AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Why don’t we sit down and talk for a few minutes?” He tried to take her bag, but she jerked it out of his hold.
“I don’t want to talk. My brother’s expecting me. I have to go.”
“Is something wrong?”
She wouldn’t be leaving in the middle of the night if there wasn’t, so she didn’t bother denying it. “You know what’s wrong.”
“Remy,” he guessed.
She nodded. “Now...if you’ll excuse me.”
“He won’t like it that you’re leaving,” he said, his voice a warning. “He always has to be on top, the one to say goodbye.”
“I don’t care,” she said.
“You think he’ll just let you go?”
She was more afraid of Bastian trying to stop her. Was he projecting his own controlling nature onto Remy? She’d known her former fiancé wasn’t the most nurturing person, but he’d never given her reason to be afraid of him. “I’m not asking for permission.”
There was a noise at the back door, after which they heard movement in the kitchen and Bo came into the room. He had a bat in one hand, which made him look even more formidable than he usually did. “You ready?” he said as soon as he saw her.
Shit.She hated that Bastian had held her up long enough that Bo felt he had to come in. “Yeah. I’m... I was on my way,” she said.
“You used your key to let yourself into this house in the middle of the night?” Bastian said to Bo. “WhileI’mhere?”
Bo’s gaze shifted from Ismay to Bastian. “You’ve been acting a little unpredictable lately, Bastian. Your behavior tonight—with all the drinking and wandering around and muttering to yourself—spooked her. So I said she could come stay with me.”
Ismay had just told him something different, and he immediately called her on it. “The hotel, huh?” he said. “You’re not going to the hotel. You’re going to stay in the bungalowIfucking own!” Bastian gestured at the bat. “And what, exactly, were you going to do with that?”
Bo lowered the arm that carried it, but his expression suggested he’d use whatever he needed to—if it came right down to it. “Just making sure there won’t be any problems.”
“How dare you?!” Bastian cried. “You work for me! You’re only staying on this property because of the kindness and generosity of my family—”
“It’s not a handout,” Bo interrupted, his voice almost a growl. “I’m staying on the property because it’s a good place for a caretaker to be, and it’s part of my compensation package, which I earn, by the way, so don’t act like you’re doing me any fucking favors.”
Bastian seemed shocked that Bo would come back at him so strongly. “Whoa! The real Bo comes out.”
“That’s right,” Bo snapped. “So don’t push me.” He gestured with his free hand for Ismay to walk over to him. “Let’s go.”
“You two are making a big mistake,” Bastian said. “I keep trying to warn you, but you won’t listen.”
“We have the right to live our lives as we see fit,” Bo said. “The fact that I’m working for your parents doesn’t change that.”
“And are you going to live your lives together?” Bastian asked.
“That’s nothing you need to worry about.” Ismay spoke up so Bo wouldn’t have to take all the heat. “We’re both single adults. We can do what we want.”
“Oh, boy!” Bastian clapped his hands. “I can barely wait for Remy to get here.”
Bo’s hand closed around her wrist as soon as she reached him, and he led her out while Bastian started to whoop and holler, saying all hell was going to break loose.
“This is going to be one hell of a summer!” he yelled after them, but Ismay didn’t reply and neither did Bo. Bo’s hand slipped down to catch hers, and they laced their fingers together as they jogged down the porch steps to the damp earth.
“You okay?” he murmured when they reached the ground.
“I’m fine,” she replied. “Just sorry Bastian caught me before I could get out. I really didn’t want you to have to come inside. I feel terrible that I’ve dragged you into this when it isn’t your fight.”
“I guess it’s my fight now,” Bo said. “Because there’s no way I’m going to let that douchebag, or his douchebag brother, give you any trouble.”
