Page 88 of Pulled By the Tail
Fiona opened her mouth to protest but Quil placed his hand over her face. “Perhaps it is wiser to be silent and observe.”
“Can we just gag her?” Charl asked, holding a roll of tape.
“Not until she tells us where the music box is,” Talen said.
“My bag,” Fiona said and Quil searched through the bag.
The music box was just an object and if he never saw it again, he’d wouldn’t miss it. That revelation surprised him. The jeweled music box held such sentimental value that he expected to be devastated if it were lost.
He looked toward his mate, who rubbed her sore wrists.
He possessed items of greater value now. The music box was a gaudy trinket, an exercise in too much money and too little taste, and nothing more.
“Ha! Found it!” Quil raised a fist in triumph, holding aloft the purloined music box. “Seems smaller than I remember.” He wound the gear at the bottom and a few mechanized notes sounded. With a smile on his face, Quil looked up, remembering his audience. “Oh. No one seems impressed. Don’t we care about this anymore?”
He handed the music box to Talen. “Don’t be upset with him, Georgia. We were conditioned to never speak of who we were or our family, just in case someone with influence decided that we needed to be assassinated as well. But all of that was before the civil war. It’s no longer ours, I’m afraid.”
“You can go back and claim what’s yours, honey bear. You were lost but we found you. It’s all waiting for you,” Fiona said.
“The title of the book is misleading,” Quil said. “We were never lost and a few years ago, we reached a settlement with the new heir of the estate.”
Talen nodded. “A cousin took over the estate and eventually inherited after it had been declared legally. When the war was over, and not being dead, we received compensation.”
“We renounced our titles and agreed to live in exile,” Quil said.
The brothers exchanged a look. The cousin no longer seemed content to let them be in exile and wanted them removed from the picture.
“So, I’m not a duchess?” Fiona’s bottom lip trembled.
Charl slapped the tape over her mouth.
Georgia
“Are the dramatic reveals over?We need to do something… about this,” Georgia said and waved toward the body.
“Most of the local Watchtower is in the ballroom,” Quil said. “I’ll fetch the scariest looking bastard I can find.”
“No, wait.” She frowned. How would they explain this?
Talen’s warm hand rubbed the back of her neck. “We did nothing wrong. We were attacked in our home.”
“Okay. You’re right, you’re right.” Adrenaline coursed through her, muddling her thoughts.
“Are you well?” Talen asked.
She nodded, then shook her head. “I wasn’t scared, you know, when he tied me up or threatened to cut me.” She placed a hand over her heart and felt it thrumming in her chest. “But it’s hitting me now.” She took a shuddering breath, willing herself to be calm.
“Quil, fetch a hunter from the Watchtower. I’m tending to my mate,” Talen said.
“And that one?” Charl pointed to Fiona, still on the floor with her hands bound.
“She is a thief and conspired with a murderer. They can decide what to do with her.”
“And a debtor, too,” Quil added. “Although I believe I’m technically responsible for those. Oh well. Another reason not to dally on getting a divorce. Sit tight, my sweet little thief.” He blew an exaggerated kiss in her direction before leaving.
Georgia needn’t have worried. The head of the Watchtower just so happened to be the father of the birthday girl, Clarity, and also from Talmar. He nodded as Talen gave a statement about his family’s history, what the assassin said about the cousin sending him, and how Fiona lured Georgia away from the house to be held hostage.
“Politics,” Merit said with a sneer. “I really thought I left that behind on Talmar.”
