JASON and KEANNE(25)
Keanne looked up at him in exasperation. “You’re kidding, right?”
“You wanted to know if I can be jealous. Right?”
“But he’s gay!”
“Since the day I was born,” Archie said cheerfully. “But I really don’t want to have another taste of your guy’s fist, so I think that’s my cue to leave.”
When Archie left, Jason looked at Christien pointedly. Right now, all he wanted to do was kiss Keanne. The sooner they were left alone, the better.
“I know you want me to leave. I can see it in your eyes. Unfortunately, I have a message to pass on to you.” Christien switched to Greek. “Your twin called. He needs you to talk to his betrothed because she’s just found out about what you did.”
Jason nodded shortly.
Christien smiled at Keanne before leaving and she made herself smile back. When Jason’s friend left, she said tonelessly, “He didn’t know I can speak Greek.”
“No. He did not.”
“Talk to Lilac then---” When he started to speak, she shook her head. “I know it’s important. So talk to her. And then…and then we can talk.”
Chapter Eleven
Most of the lights of Keanne’s home were shut off by the time Jason’s car rolled into its driveway. Security dogs and at least a dozen guards were in the vicinity when he got out of his car, and Jason found the sight more assuring than worrying. He was like Amie that way. He preferred to be extra cautious and armed when it came to the security of his loved ones.
The front door was opened by the Summers’ elderly butler before he could even knock. “Is she awake?” It was already three in the morning and if she was asleep, he would leave quietly, wanting Keanne to rest.
“She wishes to speak to you the moment you arrive, sir.”
“She’s sleeping then.”
“In the living room.”
“I’ll wake her up myself. Thanks.” Jason made his way to the living room reserved for intimate friends, and as expected, he saw Keanne’s small form curled on the sofa. She had been crying. He saw that she had rubbed her face free of makeup, probably washed her face a few times just so there would be no signs of her tears.
It didn’t work.
It would never work because he knew her too well.
He crouched down on one knee in front of her and touched Keanne’s face.
She woke up instantly, her eyes slowly opening. “Hey.”
“Hey.” When she moved to get up, he helped her, scooping her up so he could sit down and place Keanne on his lap. As she snuggled against him, he asked quietly, “Are you sure you want us to talk? It’s three in the morning.”
“Have you been talking to Lilac often since…since she and Nick left?”
“No.” He did not hesitate to lie, his instincts telling him that he must never let her know that the opposite was true.
Her body relaxed against him, and Jason realized that she had been holding her breath while waiting for his answer.
“And what did you talk about now?” Keanne bit her lip. “What did Nick mean when he said she found out about what you did?”
He spoke carefully, knowing that Keanne mustn’t ever learn the truth about what he had done either. She would only be hurt by it, and she had been hurt enough in this lifetime. “She found out that I’ve hired investigators to search for a man who had hurt her in the past.”
“And she’s mad about that?”
“Nick and I have reason to believe that the man’s now working with Davos, whom you know has been on the run ever since Beatrice agreed to become a state witness in the case we’re filing against him.”
Ah. She knew Jason hadn’t told her everything that had happened to him and his twin in the past, but she knew enough to understand why Lilac was concerned. Davos was a dangerously deranged man. Only someone with a sick mind could have ordered such a brutal attack against Nick, who had been a teenager at that time.
“I don’t want you in danger either,” she whispered.
“I won’t be in danger. I’m not the one who’s personally looking for him.”
“It doesn’t matter. He’s…bad.”
His voice hardened. “Men like Davos must be made to pay for their sins. You understand that, don’t you?”
Unfortunately, she did.
“Just promise me you’ll be careful. I know – more than anyone in the world - I know and understand the need for revenge. But I wouldn’t want you to have revenge if it’s at the cost of your life.”
“I always take care. You know that, ma petite.” When he saw that she was about to argue with him again, he simply ended the discussion by taking her lips in a kiss.