Total pages in book: 45
Estimated words: 43444 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 217(@200wpm)___ 174(@250wpm)___ 145(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43444 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 217(@200wpm)___ 174(@250wpm)___ 145(@300wpm)
He squeezed the back of his neck, pacing his living room. “You know why, man. I’ve told you more than once.”
“Yes, yes. The grand plan. Saving money for a business, wooing your wife, absence giving the heart blue balls and so on.”
“That’s right,” he said defensively. “It’s a good plan.”
“Which is why I’ve been helping you and keeping my mouth shut. It’s also not the whole truth. You’ve still got that one problem you can’t figure out how to solve and you haven’t bothered to fill me in on it. Or were you planning to come home with that monkey still on your back?”
Shit.
“How did you find out?”
Ken’s chuckle was dark. “I’m that good. And despite your reputation as the family scoundrel, you don’t really have that much larceny in your soul. It’s kind of funny you should call tonight, since the situation has recently changed.”
William froze. “What does that mean?”
“Nothing we can’t handle, but I can’t get into all the details right now. We can talk more tomorrow.”
He couldn’t—? “What the fuck, man? You can’t say something like that and then fob me off.”
“You’re not in any danger and I told you we could handle it, so stop worrying,” Ken said firmly. “In fact, we might even be able to finally deal with your situation once and for all so you can get back here and your cousins can stop asking me for updates.”
William sighed. “I apologize for dragging you into this.”
“I volunteered. Now how about you tell me why you’re suddenly asking about your secret citizenship? What’s going on?”
“Didn’t you know? My wife has decided to pay me a visit.”
“I see. And you’re wondering if it’s to get an annulment because she knows you’ve been stringing her along? Trying to win her heart with dinosaurs and yarn while you go legit and learn all the words to the Star Spangled Banner?”
William made an obscene gesture at the phone. “It crossed my mind.”
“She doesn’t know,” he assured him. “At least, she didn’t hear it from me. Also, interesting fact, everyone else thinks she’s on vacation with her friend, Erica. So you aren’t the only one keeping secrets in that relationship.”
He supposed she’d have to lie, since not a one of them knew he was her husband. A fact he planned to fix as soon as possible. “Why the devil is she here?”
“You could ask her. Just a thought.”
He had. She’d managed to avoid telling him so far.
You haven’t wanted answers as much as you wanted her. Or did you forget this afternoon already?
“Tomorrow,” William said abruptly. “I’ll want those new details tomorrow, Tanaka.”
“Ditto, Billy. I’m sure we’d all like to know what Bronte’s been up to.”
He hung up on the hacker and headed for the door, wondering if he could lock his wife in her hotel room until she told him what he wanted to know. Preferably naked and tied to the bed.
His phone buzzed in his hand and he absently slid his thumb across the screen, seeing a message from the woman herself. Was she going to cancel or tell him she was already on the road?
The image attached made him weak.
Bronte was smiling for the camera, fresh-faced as ever, but wearing a dress that was bound to get him into a fight.
She was also already at the pub. He knew this because he could see a few familiar faces smiling broadly behind her.
I decided to meet you there.
“Son of a bitch.”
He locked his door and took the stairs two at a time, forcing himself not to run.
She wasn’t going anywhere. And the Collins men knew better than to let anyone near her.
He had to reevaluate his assessment of their intelligence as soon as he walked in the door. “Who the hell is that?”
Finn Young, who was taking his shift behind the bar, laughed at the shouted question. “That is the goddess you apparently tricked into marrying you,” he answered easily. “Nice work on that, by the way.”
“I’m referring to the man dancing with her. The one who’s got too many teeth in his head and needs help solving that problem.”
“Him?” William heard Pat ask as he joined him at the end of the bar. “That’s an old professor friend of Keira’s husband. He stops by occasionally, wrongly hates our Ravens and took your wife away from a perfectly pleasant conversation, which means I’m in your corner. You should go bring her back immediately and with minimal to no bloodshed, if you please.”
William was already walking across the room. It hadn’t been five minutes since she’d sent that text and some pompous looking, silver-haired prick was moving in on his woman.
He tapped on the man’s shoulder, scowling down at Bronte when the two separated and glanced his way. “Mrs. Finn,” he emphasized. “I thought you were saving the first dance for your husband.”