“What’s the plan?”
“We keep her. Watch her. When Wolfe reaches out, wanting to know where his necklace is, we get the fucker.”
“And what do we do with her until then?”
“Anything we want.”
Why does this sound like a bad idea?
4
Goldie
I’m not sure I like the way the three of them are looking at me right now. Okay, Idolike it, which is the problem. These guys are looking at me like they want to eat me up and I’m here for it. But I shouldn’t be. Ugh. Why does everything have to be so complicated? If only I had more experience with men—oranyexperience—then I might be able to play their game.
“I think I should leave.”
Atticus smiles, and it takes my breath away. “Why would you want to do that, angel? It’s still pouring out there.”
I know he’s right. I can still hear thunder now and then. And the thought of going out there makes me want to cry, especially since Wolfe won’t let me stay at his place when he finds out I don’t have the necklace. So, I’m screwed either way.
“I have to feed my cat,” I lie.
“I think your cat will be fine for a night.”
“Sure,” I agree. “But what about the fish? They won’t be okay.”
“Fish?”
I nod. “And the baby. She won’t be okay, either.”
His eyebrow lifts. “Baby? You have a baby?”
Crap. Maybe I went too far, but I’m committed to this story now.
“I take care of my neighbor’s kid while she works. She’ll be expecting me.”
“What’s her name?”
“The baby or the neighbor?”
“The neighbor.”
“Oh. Mrs…” I glance over his shoulder and see a statue of a bear on his bookshelf. “Bear.”
His lips twitch. “Your neighbor is Mrs. Bear?”
I know my cheeks are on fire, but I’m not one to back down. “Yup. Hey, are you related to her? Or maybe it’s spelled differently. Hers is like the animal.”
“What’s the baby’s name?”
“Baby. Baby Bear.”
Oliver mutters under his breath, “Jesus Christ.”
Atticus stares at me until I feel like squirming.
“What’s her number?”