“Not even close. I fucked up. Now she thinks I’m crazy, or trying to induct her into a baby-making cult…” Rubbing the bridge of my nose, I try to ease the growing headache.
“Holy shit. She said that?” Adrian leans back in the chair and runs his hand through his hair. “I imagined her telling you to fuck off; I didn’t see that coming.”
“Yeah, neither did I. Maybe I’d have done better to just toss her over my shoulder and drag her to the courthouse.” My father is probably spinning in his grave. So much for being the stable one of us. “At this point, I’m half expecting her to make a run for it.”
“Do you really think she would?”
“Honestly, if she believes what she said about me, then probably, yes.” I sigh.
“You know we can’t let her do that. She has to stay here until we can figure out the whole situation. Do you have the cameras pulled up on your screen?”
“Yeah, as soon as she walked out the door. She’s walking through the garden now and talking on the phone. Probably trying to find someone to come pick her up.”
“That’s not happening. Hopefully, whoever she’s talking to will calm her down. You did explain it was for her own good, right?”
“Do you think I’m stupid? Of course, I did. But I might have muddled it all up when I told her we were meant to be together.” Adrian’s eyes nearly bug out of his head. If I’d been thinking straight, I would have presented the marriage as a safeguard for her and JNG, leaving my feelings out of it. There would have been plenty of time to show her how I felt after we were married. But honesty isn’t something I pick and choose when to use; too bad this time it blew up in my face.
ten
Jaclyn
By the time I make it out the back door of the main house, I can barely breathe, and the panic I’ve staved off so far hits me hard. Bent over with my hands on my knees, I focus on the ground, forcing myself to take slow, steady breaths while I pick out three things I can see: the grass, my feet, and a rock. Three things I can hear: the birds in the trees, my heavy breathing, and if I strain hard enough, the murmur of voices in the distance. Easing upright again, I pull my phone out of my pocket and call Cheri.
Andrew didn’t say I couldn’t tell anyone about his proposal, just that it had to be real. What the actual fuck. How can it be real after not even twenty-four hours? Unless I’m sadly mistaken, he’s not a werewolf, and I’m not his fated mate. So, what the hell is this? And the feds? Oh. My. God.
“What’s wrong?” Cheri sounds half asleep. When I check the time, I know why. She was probably up late writing, and it’s only seven there.
“I’m so sorry. I’ll call you back,” I answer, trying to keep the panic out of my voice.
“Like fuck you will, Jac. Ride or die, remember? Do I need to hop a plane and come rescue you?”
The rustling of blankets tells me she’s gotten out of bed and is heading to her princess of a coffee maker. It’s so normal, it helps calm my still-racing heart.
“I don’t know where to start, but it’s a clusterfuck of epic proportions. I’m surprised you didn’t feel the ground shake in San Jose.”
“Are you having a panic attack?” She knows me too well.
“I’m mostly over it now. But. Fuck… I don’t know what to do. Andrew. David. The feds…”
“Wait. The feds? Are you somewhere you can talk?”
“Yeah, I’m outside, near their gardens.”
“Good. You spill the tea while I make coffee. Do I need a double espresso for this one?”
A wry laugh escapes. “Better make it a quad.”
“Holy fuck, girl. All right, spill.”
The loud hum of the coffee grinder in the background starts as I walk toward the enormous vegetable garden. It’s fenced off, probably to keep wild animals out, but I open the gate and slowly move down the gravel path that winds through all the plant beds.
“There’s so much. Holy hell, Cheri. If it wasn’t happening to me, I’d suggest this as a plot for one of your books.”
“You’re saying that, but I’m you’re not actually sharing any tea,” Cheri says, as I hear the clunking noises of her setting up the coffeemaker to brew her espresso.
“Okay, so my email triggered Andrew and his brothers to look deeper into what I uncovered. At first, they thought I was the one doing it, they also thought I was a guy.”
She chortles. “A guy, why?”
