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I pointed at him. “He had us nearly killed.”
“Don’t be so melodramatic. Nothing to do with me.” His signature devil’s smirk was painted on his face. “Drake, it seems, has some enemies.”
I turned to my grandmother. “You cannot believe that. It’s bullshit. He tried to have both of us killed. Not just Drake. It’s because of that footage.”
My grandmother turned to Drake. “Can you give us a moment? There’s food in the kitchen.”
“I think I’ll go back to mine.”
He left the room, and I followed him out. “Stay.”
He shook his head. “No. I can’t handle this right now.”
He left, and it felt like I’d lost him as I watched him walk away.
Anger bubbled over, like a looming volcanic eruption, and I stormed back into my grandmother’s office. “You’re both in on this.”
My grandmother pointed at a seat. “Calm down.”
Crisp poured himself a whisky and one for me too. He handed it to me, wearing his patronising don’t-act-like-a-child expression.
After I gulped down the burning liquid, I looked expectantly at my grandmother.
“Rey has agreed to call off the marriage.”
He held up his finger. “On the proviso that the footage is destroyed.”
“Well, we could have had this discussion without your men trying to kill us, couldn’t we? One of them is lying in a forest somewhere, probably dead for all I know.”
“Goran’s alive. They weren’t out to hurt you. It was because Drake wouldn’t return my messages for us to talk and arrange something.”
“What about the detective chasing us?” I asked. “He crashed his car just as we were coming back. Now, he might be dead.”
“Detective?” My grandmother questioned Crisp, who failed to respond.
“You know, Jim, who hangs out at Salon Soir.”
Crisp gulped back his whisky and remained silent.
I turned to my grandmother. “The one you sent Drake to spy on.”
Her brow creased slightly, and I saw what looked like a hint of alarm in her eyes. “I think you’ve got your wires crossed, Manon.”
I sighed. “I need a shower.” I turned to Crisp. “So, you’ll lay off? You won’t continue to try and kill Drake or me?”
“You’ve got a vivid imagination, Manon. Let’s not forget it was you who tried to entice my hand in marriage with all those lurid images.”
Blood drained from my face. I couldn’t stand the idea of my grandmother seeing those.
“Well, they were fakes, and you know it.”
I couldn’t stand it anymore and left them.
Crisp had my grandmother wrapped around his finger, and there was nothing I could do. At least he’d released me from marrying him. That was something.
But what of Drake? Could we survive this?
Thenextday,Iwas about to go in search of Drake, after he hadn’t answered my calls or texts, when a couple of men in suits, flashing their badges, were let in.
