Page 121 of Intolerable Bishop

They walked in and then stopped as they looked at the mess. “I’m going to go with rage tantrum instead of wild sex since you’re both still clothed,” Theo said, his lip curling up.

“Funny,” Nash said as he marched over to his closet and came back out with a pile of clothes. Walking over, he held them out for me. “Only thing I can’t give you is shoes to wear.”

“This is fine, thanks.” I looked at the guys and then Nash. “I’m going to use the bathroom down the hall. Give you all some time to chat.” I went to turn away but stopped and grabbed Nash’s arm. “I don’t know what’s going on with your mom, or even Vicky for that matter, and I don’t need to know. But they are out to make you look unstable. Whatever their ultimate goal is, it can’t be good, and you’re better than that. Don’t let them make you look a fool. The night is still salvageable.”

He snorted but didn’t disagree as I walked out of the room and closed the door. Wandering down the hall with the pile of clothes clutched to my chest, I looked around to make sure I was alone. Then I walked around the corner and jogged as best as I could in heels to Lawrence’s office. I figured it would be locked, but when I tried the handle, it turned. Shit.

“What do I do now,” I asked out loud, not thinking I’d get his far. “Fuck it.”

Pushing open the door, I looked inside, ready to offer my best apology and play stupid, but no one was there. I checked the hall again to make sure no one was coming before darting in, closing the door, and locking it. Dropping the clothes on the back of the leather chair, I went on the hunt. My pulse was going insane. This was crazy. What if he had cameras in here?

“I’m in here now.” Pulling open the slit on my skirt, I grabbed my phone from the strap that Theo gave me to hold it. Very handy. Turning on my camera, I tried every drawer, but nothing would open. Lifting the grippy pad on his desk, I looked underneath, and nothing. None of the little boxes had a key either. Dammit.

Maybe Count Dick had a secret lair. Pulling on books and statues, I kept expecting something to shoot out of the wall or spin like the gun stash Theo found at my house, but they were just standard books and knickknacks.

“There has to be something. About my dad or me…come on, give me something.” I searched the photos and was just about to give up when one caught my attention. No way. Snapping my own photo, I ran for the door, grabbing my pile of clothes on the way out. I tucked them under my arm before easing the lock open and cringing as it clicked. No one barged in, so I took the chance and peeked out. All was still quiet. As quick as possible, I slipped out and jogged on my toes down the hall, cursing the stupid heels all the way into the bathroom. Locking the door, I leaned against it and sucked in a deep breath. Brushing up on my lock-picking skills was a must. Since I didn’t have any, that meant learning how, but the fact that the desk was locked intrigued me. Maybe paying Nash the odd visit when his father was away wasn’t a bad idea. No…it was a dumb idea. I was no spy, and if Lawrence caught me…I shivered at the thought.

Stripping, I washed off the sticky wine and then stepped into the way too-long track pants. They needed to be rolled up like six times before I tied the strings as tight as they would go. The T-shirt was plain black with a little outline of a swimmer, and I tucked it in so it wasn’t hanging on me like a dress. It looked like I was heading to the gym but just fucking extra with the high heels.

I zipped the phone into my pocket and then gathered my dress. Opening the door, I rolled my shoulders and walked out, only to scream as Lawrence grabbed my arm and shoved me up against the wall.

“Mr. Collier, you scared me. What’s wrong?”

He smiled, but the evil in his eyes chilled me to the bone. “I saw you. Don’t think I didn’t,” he said, and I swallowed. I assumed he meant the office, but until he told me that he knew I was in his office, I wasn’t offering the information.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said.

“You were all over Nash.”

“What? I wished him a happy birthday and then got him out of there before the party was ruined completely.” He snorted.

“Don’t pretend with me. I know you want my son, but he already has an arranged marriage and a contract he must fulfill, and you’re not it. Understand?”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. Even though no one ever specifically said so, I figured he did. It still hurt to hear. Why? It didn’t matter, we would never work, but that was beside the point.

“Listen, I don’t know what you think you saw, but Nash and I are not a thing. Most of the time, we hate each other.” His hand tightened on my arm, and I winced. “Ow, you’re hurting me. I thought you were friends with my dad and wanted to protect me. What is wrong with you?”

“Hate and obsession are closely related.”

“I think you mean love.”

I sucked in a sharp breath as he squeezed so hard that my fingers tingled. “No, I mean obsession. Love is useless. So, listen to me very carefully, Ms. Davies. Stay away from Nash and the rest of his friends.”

“Why?”

“The why is none of your business. You should be more concerned with what I’ll do to your father if you don’t comply.” My blood ran ice cold.

“What did you do to my dad?”

“Nothing…much. At least not yet, but that depends on you. Stay away from my son. You’re a bad influence on him.” He could’ve said that he liked to dress up as the Easter Bunny, and that would’ve surprised me less than me being a bad influence.

“I’m sorry. How am I a bad influence?” He let go of my arm and took a step back. “I have straight A’s, don’t get in trouble with the law, don’t smoke, or do drugs. I don’t understand.”

“Trust me, you are. You may not see it, but I do. Stay away from my son. That’s an order, Ms. Davies. I won’t tell you twice.”

I really wanted to tell him that he’d already said it twice, but I bit my tongue. If he had said this when I first arrived at Wayward, I would’ve said yes, sir, and run in the other direction every time I saw Nash. Now, I knew too much, and I cared for him more than I should. I held my arm out in the direction of Nash’s bedroom.

“Isn’t Nash a little old for you to be dictating who he can spend time with? He’s not a child. But the stunt you pulled tonight with Vicky and his mother was very childish, and anyone with half a brain saw through what you were trying to pull. Maybe you should be more concerned about that rather than Nash’s social life.”