Page 52 of Illusive
“You take over a man’s business and make yourself at home with his daughter, and it’s his fault he’s mad about it?”
“Losing Vidalshouldsting—a lot. That’s the point. But my interest in Ireland has nothing to do with Chris. And to be clear, Ireland will run Vidal, and I’ll find a pied-à-terre. I expect it’ll take a bit of time for everyone to learn to stay out of her way, so I’ll make sure of it in the meantime.”
“What I’m hearing is an intention to drive a wedge between Ireland and her family.”
“You’re all managing to do that without any help from me,” he said frankly. “Since she and I met, Ireland has sabotaged abusiness deal I wasthis closeto wrapping up. She’s kicked me out of my hotel room, split my lip with a nasty right hook, and sold me to the highest bidder. She’s distanced herself from me, then reconsidered that choice multiple times. She’s a force in her own right, but you all insist on keeping her on the sidelines.”
Elizabeth tried to suppress a smile and failed. “I assumed Gideon did that to your lip. But I’m not at all surprised it was Ireland. She would’ve been terribly disappointed to realize you aren’t the man she’s been looking for after all.”
“I’ve hardly had the time to prove that one way or another.”
“Oh, you give the appearance of being what she needs,” she allowed.
“And that is?”
“A man who can hold his own against Gideon.”
“Ireland could manage him herself if she put her mind to it.”
“And you intend to encourage that? All any of us wants for her are people in her life—friends, partners, lovers—who are trustworthy. But she makes bad choices in her romantic relationships. Maybe she got that flaw from me. I’m just grateful she’s smarter than I was at her age and hasn’t already been married twice.”
“She likes to keep things casual, so that’s a factor.”
Elizabeth’s brow furrowed. “It should really be no surprise that I’m wondering what you’re getting out of this…arrangement you have—or want—with Ireland.”
Ronan faced her thinly veiled suspicion directly. “Time with her. I enjoy her company very much. Even when we’re at odds, she delights me.”
“If that’s true, you’d better start asking yourself some hard questions. Gideon and Chris were already hovering and overstepping before. After this…” Her breathing stuttered before she finished her thought. “They’ll want an even higher level of trust in Ireland’s personal circle.”
“She’s safe with me.”
“Why don’t you and I just get to the root of the problem, hmm?” she suggested.
Genuinely curious, he asked, “Why would you want to? Everyone else is so certain I’m wrong, they couldn’t care less what the truth is.”
Her ankle flexed up and down, but she was otherwise still and watchful. “My ex-husband is one of those people with an incredible repertoire of stories. Chris just has this fantastic ability to be in the right place at the right time to have memorable encounters with interesting, notable people. It’s astonishing how often I found myself saying, ‘This could only happen to you, Chris.’”
Ronan’s brow arched in silent inquiry.
She went on. “He was a visiting student at Tulane one summer, but he never talks about it. I can’t stress how truly unlike him that is. For a college student to have an entire summer in a place like New Orleans that he won’t talk about is unusual, but for Chris, it’s downright suspicious. You know something about that time in his life, don’t you? It’s the only way I can connect you two.”
“You should ask him about it sometime,” Ronan said lazily. “If he’s honest, you’ll see just how incredible his storytelling can be.”
Elizabeth noted how Ronan McCaffrey Boudreaux’s Southern drawl deepened, belying the sharp, ruthless glint that appeared in his remarkable gray eyes whenever Chris was mentioned. His charm and relaxed posture disguised and disarmed. Ashe continued gently stroking the shameless cat, he appeared perfectly at ease. But she sensed his subtle change in mood.
He flashed her a dazzling smile of triumph. “You won’t rush to his defense, will you? Because you know him. Know he’s capable of anything. Twenty-plus years living with him, you’ve seen at least glimpses of who he really is.”
“He can keep things to himself that he shouldn’t,” she conceded, “like how dire Vidal’s situation had become. But it’s because he doesn’t want anyone else to bear the burden of worrying. Especially if they can’t fix the problem. And his eternal optimism blinds him sometimes.”
“He hopes for the best, and when that goes to hell, he doesn’t offer disclosure—for your own good?” Ronan asked, incredulous. “Is that what you’re saying?”
“That optimism is why you’re here, so you shouldn’t mock it,” she chastised. “Ireland inherited that trait from Chris, and it’s the only reason she gave you a chance. Any other woman would’ve sworn off men after some of the experiences Ireland’s had.”
He huffed a laugh.
“Ireland looks like me, but she has a lot of her father in her, and that’s not a bad thing.” Elizabeth tried and failed not to dwell on how Ireland’s sunny disposition and sweet nature made her ongoing captivity all the more petrifying.
She tried to concentrate on the distraction Ronan presented instead. “Chris has his faults,” she acknowledged, “and I don’t always approve of the way he goes about things, but he’s genuinely a good, kind man who loves his family very much.”
