Page 5 of The Goblin in the Sink Drain
“Me too,” he said sadly then drew in a fortifying breath. “What are your plans for the day?”
“Work.” I relaxed into the mundane topic, grateful for the reprieve from heavy family history I had yet to learn, let alone accept as the truth. “We’re transferring our clients to Pampered Pooches in Springvale.”
For the sake of the animals, and their owners, I preferred that they be evacuated from ground zero until Brentwood was safe for them again. As much as it felt like failure, I reminded myself the pets came first.
“Weas in Rochele, Mindy, and Jess, right?”
“I haven’t asked them.” I speared him with a frown. “Sloane and I were going to handle it.”
“I would get asking then.” He tried playing it off as a joke. “You’re not allowed outside the wards.”
Ah. Here we go. The other shoe was dropping. I was only surprised impact had taken so long.
“That’s cute.” Sloane prowled in wearing nothing but a towel. “You think you can tell her what to do.”
“Ana must be kept safe.” Liam rose slowly. “We can protect her better in here than out there.”
“Careful.” A growl edged Sloane’s voice. “You’re sounding an awful lot like her father.”
All my life, I had been told where to go and what to do.For my own good.I had been conditioned to follow orders. From Dad or Mercer, sure, I could forgive myself the engrained habit. But I hadn’t even pushed back against Liam. The second he applied pressure, I shut down and just accepted the situation.
How could anyone believe I possessed the heart of a dragon when I had the spine of a wet noodle?
“I won’t cage her.”
Power swept through the room alongside the words, and I pivoted to find Rían standing in the hall.
“No one said anything about a cage.” Liam lifted his hands in a placating gesture. “But we should restrict her movements to locations within the wards, maybe put extra guards on her. Just until this blows over.”
Extra guards had a way of becoming permanent as each threat snowballed into an excuse to keep them. I had seen that logic in play over and over until I had gone from one sentinel trailing me to a full security detail that had shadowed me right up until Bowie herded me into an SUV and drove off pack lands.
With a disgusted curl of her lip, Sloane shifted her weight until we stood shoulder to shoulder, us against the Walshes. “And here I thought you were different than the Sartoris.”
“We are different.” Rían gripped the doorframe as if holding himself back from snatching me up before I turned tail and ran from the grim future Liam had painted for me. “Iam.”
Shivers tickled my spine, my breaths coming faster, and I wasn’t sure I could blame my response on fear.
“Prove it.” I was shocked to taste the dare on my tongue. “Let me go.”
“I never intended to stop you.”
“Hmm.” I slid my gaze between him and his cousin. “You sure about that?”
“That was Rochele at the door. She picked up a rental van. I know you have a mobile grooming service, but I thought nondescript might be the way to go for this mission. Jess and Mindy both volunteered to help with the transfer.” Deep grooves cut his forehead. “And…I was hoping…you might let me join you too.”
Extra hands would be a godsend, and until I picked a side, I would be an idiot to advertise my movements with a vehicle slathered in advertisements for Gwinnett Street Groomers.
“To babysit me.”
I had owned my van turned mobile grooming salon long enough for Mercer to have bugged it a hundred times over. It probably had enough trackers to ping from space. A rental was a much better idea. A safer one too. Even if it allowed Rían an extra layer of control over me by sending his people along in a vehicle he could have tagged just as easily in case I bolted at the first chance.
“No.” The glare he turned on Liam could have cut diamonds, but his voice remained soft for me. “To spend time with you. To help you. To learn as much about your job as I can, so I know how to support you better.” His fingers flexed open, the fight draining out of him, and he turned to leave. “Maybe next time.”
With zero subtlety, Sloane elbowed me in the ribs hard enough I hissed through my teeth. “Wait.”
Every muscle, and Rían had plenty of them, locked him in place, but he didn’t glance back. “Yes?”
“I wouldn’t mind.” I returned Sloane’s jab. “If you came with me.Us.With us.”
