Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 109368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 547(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 547(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
Now Ramsay had alluded that there was more to her death than meets the eye and that Hugh had something to do with it.
“I can’t tell you that.” He took a step toward me and even annoyed, I found myself wanting to lean into him. “Is Hugh the threat or is it something else?”
“I can’t tell you that. You’ll know the truth soon enough.” Perri called yesterday afternoon. As per the legal process, they’d contacted the Silver Group to explain what story they’d be printing and ask for comment, and the company was scrambling their lawyers. It might delay the story going to print until all the legal stuff was signed off. “How did you know about Hugh and Michelle? Does it have something to do with your military background?”
Ramsay turned to Quinn. Whatever passed between them, I was aware of Quinn departing, but I kept my gaze fixed firmly on the man I’d recently shared a bed with.
“Well?”
“Will you tell me if Hugh is the threat?”
“He’s not the threat.”
“Who is the threat?”
I clenched my jaw. “So you’re saying if I don’t tell you, you won’t tell me how you got Hugh the narcissist to back off?”
“Is that your answer?”
“Ramsay …”
He shook his head with an exasperated sigh. “You keep your secrets, Silver, and I’ll keep mine.” With that he gestured toward the house. “I want you inside where we can keep an eye on you until that bastard is off the island.”
“Seriously? That’s it?”
“It’s your decision. You trust me to fuck you but not to protect you, that’s entirely your prerogative. As it is mine to keep information to myself.”
I huffed and strode past him toward the house. “Bullshit. You wouldn’t tell me even if I told you who was behind the threats.”
“Wrong. I would tell you.”
I spun back around to face him as we reached the front entrance. “Would you tell me how you came by the information?”
He studied me carefully and then answered flatly, “No.”
Hurt I wasn’t sure I was allowed to feel rippled through me unpleasantly. I shrugged, hiding the emotion from him. “Then I guess I don’t feel bad about keeping secrets.” I turned and marched into the noisy house, intent on finding the farthest place in there to be from Ramsay right now.
Yet, that damned sense of gratitude my parents had instilled in me stopped me. I whirled around to find Ramsay in the messy large entrance that would become my reception, staring after me.
I shivered at the unguarded look on his face.
A worried expression he quickly blanked.
“Thank you,” I gritted out. “For getting rid of him.”
His mouth curled ever so slightly. “You can thank me later on your hands and knees.”
The words echoed around the space and anyone who was close enough to hear over the noise would’ve heard him.
And they did.
A choked laugh from the dining room made me flush from the tip of my toes to my hairline.
I glowered at him. “You can forget it now!”
Ramsay laughed low and unbothered. “Aye, we’ll see.” Then he casually walked away.
“Cocky bastard,” I muttered under my breath.
23. Ramsay
That was the problem with living on a small island.
Everybody eventually found out everyone’s business.
It had been two weeks since Silver and I started having sex.
Now everybody fucking knew.
To be fair, it might have been my fault. I didn’t know what I was thinking when I loudly made it clear what was between us at the B and B after Silver’s ex showed up. I was self-aware enough to know I was thinking with my dick after that arsehole had triggered my territorialism. It was backward, it wasn’t pretty, and I knew Silver wasn’t mine.
But at that moment, she’d felt like mine to protect.
It still clung to me as she walked off without giving me her trust.
And now, because my pride was stung, I’d inadvertently let everyone know we were fucking.
They were smart enough not to ask me about us, but Silver told me she was treated to innuendo and outright interrogation from her neighbors about what was going on.
She had a charming way of telling folks to mind their own business without upsetting them.
I watched her now as I played the pipes. Silver watched me too, a heat in her eyes I recognized.
Aye, I was going to get very lucky tonight.
I didn’t know why she found my pipe playing such a turn-on, but I wasn’t going to question it.
We were in the middle of Johnny Harris’s farm, about a five-minute drive from Leth Sholas. Every year during the summer, Glenvulin hosted a small wares festival for tourists, and Johnny rented one of his fields out to the council to use. Me and the lads were hired to play. Tents were put up around the large field and local craftspeople from all the islands came over to Glenvulin to sell their wares.