Amanda’s gaze shifted from Caleb to Joe and back. “You heard me. Samantha needed the kind of help that only I could give her.”
“I could’ve helped,” Alec snapped.
“Oh right. You guys are thick as thieves. You wouldn’t have waited five minutes to alert these two,” Amanda jerked her thumb at Caleb and Brandon, “and then all hell would’ve broken loose. Samantha didn’t want you involved. She didn’t want me involved. The less people that knew the better, as far as she was concerned. But, she couldn’t do it alone. In my defense, I didn’t know the whole story until you guys started poking around her client list a while back. Caleb asked me to look into Vincent. Then, Sam let his name slip later that same day.” Amanda turned to Joe. “Remember, honey? It was the day you two met.”
Joe scowled. “Can we get back to the part where you willingly put yourself at risk?”
“Why didn’t you tell us about it once you made the connection?” Caleb demanded, ready to throttle her for keeping a secret that not only put her at risk, but Samantha as well.
Amanda’s hands settled sharply on her hips. “If the men in this room don’t stop acting like I’m some hapless female, I’m going to start throwing punches.” She poked her finger into Joe’s chest. “Starting with you.”
“Nobody’s punching anyone. We’re all tired, but let’s try to keep the bloodshed to a minimum, shall we? We have more important matters to discuss than if you’re hapless or not.” Brandon said.
Amanda collapsed into her chair and glared at Brandon. “I think I liked you better when you weren’t so mouthy.”
Brandon ignored her jab. “As much as it pains me to admit right now, Alec’s right. If Vincent had Carlotta, he’d have no reason to go after Sam.”
Caleb nodded, his mind whirling. “Where is Carlotta now?”
“We need to tell Samantha about this.”
“No.”
“Caleb —”
“I said no, Alec. We aren’t telling Samantha anything.”
At least not until they knew for sure what it meant. There was no reason to disturb her. At this point, she couldn’t tell them anything they didn’t already know. She’d been exhausted and he wasn’t about to interrupt her sleep. Once she woke, she’d be refreshed, her mind clear and better able to handle the idea that Carlotta had been back in the clutches of her husband.
Jesus fuck, he didn’t want to be the one to break that news. Helping Carlotta had meant so much to her; she’d risked her own skin to do it. And for what? The bastard had Carlotta back anyway. He’d had her back. He’d had —
“You’re making a mistake,” Brandon warned.
His train of thought interrupted, Caleb took a deep breath. When it came to Samantha, it seemed everyone thought they knew better than him. Maybe they did, but that didn’t change the way he felt. Samantha was his responsibility.
She was his, period. It was time his family got on board with the idea.
“Then, I’ll deal with the consequences.” He kept his voice firm, commanding. “We aren’t telling her anything.”
Chapter 18
“We aren’t telling Samantha anything.”
Samantha froze.
“You’re making a mistake.”
“Then, I’ll deal with the consequences. We aren’t telling her anything.”
She pressed her hand against the wall, her mind spinning until she was dizzy. What weren’t they going to tell her? And why?
Samantha took several steps backward before she turned and went back to Alec’s room. Try as she might, she’d been unable to sleep without Caleb’s heat to warm her. Looks like she’d have a lot of sleepless nights ahead.
She paced the floor, anger and adrenaline filling her system until she shook.
That son of a bitch. That arrogant, controlling, son of a bitch.
Her lungs seized. Bending forward, Samantha placed her palms on her knees and tried counting to ten—a trick she’d learned as a child. She focused on drawing air into her chest. In through the nose, out through the mouth. One, in. Two, out. Three, in. Four, out. Tears blurred her vision, which pissed her off even more, and then she lost count.
How dare he? After everything they’d been through? After everything she’d shared with him? Jesus Christ, he hadn’t heard a word she’d said. He’d used his body to convince her that he’d trust her, trust in what they’d started between them. He’d said he’d loved her and she’d wanted him badly enough to believe he’d actually treat her like an equal.