I locked the front door and slipped the safety catch before leaning my forehead against the wood, breathing in the feeling of finally being home, back in my own space.
A black shadow leaped from my bedroom door and rubbed sinuously through my legs. I chuckled, bending down to scratch behind Rascal’s ears. “How was your day, baby? I bet you had a better one than I did.”
Rascal purred and leaned into my hand as I hit the sweet spot. He gave a short, demanding meow and sprinted off to the kitchen. I laughed, calling out to his retreating form, “I’ll be there soon!”
He knew the drill. As soon as I came home, I’d head for the kitchen and pour myself a glass of red wine before feeding him dinner. Then, replete and lazy, he would lounge on his side, licking his paws as he watched me cook my evening meal.
But a glass of wine was not on the cards tonight. Not after my god-awful hangover that morning.
My bedroom was the first door next to the entrance. I entered and threw my handbag and scarf on the bed, pausing to kick off my shoes before following Rascal down the hallway to the kitchen.
The house was dark and quiet, but I wasn’t afraid of being alone here. This was my sanctuary. I flicked on the lights, then slammed to a stop as my eyes cut to the figure languidly reclining on one of the wooden chairs at the breakfast table.
“Hello, Brydie.”
There was an undercurrent of anger simmering underneath his Scottish bur.
He was angry?
“Get out right now, or I’m calling the police!”
Turning, I grabbed the first weapon I saw—a large kitchen knife from the block on the countertop. I wrapped my fingers around its wooden handle, holding the blade out toward him.
Gage eyed the weapon, his lips twisting in what was meant to pass for a smile. “The police can’t help you,” he said softly. “It would be some minutes before they got here, and by then I would have killed you and run.”
A shiver touched my back. We both knew he was right, but I refused to lower the knife. “How did you get in here?” I demanded. “How did you know where I live?”
He gave me a cynical look. “I’m a man of many means.” He flicked his gaze to the kitchen window. “You really should take more care to lock your premises.”
I noted the window over the kitchen sink was open, narrowly hitched on the window latch. Damn. Had I forgotten to latch it shut this morning?
“Is that how you got in last night, too?” I asked acidly.
At the same time, I shied away from the question. Did I want to go there? After all, he had undressed me!
Those blue eyes glinted. “Which visit are you referring to?”
My breath whooshed out. Suddenly, I was tired of this game; I just wanted him gone. “What do you want?”
The forelegs of his chair dropped to the floor, and he rose fluidly to his feet. The space inside the kitchen immediately became suffocating. My eyes were drawn to his, and I refused to step back.
“Why are you not wearing the pendant? Given what happened last night, it’s not safe for you to be running around without it.”
He held up a clenched fist and opened his palm. The pendant unraveled and swung from his fingers, the gemstone sparkling in the overhead light. I didn’t notice my hand had reached out to take it until I took an involuntary step forward. It was the feeling of the knife as it partially slipped from my hand that broke my intense focus. I blinked, stepping back and grasping it more tightly, reasserting my grip on the knife’s slippery handle.
My face burned at the realization that I’d been about to mindlessly take the pendant, something I’d sworn not to accept. What was wrong with me?
Swallowing my chagrin, I stood firm, praying my voice conveyed strength as I replied, “I told you yesterday that I don’t want anything to do with Nora or the Estate. Now, if that’s all, you need to leave.”
He didn’t move, his eyes glittering in the smooth mask of his face. “It is irrelevant whether you want the inheritance or not. You have been chosen.”
Chosen? It was such an odd word to use. “I don’t care. I don’t want it.”
Gage tilted his head to the side. “You are naive if you think you have a choice in this game.” He lifted the pendant, and my eyes couldn’t help fixating on the stone as it twinkled under the overhead light. “I know you can feel it. It has a grip on you. You must accept it.”
He spoke as though the pendant was a living, breathing entity. He was crazy!
I tightened my grip on the knife and aimed the tip of the blade at his chest. “You need to leave. I won’t say it again.”
He spread his hands. “Or what? You’ll stab me?” He took a step forward, and added softly, “Trust me—I’d leave you alone if I could. But I’m bound to this legacy just as much as you are.”
I stilled, my breath freezing in my chest. “Stop! Don’t move any further!”
Gage kept his hands at chest height, palms out. “I’m not going to hurt you, Brydie,” he said softly. “If that were my intention, I would have done so already.”
I swallowed, accepting the truth. His body was lithe and muscular, and the way he moved was fluid, lightning quick. I knew I wouldn’t stand a chance if he decided to attack me. “Why haven’t you then?”
An eyebrow rose. “Haven’t you worked it out yet? I’m here to protect you.”
I blinked, floored at his explanation.
He took another step toward me. It was too much. He was too close. I reflexively stepped backward, flinching as my hip connected with the kitchen counter behind me. There was less than a meter between us. The knife trembled in my hand.
His eyes flicked to my betraying weakness. “Put the knife down, Brydie. We need to talk.”
“No! I don’t want to talk,” I cried desperately. “I just want you to leave.”
Why wasn’t he listening?
“I told you—I can’t. You need to know what you’re involved in.”
I wanted to scream as panic flared. “Look, I have no idea what you’re talking about. I told you before—Nora and I were estranged. She wanted nothing to do with me! The last time I ever saw or spoke to her was three years ago. Whatever you have to share is irrelevant and nothing to do with me!”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Brydie,” he ground out. “There is more at stake here than you understand. It’s more than just the Estate—more than just the pendant. You’re in danger, and you need me to help you. I can’t protect you if you don’t know what’s going on, and the longer we delay, the closer you are to your last breath.”
I gaped at him. He’d just crossed into crazy. How the hell could I be in danger? Unless—as the thought popped into my mind, I felt sweat break out across my forehead.
“How did Nora die?” I asked quietly. The words seemed to echo in the silence.
Gage’s face closed of all expression. “We’ll discuss that later.”
“No!” I ground out firmly, panic flaring at his rebuff. “Now.”
He stared at me, his cerulean blue eyes burning. “That’s not important right now. You need to get up to speed on the legacy.”
My stomach knotted at his response, a foreboding prickle at the back of my neck. “Of course it’s important! She was my grandmother, and the more you try to shut it down, the more I refuse to listen to what you have to say.”
Even as I demanded the answer, I was telling myself to stop pushing.
Something flickered in his gaze—recognition that I needed this to move forward.