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Abby nodded. “Yes, they’ll do that. In most cases I wouldtell you as long as you’re not in a club or a D/s setting, you fight for yourplace. In this situation, I think you should hand it all over to the men whohave the money and connections to fight it. There’s a time and place tochallenge your Dom, and sweetheart, this is not it. Let them take out theirswords, and you and me and Olivia will drink mimosas and watch some trashy TVunder the watchful eyes of whoever Big Tag sends to guard us. I hope he sends acouple of the young ones.”
“Abby,” Kim said with a grin.
Abby winked her way. “I can appreciate a work of art. From adistance. And my oldest daughter Lexi is eager to meet you, Nicole. You shouldknow she’s going to ask you a million questions. She and her friend Serena arefighting over who gets to be inspired by your story.”
“I say both.” Kim had kicked off her shoes and seemed to betreating this like a fun sleepover. “They are very different writers. Give themthe same prompt and they’ll come up with two different stories.”
Nicole wished this was just a fun hang with the girls. Sheturned to Kim. “What kind of options do I have? I can go along with the wholeNora’s dead scenario, but what kind of future can I have? Should I leave theStates? There’s always the possibility I could run into them someday. Mybrother-in-law won’t be easily fooled. He’ll want to see a body.”
“Well, I’ve been thinking about this, and I talked it overwith my partners,” Kim began. “We actually think the best solution might be youcoming back to Colorado with me.”
“She’s not stepping foot outside of Texas,” a deep voicesaid. “She might not step foot outside of the ranch if she’s not careful.”
Josh. He was here, and he’d brought his dads and Grim along.They all looked big and tough and ready for a fight. Well, Josh and Jack did.
Grim stood next to Sam, and though they didn’t have a bit ofblood between them, it was clear they had a connection. They were both sighingand obviously not impressed with Josh’s outburst.
Grim moved to kneel in front of her. “Baby, I know you’remad, but you have to see we can’t let you leave. It’s dangerous.”
“She’s not going anywhere, and she’s going to get a hell ofa spanking if she tries to run again.” Josh stared down at her. “Where the helldid you think you were going? You didn’t even have any shoes on. You wererunning out into the Austin night in lingerie?”
“Oh, they’re going with a good-cop, bad-cop play,” Abbywhispered, though everyone could hear her. “This actually could be good foryou. The bad cop is usually quite nice. At least Jack is.”
“Abigail,” Jack barked.
If Abby was worried, she didn’t show it. She took anothersip of her wine.
“I know you were scared.” Grim seemed intent on playing hisgood-cop role to the hilt. “That’s why you ran. Josh and I are going to makesure you never feel the need to run again.”
“I think it might be best for me to go with Kim.” If shewasn’t around them, she couldn’t be tempted.
Kim stood, relinquishing her place to Grim, who moved inquickly. The private investigator grabbed her purse. “I think that’s for thebest, too. I’ve got a plane waiting. We can be in Bliss in a couple of hours.I’ve got a spare room. My cabin is pretty isolated, so anyone who comes lookingfor you will be noticed.”
“You know what’s isolated?” Josh faced off with the blonde.“A cattle ranch. Willow Fork’s not that much bigger than Bliss. She’s stayingwith us. You think I don’t know what happens in that town? I’ve been there atime or two, and I’m trying to figure out how I’ve never met you.”
Kim shrugged. “I was taking a calculated risk. I knew you’dbeen to Bliss for business a time or two, but you tend to stay at the Circle Gmost of the time. I was more worried about running into Olivia, though we’venever been formally introduced either. You would have recognized my son.”
Josh nodded. “Yeah, I’ve met Roman but only because we wereat a couple of parties together. I didn’t ask his parents’ names.”
“Well, I sure as hell would have known who Kimberly Kentis,” Jack argued.
Kim grinned. “Jack, I passed you in the grocery store theother day. You were buying calcium supplements. I followed you for threeaisles. We’ve been introduced twice and never had a long conversation. You cantake the girl out of the Agency, but you can never take the Agency out of thegirl. I blend when I want to. Like I said, I knew I was taking a calculatedrisk coming myself, but I thought it was worth it. Now about getting back toBliss.”
Josh’s head shook. “Absolutely not. Woman goes there to skior look at the mountains and bam, she comes out of it with two husbands.”
“Yes, Willow Fork has a lot in common with Bliss,apparently,” Nicole said under her breath.
“No, because they’ve cornered the market on crazy in thattown, and I’m not sending my future wife there,” Josh announced.
Nicole felt her head threaten to spin. “Wife?”
Grim gave her a grin. “Yeah, baby, where did you think thiswas going?”
“I told you it was going nowhere since I was leaving as soonas my car got fixed.” Now that she thought about it, she had another question.“Did you have something to do with my car repairs taking so long?”
Josh’s face went blank, but Grim’s told the tale.
“How could you?” Her heart ached at the betrayal.
