Page 12 of Sinful Empire (Mount Trilogy 3)
I know he won’t answer me, and even though Magnolia said it’s because Lachlan cut out his tongue, I’m one hundred percent certain that she’s wrong. Loyalty like V shows to his boss isn’t born of fear and intimidation. It’s a product of respect.
V nods, but holds something out to me.
My purse. And in his other hand? My phone.
He lays both on the bed beside me, nodding down at the phone insistently.
I glance at the screen and see several missed calls from my father and text messages from Temperance.
Shit. It’s one o’clock in the afternoon, and a day later than I realized.
I slept a lot longer than I thought.
It doesn’t help that I’ve lost track of time, what with the time change from our flight, the drugs, and the lack of a clock in this room.
I unlock the screen and read the texts first.
Temperance: Our phones are ringing off the hook. Your dad. The press. The tourism board. Distributors. Everyone wants to know about the award from the GWSC. I know it was a last-minute plan to go, but I gotta tell them something, boss. Help me out here.
Temperance: Are you okay? Where are you?
Temperance: Keira, please freaking answer me. Your dad said he’s getting on a plane tomorrow morning and heading here.
The time stamp on the last text message is an hour ago.
Shit. I don’t want my dad anywhere near New Orleans right now. Not with the situation I’ve landed myself in. Lachlan swore to me he’d keep my family safe, and I believe him, but I still don’t want them here.
Checking the bars of service, I find that I have none.
I glance back up at V. “I need to make calls. Text people. You’ve gotta help me. I have to stop my dad from coming.”
V glances at Lachlan’s sleeping form in the bed, and then back to me. His loyalties are clearly torn.
“I only need a few minutes. Please. This is important. Believe me when I tell you I wouldn’t be asking to leave his side if it wasn’t.”
Something gets through to him, either in my words or my tone, and he nods before holding up a finger. Basically, the universal gesture for hold on a second. He leaves the room and returns moments later with the nurse who told me not to rip the IV from my hand.
“Do you need something? What’s wrong?” The nurse looks from me to Lachlan.
“I need you to unhook me. I have to make some calls. It’s incredibly important.”
She narrows her eyes. “Did Mount approve this?”
“Do you want to be the one to explain to him why you won’t follow a simple order? Because at this point, I promise you that he’ll consider denying my request to be tantamount to denying his.” My tone invites no argument, and each word is backed with confident authority.
My statement knocks her back on her heels, and she deliberates for less than a minute. “Give me a moment to unhook you, ma’am.”
The respect in her voice is undeniable. Her movements are quick and efficient as she removes the leads from my chest and unhooks my IV.
“You don’t need this anymore, but you better tell him you made me take it out, or I’ll have hell to pay.”
“Don’t worry about it. I can handle him.” I glance at V as he silently waits for me. “Go handpick someone to take your place outside the room. Someone you trust with his life.” I jerk my head at Lachlan’s sleeping form.
V nods at this command, once again holding up a finger before disappearing.
I’m on my feet, more unsteady than I want to admit, when he returns and leads me out of the room. I don’t recognize the two men outside the door at first, but I know I’ve seen them before.
They’re the ones who caught Lachlan when he fell.
