Grievous (Wanted Men #5) - Nancy Haviland Page 0,48

to taxi her around, Lucian bustled her out the front door and into the backseat of a Bentley similar to the one she’d gotten into at the Waldorf after Markus’s service. The door made a thunk sound when Sorin closed himself into the drive’s side. Reinforced? Bulletproof, maybe?

“Point out to Sorin anything you think you might like and he will arrange to have it here upon your return.” He tucked something into the pocket of her cape. “In case you’d like to support the local economy and pick up a souvenir or two.” Taking her chin, he turned her face toward him. “Do not be offended when no one speaks to you. The moment they see you with Sorin, they will know who you belong to, and they will be wary; their distance is kept out of respect. If we go in together one day, it will be different.” He kissed her cheeks then shut her in. After a tap on the roof, Sorin pulled around the circular drive and headed down the lane.

Yasmeen was just about to go on a fishing expedition when a ringing came over the Bluetooth. And so the drive was spent not finding out a damn thing about Lucian but with her looking out the window at the gorgeous scenery while Sorin accepted one call after another. Would have been interesting if she’d been able to understand the conversations, but because they were in Romanian and in what she was sure was Italian, she was left in her head once again. Not the best place to be for one who was prone to obsessing.

As the forest passed by, thick with bare beech trees and full pines, she resettled in her seat and felt something poke into her leg. She reached into her pocket to pull out what Lucian had given her. Seeing the roll of cash was like being kicked in the stomach. Her muscles tightened, her skin shrank, and heat consumed her entire head.

He’d fucked her. And now he’d paid her. Did he have that condo overlooking Central Park waiting for her at home?

The moment they see you with Sorin, they will know who you belong to, and they will be wary; their distance is kept out of respect.

Respect? Fuck him. It would be kept out of fear. But the locals wouldn’t look at her and stay away because of that fear. They would see Lucian Fane’s whore and not bother because she wasn’t worth their trouble.

“Oh, God,” she whispered as she slowly placed the roll of money into the cup holder at her elbow. Why did he have to go and clarify her role? She’d been content with the rose-colored-glasses version where she was voluntarily remaining with him to try to help him through a bad time. She hadn’t even cared that she’d allowed him to see that she enjoyed the sex. She was a single woman attracted to a man. Why shouldn’t she?

But for cold hard cash? No.

She looked out the window to see they were entering a small town. There were red roofs everywhere and closed metal gates in front of quaint homes. Some were in disrepair while others were clearly the owners’ pride and joy.

“I wish Miranda was here,” she said out loud. As Sorin stopped speaking mid-sentence, she blinked the blur from her eyes and swallowed the knot that grew in her throat. Unlike yesterday, she suddenly resented Lucian for choosing her. She’d done nothing to deserve being stolen from her life and brought here to be treated like this. “She would have found a way to turn this around. I’m not good at pulling fun out of my ass the way she is.”

A click sounded, and she looked to the front to see Sorin had disconnected the call without a word of goodbye. “I believe you are being modest,” he said in his deep, rumbling voice.

“No. She’s the fun one.” He had no idea who she was talking about, but she didn’t care. She just needed out of her head. The more she stressed, the worse things got. In all likelihood, Lucian could have given her the cash because he knew she had none and he was a generous guy. “I’m just along for the ride. Like I am here.” They passed a horse pulling a flat trailer full of bricks along the bare road. The driver glared as they passed. “Why do all the homes appear locked up.” There were shutters on the windows and the curtains