Page 45 of Crash Course
"Has that always been the case?" Phin asked.
Heart slamming, she tore her gaze from Cruz and peered across the table. "Phin, are you asking me if my father is polluting our environment?"
8
When Cilla didn’t answer,Cruz took it as their cue to take a break. Give her a second to regroup after they’d done a data dump on her.
"Fellas," Cruz said, "give us a minute."
After a few seconds, Phin and Rohan stood. "Sure," Phin said.
His brothers didn’t simply go to their offices, they left the Annex completely, via the door that led to the Friary, giving Cruz and Cilla total privacy.
Once they were gone, he spun his chair to face Cilla. "Talk to me."
"About?"
Cruz waved a hand. "What the hell we’re doing here. What specifically are you worried about?"
"Aside from my father buying a contaminated piece of property that could get him in trouble with a government agency?"
The corner of his mouth quirked. "Aside from that."
"Isn’t that enough?"
"It’s plenty. But you’re an intelligent woman who, from what I can see, doesn’t suffer fools. You came to us with concerns over conflicting toxicology reports. You’ve done this, also from what I can tell, without your father’s knowledge. I think you’re wondering if your father is up to something with this farm."
Not a peep.
Which meant either she was about to blast him for the giant set of balls he carried or he was right about her suspecting her father. When the seconds dragged on, he narrowed his gaze, studying her for any body language.
Nothing.
Damn, she must be good in a courtroom. He’d like to see that. Just sit in the gallery and watch her work.
"What are you thinking?" he asked.
"I’m afraid to say it."
"Why?"
She shot out of her chair and headed to the whiteboard, staring at it for a few long seconds before turning back to him. "If I say it, it’ll . . ."
She shook her head, clammed up on him. Whatever was working her over, she needed to get rid of it. Decompress a little.
He pushed back from the table and whirled a finger. "Let’s go."
"What? Where?"
"The Stutz. You wanted to see it. We’re gonna get out of here. Away from my family and Rohan’s insane security. Just you and me. Then, if you wanna talk, I’ll be happy to listen and it’ll be between us." He met her eye, holding her gaze. "I promise you. It’ll stay between us."
He walked around the table, met her at the whiteboard. "You got a jacket? We’ll walk to the garage."
She nodded. "In the car."
"Good."
She picked up her purse and phone. "You can leave those. No one will bother them here."
