesn’t have a housekeeper or a cook, and that tells me he doesn’t spend his time in one place long enough to make a mess. That’s a good thing. The more he is gone, the faster time will fly, and soon, I’ll come up with a grand idea, make loads of money, dissolve the marriage, and buy my own place.

Except there’s one huge problem.

My kidnapper.

“Any word from the team?”

“Nothing. I’ll send them your list. Anything from your MIA husband?”

“Flowers. Lots of them.”

Granger glances around the room and smirks. Flowers in an assortment of colors fill the living space.

“He better up his game, Blaise, or else I will have words with him.”

“And what will you say? Apologize?”

He grunts. “Marriage isn’t a joke.”

“You forget he and I aren’t married in the true sense of the word. What we have is a business arrangement.”

“Business or not, he has no right leaving you alone like this. Your grandfather is dead. He was buried this morning, and your family has the nerve to shut you out. Shutting you out publicly tells the world you are no longer a part of their family.”

Good. It’s what he demanded my family do. No one on my team, including Granger and Collins, is aware of his threat to expose my father’s secret. What they know is he’s a threat again.

Tired of the heaviness hanging in the air, I stick out my tongue at Granger.

“You talk too much. Now let’s go over the requests.” There’s a stack of missing persons files on the table. “Afterward, I plan on whooping your butt in a game of Chinese checkers.”

He leans in until his nose nearly touches mine.

“Good luck with that, kid. You haven’t creamed me since I taught you how to play when you were in the hospital.”

Kid. Hospital. The gift of time.

They are clues and the answer is a haze in my brain.

Who is my kidnapper? Wouldn’t my father have told my grandfather my biological mother was pregnant with twins? The two people who have the answers, and they’re gone from this earth. Except Cillian McCabe has the answer. But the thought of speaking with him scares me more than facing my kidnapper again.

Cillian shot out a guy’s kneecap for pronouncing his name wrong, and is a stickler that things be in their proper places. That words spoken are refined and correct. With my oddities, I’ll be out of place in his orderly world, and one look at his face scarred by a fire will have me blubbering my words.

I’ll be at risk of getting shot. Or, if I am his stolen child, Cillian will welcome me with open arms.

My fear wins out over my need for answers. I still remember the burning pain of a bullet burrowing deep in my skin. For now, I’ll hold on to my belief until proof says otherwise.

I am Jack and Violet Lexington’s daughter, and Sir Devlin’s strange and fascinating granddaughter.

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