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She stamped her foot to get their attention. “I am here you know!”
Declan gave her a bored look while Luke grinned at her.
“So you are,” Declan yawned and stood up and moved towards her. “My dear cousin. If you hadn’t taken off running and had dined with us at lunch, you would have discovered that I was searching for you, not my dad.”
“What?! There were missing persons posters looking for me. I saw it with my own eyes... with a reward!”
Declan put an arm around her shoulders and waved his hand about in the air. “Yeah, well that was just for show. I would never have paid it.”
Luke laughed like he was on the intel of an inside joke. “I would pay it Brit,” he said with a wink.
“Yeah, well that’s cuz you’re an idiot,” Declan laughed. “No woman is worth fifty grand.”
Luke stood and went to her side. “Yes, she is,” he said, taking her hand. “I’m sorry Brit, I should have told you I contacted Declan. My intention was to buy out your contract with your family. Can you forgive me?”
“I don’t know yet. You should have told me. You know I have trust issues where men are concerned.” She shot Declan a sour look.
“Hey, I tried to get dad to break your contract the day your mother passed away, God rest her soul. But as far as he was concerned a contract is a contract, blood or no blood.”
“Boss,” the man called Chris, said from the doorway. “The car is loaded, where do you want us to make the drop?”
“The usual,” Declan said, dismissively.
Chris nodded and left the room.
“I’m going to follow him,”— Brit pointed towards the door— “You too can stay here and chat but I’m leaving.”
“We’re coming,” Luke said as he followed her close behind. He was not letting her out of his sight ever again.
She stopped at the top of the stairs and looked at Declan. “If Uncle Pete wasn’t looking for me, why were you?”
“How long has your mom been gone, Brit?” Declan asked.
“Five years,” she mumbled.
Her cousin nodded. “You worked as an escort four years more than you had to. Your contract was for one year.”
“What?” She spat out. “You made me work for four more years than I had to?”
“I didn’t, my dad did, and he didn’t make you, he just didn’t tell you it was done. You were making a shit ton of money every night he wasn’t about to say anything to stop that flow from coming in. And when you went missing, he just figured you found out and left you on your merry way. I, on the other hand, figured you had a right to know that your services were no longer needed and to give you this.” He pulled an envelope from the inside pocket of his coat and handed it to her.
“What is it?” she asked with wide eyes.
“Open it.”
She looked at Luke and saw his encouraging nod. Sliding her finger under the sealed flap, she pulled out a check for a hundred thousand dollars made out to her.
“What is this?” she asked, wide eyed.
“Your pay for working for the family for four years.”
“I can’t take this,” she shook her head, holding it out to him. “I was paid the whole time I worked.”
“You were paid under a contractual agreement. That’s money owed after the contract ended. It’s yours, do what you want with it, rip it up for all I care.”
Going around her, Luke snagged her by the hand. “Come on Brit lets’ just get you back to the inn,” he said, giving her hand a tug as he started down the stairs. “Figure it out tomorrow.”
In silence they all walked out of the house to find Ben’s car sitting in the driveway, idling.
