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“The model has a brain. A neuron finally fired. Bravo.”
Apparently he was determined to keep insulting her. Fine—she could play the airhead all day. Maybe it would help her out of this.
“I still don’t understand,” she said plaintively. “This is so weird. So you were trying to, what, kill Granger? Scare him?”
“God. Models. I wasn’t trying to kill anyone. I panicked. I’m only trying to protect my family.”
She scanned him up and down. Adam Conover was tall, well-built, square-jawed. His salesman uniform couldn’t disguise the fitness of his physique. If he wanted to, he could easily hurt her, no matter how many knitting needles she pulled out.
Play the ditz, she reminded herself. “Ohmigod, that’s just so sweet! Of course you want to protect your family! I mean, I know Granger would, and he’s the strongest man I know.”
Adam gave her a bright smile. “Damn right he will. That’s why he’ll do whatever I want. But you have to tell him to be cool. He can be a real hothead. I’m gonna need you to keep him on track. Think you can do that?”
“Granger, a hothead? That’s silly, he’s the most coolheaded, logical man I know.”
“Not when it comes to you, babycakes. I figured that out in New York. But I already knew it.”
Keep him talking. Find out as much as you can.
“You did? You must be super-smart. I mean,Ididn’t even know that.”
He looked at her as if she was an idiot—not that she could blame him—and mimicked her tone. “Yeah, it’s super-inconvenient for me. I don’t want him doing something, reckless trying to play the hero for the woman he loves. He needs to get his ass here and do exactly what I say.”
So that was his plan. Lure Granger here like a red cape to a bull, then make him do his bidding? Bad plan. Very bad. She had no doubt that Granger would win, but she didn’t want violence breaking out anywhere near the podling.
She had to knock this man off balance.
She put on a sad face. “I mean, I don’t know aboutlove. It’s more of a physical thing, you know? Just lots of sex, so much sex. Sex in the morning, sex—”
With a revolted look, he shut her down.
“Stop. Of course it’s love. You could say it runs in the family. Once we fall, it’s over. It’s our fatal flaw. I recognized the signs.”
Runs in the family…of course. That build, that enigmatic expression, the way his left eyebrow tilted up more than the right…
“So youarerelated to Granger!”
“He’s related to me. I came first. Then that psycho bitch Nora Pitt seduced my father and—” He broke off, scowling, then went on. “She broke up my family. My parents split up and nothing was the same.”
Bliss murmured sympathetically, eyes widening. “Oh my god, it’ssohardwhen your parents break up. I used to think it was my fault, so I had to be perfect after that.”
“Stop that with your puppy-dog eyes. It wasn’t my fucking fault, it was hers. Nora Pitt’s. My father was a state senator. They tried to keep it out of the papers but they couldn’t stop the rumors. He resigned. It took him years to build his fortune back up, and his reputation. Things are finally good for him now. He’s a multimillionaire, the third wealthiest man in Idaho,” he added, his voice full of pride.
It really wasn’t hard to keep this guy talking. Granger was right, he wasn’t a practiced criminal. In fact, he was kind of a dumbass. But if he had any kind of weapon, he could still be dangerous.
“No way. Granger’s father isrich? Mind. Officially. Blown. I thought he was a roadie or a drummer.”
“Y’all should have kept thinking that. Earl should have stopped looking. Now he’s going to be in our faces all the time, trying to get something for himself. That’s why I need to get rid of him. And you have to help me.”
So this was all about money?
Bliss decided it was time to drop the airhead act. She needed him to take her seriously now. “You have it all wrong. Granger just wants to know who his father is. He doesn’t want anything from him.”
He flipped her the bird with both hands. Did he have a weapon? His blazer was unbuttoned, and she thought she saw the outline of a knife in an inner pocket.
She yearned for Granger, but at the same time, she didn’t want him to get hurt again. This mess was squarely on her—she was the one who’d invited Adam Conover here. Now she had to handle it.
Her way.
