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He shoots me a withering look, and I swallow a chuckle. Maybe that wasn’t my best attempt at humor, but now I might be the first person he assassinates for upsetting him.
He narrows his eyes, suspicion clouding them. “Why are you here?”
I exhale slowly, feigning innocence. “Can’t I just come and check on my only fun brother?”
He gives me a long, assessing look, the horse brush paused mid-stroke. “You never just ‘check’ on anyone. Out with it.”
Taking a deep breath, I blurt, “I’m engaged.”
The brush clatters to the ground as he whirls around, eyes wide. “You’re what now?”
“I. Am. Engaged,” I repeat, smirking at his shock.
“To whom? Are you telling me that your significant other is stranded somewhere, and we need to rescue her?” Cal’s face flushes, his eyes full of concern. He starts pacing, every step emphasizing his growing frustration. “A few months ago, I asked about this and just now?—”
“Stop, Cal.” I gesture toward his temple, my fingers mimicking an explosion. “The vein there looks like it’s about to burst. Breathe, okay? Just let me explain.”
“We don’t have the luxury of time,” he snaps, halting mid-pace, his chest heaving.
He’s going to have a heart attack. This guy needs a fucking chill-pill. I wish Lake, his best friend and the love of his life, had stayed with us. She would calm him the fuck down. Instead, she ran away without saying goodbye. I overheard that she might be a mole planted by the mafia family that’s trying to kill us. Talk about falling for the enemy.
Of course, everything about Lake, my father, and CQS is a speculation. I try to stay informed, but I also don’t put much stock into what I hear. Everything is a theory and until this is over, I doubt I’ll figure out why my father died, and why we have to hide.
“River, are you listening?” His angry voice echoes through the barn.
“I’m aware of all that, but I need you to listen first. Can you manage to stay quiet while I tell you the whole story before you jump to conclusions?”
Cal hesitates for a beat, then nods, pressing the bridge of his nose and inhaling deeply. As I recount the events with Sutton, his brow knits further, disbelief evident in his widened eyes. He’s going to kill me, probably hide my body somewhere outside the town, or he’ll throw me into the lake. Whatever he does, he’ll make sure that no one will remember me by the end of the season.
“No. You should’ve said no,” he erupts, arms flailing in exasperation. “This could be the thing that blows our cover. If that happens, Finnegan Gil is going to drop us in the middle of the National Mall without protection.”
How am I going to get him to understand that I’m not a child, and I can do this without fucking things up?
“It’s just for a short while,” I assure him, trying to come up with something that will convince him that I did the right thing.
The look he gives me almost says “Really, a short while? This is a bad idea. Either you’re stupid or . . . fucking stupid.”
“You might think it’s temporary,” Cal retorts, voice dripping with skepticism, “but what if her parents decide to overstay?” Fuck, he’s right. This is a fucking disaster.
“If need be, I’ll engineer a breakup.”
“Okay, let’s say this works for now, but the parents will expect a wedding. I bet neither one of you expected that.”
“Hence, the breakup,” I say, trying not to show my worry.
Cal narrows his eyes, studying me intently. The weight of his gaze feels like a vise around my chest, making it hard to breathe. “You’re playing with fire here, River,” he warns, his voice low and grave.
“The last thing I want is to bring more chaos to our already dysfunctional family,” he adds.
“I know, and that wasn’t my intention,” I explain, ready to stroke his ego, so he doesn’t plan my demise. “That’s why I’m here, so you can help me smooth this out. No one should be surprised that I fell in love—Drake did.”
And I’m aware that our eldest brother is actually madly in love with Wren, but maybe I can pull this off. I’ll just need Cal to get me some money and make sure I look like . . . well, like me when I was in DC.
Callahan eyes me for a moment, his gaze sharp and searching. “This isn’t just about playing fiancé, is it? You like Sutton, even when you keep saying Bach and her would be perfect for each other.”
What the fuck is he talking about? “Don’t go playing detective on me,” I retort, but my voice lacks the usual bite. There’s something about what he just said that feels true, but what is it?
Cal’s lips quirks into a knowing smirk. “Just . . . don’t lose yourself in this charade.”
