Chosen Fool (Forever Evermore #5)(87)

Silver eyes flicked to Sin then back to me. “Two against one seems hardly fair.”

My lips curved all on their own. “When I want something badly enough, I never play fair.”

Elder Kincaid’s mate, Fi, who had a bit of a staring problem, interposed into the conversation, deflecting beautifully. “That is an interesting purse, Ms Jules.” She stared at it for a long moment. It was my black one with the pink skull on it.

“Thank you.” I was going to take that as a compliment. I yanked harder on Sin’s shirt. “We’ll see you all in a bit.”

Elder Farrar chuckled quietly, waving as Sin stood. “Have fun on your trip.”

I had been starting to turn, but I slowly tilted my head back to him, cocking it. I had heard something in his tone. My eyes roamed his bronzed face. “Is there something I need to know?”

“Criminals are always so perceptive,” he mumbled quietly, his grin still beaming. “How I do like you, Caro. And you should know…just that…” His head teetered back and forth. “You should remember your roots.” His face appeared pensive for a moment. “Oh yes…and the towel’s on your right side, not the left.” A finger flicked to the side. “To the right. That’s very important.”

I blinked slowly at his jumbled mess of words and rolled my finger. “Let me try that again.” A slow point at myself, then Sin. “We’ll be coming home on time, right?”

Again, his lips lifted. “Time does tell all, does it not? And it is such a figurative, fickle thing. It’s an amazing feat that it continues ticking away, never ending.” His tongue clicked a few times inside his mouth. “Tick-tock.”

I wasn’t even sure I blinked. “Maybe we won’t go out, after all.”

He laughed outright, enjoying himself way too much. “Go, go.” His eyes crinkled at the corners in some private joke. “Don’t worry. You’ll enjoy yourself while you’re out.” He waggled a finger. “But don’t forget my envelope.” The same finger flicked to the side. “And to the right, Caro. To the right.”

Slow words from me, with a nod of my head. “Towel’s on the right. Got it.”

A finger pointed at me. “Your right, not the other right.”

Another slow word. “Okay.” My careful gaze turned to Sin. “Still want to go?”

He shrugged a shoulder, his gaze also sensibly neutral. “He said you’d have fun.”

“Huh.” I licked my lips. “Well, what’s the harm in a little fun?”

Sin snorted as we walked away. “Just don’t forget the towel part.”

“Yes,” Elder Farrar stated loudly behind us. “Your right, Caro. To the right.”

“Issues,” Sin whispered quietly, neither of us turning to glance back at him. “Serious issues.”

I elbowed him in the side. “I like him. Be nice.”

“So do I…but man…issues…” He slung an arm over my shoulder, and we exited the room with guards in tow. He winked. “I was thinking table dancing and margaritas.”

“Don’t even think about it!” King Zeller hollered from inside the breakfast room. “If we have to field any more damn phone calls, or arrange any more press releases, we will be pissed the f*ck off!” A pause, then he shouted, “Don’t make me regret saying I’m happy you’re back, Sin!”

“He sure does know how to take the fun out of everything,” I grumbled with false misery. “Maybe just a small table dance and one margarita.”

“Caro!” King Zeller bellowed. “I’m serious!” A pause. “Go talk to your damn Prodigy before she ends up on the news again.”

Sin and I double-timed it to his car.

We cleared the gates before King Collins could haul us back.

Window-shopping with Sin was always an interesting experience. He enjoyed it way more than I did, since he didn’t actually window-shop. He yanked me into every store whether I wanted to go or not. He tried on outfit after outfit and made me try on multiple garments.

Some were respectable, but most were not.

My stomach rumbled, and I called into the dressing room, “Sin, I’m hungry!”

“I’ve got four other pairs of pants to try on,” he elucidated from behind the curtain.

Sighing, I peered out the window of the cute shop into the downtown area. It was a perfectly picturesque postcard view of the finer north-east: the adorable town of Choep. The refined shops painted blue and white, with curving wrought-iron lights lining the intimate two-lane street, were peaceful. And, most importantly, I spied a bakery across the street. “There’s a place to eat across the way. How about I grab some sandwiches and bring them back?” I lifted my brows and eyed the curtain. “Do you think you’ll be done by then?”

“Fine, fine,” Sin muttered. “I’ll be done by then.”

I grinned. My guards followed close behind. “With this store, you mean.”

Sin was chuckling. “I love you.”

“I love you too, you vain man.” As I exited the shop, the guards flanked me. I ignored the stares the action created and started crossing the street. But the looks of awe on their faces were annoying.

That was when all hell broke loose.