London Dynasty (The Dynasties #1) - Geneva Lee Page 0,65

the feed and groaned when I saw Spencer waiting at the gate. He was standing there, no car in sight, pressing the intercom button.

I wondered if it was a coincidence that he’d shown up when there was no one around to send him away but me. Silently, I cursed Giles. There was no way he happened to be at the theatre at the same time that Spencer happened to show up here. That meant that Spencer knew I was inside, hiding from him, and that left me no choice.

I hit the button to respond.

“I don’t want to see you,” I told him.

“Kerrigan, we need to talk.”

My core clenched as his voice filled the empty space. It was enough to prompt the feelings I so willfully ignored to roar to life.

“Let me in. Please.”

“No way,” I said, standing my ground.

“I just want to talk to you. I know things went too far with Holden.”

“I’m sorry, but I need time to think.

“You have had a week to think!” He roared, banging his fist on the brick security shack and wincing. “This is ridiculous. I didn’t make you do anything you didn’t want to do.”

“That’s not what this is about.”

He hit the wall again. “Look, I’m sorry. I’m going crazy here. I have to talk to you.”

“Then you’ll have to wait until I’m ready,” I said.

“Okay. Then I’ll wait.”

He couldn’t mean that literally, could he?

As if he knew what I was thinking, he slumped onto the ground and stared in the direction of the camera.

Apparently, he could. I turned on my heel, but instead of going back to the office, I raced upstairs and buried myself under the covers. I didn’t trust myself to listen to Spencer calling over the intercom or to see him sitting there. Just hearing his voice had been enough to weaken my resolve.

I waited what felt like hours. Outside, this sky grew dark, tricking me into thinking it was later than it was. But it wasn’t evening, it was simply a storm. Clouds blocked the summer sun and before long, rain lashed against the windows. I’d lost track of time. Between the rain and the waiting, I was sure Spencer had given up. Instead, when I tiptoed downstairs and checked the security feed, he was still there, sitting in the downpour.

“Give up,” I called over the intercom.

I watched him shake his head on the security feed. He raised his hand and hit the response button. “I will stand here and drown in this rain before I leave, Kerrigan.”

“I don’t think you can drown in the rain,” I replied.

“Then I’ll die of starvation,” he said with a shrug. “Or exposure. Or heartbreak. I’m at your mercy.”

He didn’t mean that. He couldn’t. I fought the hope that swelled inside me that he did. I closed my eyes, shutting out the sight of him drenched on the security feed and slumped against the wall. Something told me that Spencer Byrd had it within him to do exactly what he said. A vision of him, lying dead at the front gate, when Giles returned from the theatre swam to mind. It wasn’t long enough of course for any of those terrible things to happen to him, but he would wait until Giles returned. And Giles would let him inside the house. And then we’d have an audience for whatever row we were about to have.

I let out a frustrated scream, reached over, and opened the gate.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Spencer sprang through the gate as soon as it had opened far enough to allow his body to fit through. I didn’t wait to watch him run toward the house.

Planting my hands on my hips, I paced the length of the foyer and back. Then, I opened the front door. Spencer stood there, his white shirt pasted to his skin, wet hair dripping into his eyes, but he didn’t blink. He didn’t wipe it away. His arms stretched out, bracing the doorframe as if to prevent any sudden attempt at escape.

“Have you lost your mind?” I asked him. It was still warm outside, although the rain had cooled the summer day considerably. I pressed my fingers to my temples and rubbed circles as I tried to figure out what to do.

“Can I come in?”

I looked him up and down, grimacing at the puddle forming at his feet. He had to have been out there at least two hours, so I believed him when he said he wasn’t going to leave until we talked. I didn’t feel