Ruby shook her head slightly, trying to get the other woman to go away. She didn’t think Leo would want his sister seeing him so vulnerable. With a slight nod, the girl went back inside, and Ruby went back to trying to soothe the slowly calming man.
Jaden stared through the one-way glass at the unique man on the other side. Shane Joloun Dunne lay sprawled on his back, his dark blue eyes glued to the ceiling, a look of total concentration on his face. He was completely naked, not that Jaden was looking.
Okay, yes, he was. The man had a hell of a physique.
“Why the hell is he naked?” Jaden asked, turning to Malmayne the elder. Other than for my viewing pleasure, that is.
Cullen Malmayne looked at him blankly. “In case he tries to escape, of course.”
Jaden nodded, and then shook his head. “What kind of spy movies have you been watching?”
Cullen’s snort of aggravation was music to Jaden’s ears. “Shane will be too embarrassed to run through the streets of, may the gods help us, Omaha, completely nude.”
Jaden blinked, his dark eyes glittering with amusement. If it were him behind that glass wall, you bet your ass he’d be running around Omaha stark naked if he had to. But from what he’d seen, when the time came Shane wouldn’t have that problem.
“Any clue as to what he’s doing?” Cullen’s voice was mildly curious, like a man wondering what his dog was doing and why.
Making himself clothes, Jaden thought. He was pretty sure the hybrid had some secreted around his cell, not that Jaden would tell. Jaden shook his head, turning once again to stare at Shane and hoping like hell the man would be ready soon. Jaden hated working for Malmayne the Elder and the Deranged Darling.
“Any word from the Dunne’s?” Jaden waited for the answer he knew would be coming.
“No.”
He nodded, not really surprised, when the door behind them opened.
“Has Leo called?”
Jaden shuddered at the saccharin sound of Kaitlynn’s voice, his eyes never leaving the two-way glass.
Much better view, anyway.
“No, my dear, he hasn’t. He should contact us soon, however.” Jaden kept watch on Cullen and Kaitlynn out of the corner of his eye. Cullen moved towards his daughter, his voice soothing and mild.
Crazy bitch, he thought, watching a slight movement of Shane’s hand. A shimmer of dark blue silk appeared in his hand and was swiftly thrust under the mattress. The hybrid’s eyes shut wearily, his task complete. For the moment.
Jaden grinned, careful to hide his teeth. It was only a matter of time before both his and the hybrid’s plans could be set in motion.
“You want to tell me what that was all about?”
The quiet question didn’t surprise him. The calm acceptance did. He figured she deserved some answers, starting with who, and what, he was, and why he needed her with him.
They were sitting in the barn, in the hayloft, staring up at the sky. He hadn’t wanted to go back into the house just yet, hadn’t wanted to face Moira’s accusations or his mother’s understanding. So he’d taken his kitten to the barn and up into the hayloft, his favorite spot, and settled her down on the hay.
He felt her patient gaze on him, but had no idea how to explain to her everything that was going on without revealing the family’s secrets. He didn’t know if she was ready for that. Unfortunately, he didn’t think he had a choice in the matter.
“Just spit it out, Leo.”
That faint hint of impatience pulled a reluctant grin from him. He settled back with a sigh, his eyes fixed on the sky out the barn doors. It was a beautiful day, the sky bright and blue, with what few clouds there were only adding to the overall picture. The Dunne lands were extremely fertile; his father’s magic saw to that. He could see him in the distance, working his lands, talking to some of the other people who helped to run the huge amount of acreage Sean owned.
Leo didn’t often brag about his father, but the man had just as much talent for making money as he did for growing corn and potatoes. His parents chose to live in the house they did rather than something more elaborate, keeping a low profile and enjoying the benefit of having their neighbors feel free with them.
“Leo. You’re stalling.”
He sighed. “I’m not stalling, kitten. I’m trying to figure out how to explain the unexplainable.”
He looked down into her face and felt his heart roll over. The patient sympathy in there, the warmth and trust he could see, nearly unmanned him. He resolved then and there to answer any question truthfully, even if it drove her from him.
Not that he would let her get very far. “Where do you want me to start?”
“Why haven’t you called the police?”
Leo nodded, his eyes once more on the horizon. He didn’t even see it, being too busy trying to gather his thoughts. Time to come clean. “Two reasons. One, because there’s not a damn thing the police could do to help us, and two, it’s forbidden to involve them in affairs such as this.”
She stared up at him, puzzled. “I…don’t understand.”
She dropped her gaze down to their joined hands, feeling his tremble slightly in hers, and knew he was working up his courage to tell her something he was pretty sure she didn’t want to hear. “Leo?” She could hear the uncertainty in her own voice and winced. “What’s going on?” A horrible thought struck her, and she blurted it out without thinking. “Shane was kidnapped, right?”
Leo grimaced, his expression rueful. He looked down at her, and something about his expression told her that this was about more than just his brother’s kidnapping. “Yes, Shane was kidnapped, and Moira’s right. It’s my fault. Partly.”
“Why, because of your money? Did they think you’d pay a huge ransom or something?”
Leo huffed out a laugh. “I wish. It would be a lot less complicated if it were that simple.”
“Tell me why, Leo.”
The forced way he blew out his breath let her know it would be bad. Very bad. “It has to do with a marriage contract.”
“A what?” Confused, Ruby stared up at him.
“A marriage contract. An arranged marriage was set up by my mother’s father, Armand Joloun, and a man named Cullen Malmayne. Both sides thought to benefit from a marriage of power between Cullen’s son and my mother, but my grandfather is the one who approached the Malmaynes. Which is part of why this whole thing is so screwed up.”
“Your grandfather’s name sounds French, but your mom is Irish. Isn’t she?”
“Half Irish. Moira’s named for our grandmother, and Mom was raised in Ireland with her.”
Ruby thought about that, absorbing it, and let it go. It had no real relevance. “Okay, so your grandfather and this Malmayne dude wrote out a contract, swearing to wed their children to each other. I gather Aileen wasn’t so thrilled with the idea?”
“Oh, at first she had no real objection. It isn’t all that unusual, and from what I understand Duncan Malmayne is a fairly attractive man, wealthy and powerful. But Mom met Dad, and that was pretty much the end of that.”
“So, what, the Malmaynes sued for breach of contract?”
Leo sighed. “Here’s where it gets tricky. Mom and Dad share a unique bond, something that should have nullified the contract, but apparently there was an escape clause written in by my grandfather. In the event that either Duncan or my mother was unable to fulfill the terms, it would devolve to the next generation of both families. In other words, any one of their children could make an arranged marriage.”
“And they want Shane to fulfill this clause in the contract?”
Leo looked at her, and Ruby felt her heart sink. “No. They want me.”