Page 68 of Keeping Kasey
He says something to Ford, and then his eyes flick to me, and my stomach turns in a way that is both pleasant and nauseating.
He looks relaxed, hands in his pockets, wearing a lazy smile that makes him roguishly handsome.
Matteo breathes a humorless laugh at my back. “Yeah, he’s not distractedat all.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Logan
“You’rewhere?” James’s anger is a rare thing, but I hear the undercurrent in those two simple words.
“I haven’t been to the Detroit base in a year. An impromptu visit is just what Uncle Antonio needs to stay on track,” I tell him, then pull my suitcase from the conveyor belt in baggage claim.
I can’t remember the last time I flew commercial, but since Matteo, Ford, and Kasey took the jet, I didn’t have a choice.
“Logan, what are you doing?”
“Looking for my driver,” I say as I walk out the doors and find the town car waiting.
“That’s not what I mean, and you know it,” he says. “Why are you in Detroit? We sent Matteo to handle things with Uncle Tony so we wouldn’t have to—then you show up anyway? And what about tomorrow?”
“Whatabouttomorrow?” I ask, conveniently ignoring the rest of his questions as I haul my bag into the trunk and climb into the back seat.
“You’re meeting with Mr. Romano,” he clips.
I’d completely forgotten about that, and the bite of guilt pricks me at my own thoughtlessness.
I’m not thoughtless.
“I’ll call and reschedule,” I tell him.
“This isn’t like you. Sleeping with Kasey is one thing, but letting her get in the way of work is another entirely.”
“Who said anything about her?”
“Don’t,” he says. “Don’t pretend this isn’t about her. You haven’t been to Detroit because you hate it, and suddenly, you’re flying there on a whim the same day Kasey is set to arrive.”
There’s a long pause, and I have nothing to fill it with.
Was it careless to come to Detroit for that sole reason? Yes, I’m willing to admit that. But that doesn’t mean James needs to question my intentions with the Romano girl.
“Romano was already exploring other options for Isabella,” James says slowly. At least he recognizes that I’m being pushed into a corner. “If he marries her to someone else, every family in our territory will know you didn’t keep your word, and we’ll lose any chance of Romano giving us the resources we need to protect our family.”
He’s right.
And I hate that he’s right.
“If you really don’t want to be with Isabella, there are other options,” James says when I still don’t say anything. “We could make a new deal with Giovanni that doesn’t include her, or I could—”
“There’s no need for that,” I say. “Go to the meeting tomorrow and make sure Romano isn’t moving forward with other options. Tell him the rumors about Kasey and me are grossly exaggerated, and I’ll reach out to his daughter directly to set up a date.”
“They aren’t.”
“What?”
“The rumors, they aren’t exaggerated. If anything, they’re understated.”
“Don’t be dramatic.”
