Page 15 of Daddy's Claim
I’d already pinned my hair on top of my head when I’d showered, and the messy bun was perfect for a night out. Grabbing my go-bag of makeup and my purse, I slipped my feet into a pair of sky-high heels and headed for the door.
A quick peek up and down the hall let me know Michael wasn’t lurking, waiting for me to disobey. And when I made it down the stairs without running into anyone, I figured luck was finally on my side.
I didn’t hit my first real roadblock until I spotted the burly guard at the front door. Had Michael posted him there, anticipating an escape attempt? Would the guard immediately turn me over to my heavy-handed husband the second he spotted me?
Only one way to find out. Straightening my spine, I lifted my chin and put on my best “princess of the manor” expression as I approached the door.
To my dismay, the guard sidestepped and planted himself in front of my escape route. But I hadn’t come this far to be so easily deterred.
“What are you doing?” I put as much of a sneer in my voice as I could manage.
The guard raised an eyebrow but didn’t budge. “My job, ma’am.”
“Your job is to keep me from meeting my husband?” As it had so often before, the fib rolled easily off my tongue. But for the first time in my life, my stomach roiled at the thought of being caught in such a bold-faced lie. There was no doubt in my mind that lying to Michael would come with dire consequences, but did that extend to other people in the household? I wasn’t sure, and I hated the unease that came with not knowing what I could and couldn’t get away with.
“My job is to keep you safe, Mrs. DeCosta.”
My new name was still a jolt, and a reluctant thrill. Ignoring both, I raised my own eyebrow in return. “I’m not sureMr. DeCosta will appreciate it if he’s kept waiting because one of his men couldn’t follow instructions.”
The first bit of uncertainty flickered in the man’s eyes and I fought the urge to crow in triumph. “Mikey is waiting on you? Where?”
“Outside, you moron. In the car. We have dinner plans.”
His eyes narrowed at “moron” and again I wondered if I’d be paying for that as well when Michael finally caught up with me. But freedom was so close I could smell it, and I wasn’t about to back down now.
“Wait here,” the guard ordered, complete with a finger pointing at the floor.
Unable to resist, I lifted my hands in front of me and panted like a puppy, which earned me a glare as the man walked away. As soon as he was out of sight, I yanked open the front door.
Rissa’s fire-engine red convertible was nowhere to be seen, but I wasn’t about to let that little detail stop me. Heartpounding, I picked my way carefully down the front steps and toward my escape.
Mikey
“Ah, there’s the happy groom now.” Cole greeted me with a smile when I walked into the spacious kitchen. Adele, her watery eyes rimmed with red, shifted uncomfortably on a stool at the island and pouted at the plate of macarons in front of her. They were from her favorite bakery in France, and Cole had them flown in on a weekly basis for her, proving my cousin was wrapped around her adorable little finger more than he cared to admit.
“What’s wrong, Dell?” I asked, nudging the plate closer to her.
She glanced over at Cole, who sent her a stern look that had her sighing rather dramatically. “I apologize for being rude to Nora. I will try to be more… understanding of her situation.”
“I appreciate that. I’m sure it’s going to take us all some time to get settled in.”
Apparently satisfied she’d made her amends, Adele plucked a pale purple cookie from the plate and bit into it, her eyes closing as a look of pure enjoyment came over her face. With a smile of my own, I shook my head and refocused on Cole. “Any chance I could have dinner brought up to my room in about an hour?”
“I’m sure we can make that happen. Any special requests?”
“Whatever everyone else is having is fine. I plan on making sure Nora is too exhausted to argue about much of anything,” I added, drawing a laugh from my cousin.
“Eww, Michael!” Adele’s nose wrinkled up and she glared at me. “I do not need the details of your sex life!”
Before I could tease her, the kitchen doors swung open and Tony strode through. Triumph lit his eyes and his lips curled up in a smug smile when he spotted me. “I knew you weren’t outside.”
“And you were right. Did someone say I was?”
“Yeah. Your wife said you were waiting for her outside so you could go to dinner.”
Alarm bells rang in my head, and my own thoughts were echoed by Adele’s quiet, “Uh oh.”
“Where is Nora now?” I asked, praying he’d had the sense to lock her away somewhere with another guard.