Chapter 21

Kayla burst from the sofa,her hands making the WTF gesture in the air. “For shit’s sake, Ash. You had me thinking my best friend was dying.”

“Don’t get fired up at me. I didn’t say a single word that would indicate Liv was at death’s door.” He frowned at her. “You’ve got one wild imagination.”

Kayla plopped back down on the sofa. Face in her hands. She worked to control her wildly beating heart, while envisioning herself putting Ash Blackwell in a headlock and giving him the noogie of a lifetime.

Five, four, three, two, one.

Once again, the silent chant helped calm her.

Straightening, she eyed her guest. “What makes you think Liv is pregnant?”

He shrugged. “Small things.”

“Such as?”

“Zeke’s steady. The most solid man I know. Nothing rattles him.” Except leading the family business. But according to Rohan, Zeke had conquered his earlier fears of failure. “But when we spoke, his knee bounced like a jackhammer the entire time and he kept checking the time, as if he were anxious to get back home.”

“Maybe he had another appointment. Or his nerves at having to ask you for a favor were getting the better of him.”

“When it comes to me, the only visible emotions Zeke reveals are anger, disappointment, and, on really good days, irritation.”

“What happened between the two of you?” She could recall being in the same room with the two brothers at the Blackwell estate, also known as the Friary. It was last year, when they were all searching for Lena Kamber’s family while devising a plan to extract a confession from a killer, and the two had swapped dagger stares during the entire meeting.

Lena’s situation hadn’t been the first time Kayla and her connections had helped the Blackwells, and she hoped it wouldn’t be the last. She enjoyed removing bad politicians from office through political activism, but there was something especially exhilarating about assisting the Blackwells take down dangerous criminals.

Her thoughts traced back to that day. There had been tension between Ash and Zeke, but nothing combustive. Nothing overtly hostile. Just a crackle of discontent in the air.

But everyone had been charged. Ash had just delivered some life-altering news to Lena, and Sheriff Kingston, Lena, and Kayla had gone rogue on the guys, and they hadn’t liked it much. Especially Rohan. She imagined Lena had sent Rohan’s heart into hyperdrive more than once since that excitingly terrifying day.

“Don’t try to distract me from the reason I’m here,” Ash said.

Back in familiar territory, Kayla resumed her former relaxed position and took a drink of her chamomile and honey tea. “I’m curious if Joyce Ann mentioned to your aunt that she’s been trying to discredit Dee Rhodes ever since she caught Dee and the superintendent in flagrante delicto?”

A muscle twitched in his cheek. “Are you suggesting Ms. Carlson fabricated the entire story about the artifact?”

“Joyce Ann isn’t sharp enough to craft something so delicious.”

The muscles on his face solidified before her eyes. “I’m not one of your politicians who gets off on your mindfucks,” he said in a savage voice. “Stop wasting my time. Did you, or did you not, loan a Celtic artifact to Lyle Rhodes?”

She could’ve given him an answer in a few short words. Had made up her mind to do so while upstairs, getting “decent.”

But all of her life she’d had to put up with men trying to control her actions, her thoughts, her freedoms. Do women need advice, from time to time? Absolutely. But so does a brother, a nephew, or a husband.

What they don’t need are orders, overprotection, and mansplaining.

Kayla rose and strode to the patio door, opened it, and settled an uncompromising look on her guest. “You can inform Zeke that you have fulfilled your familial obligation.” She opened the door wider. “As for the rest of it, I never give petty gossips a stage on which to perform. I suggest you do the same.”

He rose with chilling slowness and stalked toward her, pausing near enough that she could feel the wisps of his angry breaths against her cheek.

“Speaking of performance,” he said in a low, thoughtful voice. His gaze dipped down to her mouth, lingered there long enough to hike up her heart rate by a hundred BPM. “Your Houdini act yesterday was just short of magnificent. I wonder what was so important, so secretive that you felt the need to lie to your employees.” His eyes met hers for a breath-stealing moment.

How had he found out? Phin hadn’t let on that he’d been aware of her vanishing act. Had Mason said something? She dismissed the idea. He might not have liked her scheme, but he never would have betrayed her trust.

He straightened and walked away, but not before tossing a veiled threat over his shoulder. “Something worth investigating.”

Kayla’s hand trembled as she shut the door.