Cherished (Masters and Mercenaries #7.5)(49)

“You’re really in love with Amy?”

He turned, the hint of an enigmatic smile on his face. “I’m quite devoted to her. I have been since we met a few months ago. You know how you meet a person and realize very quickly you have a connection?”

He’d known from the moment he saw Bridget that he wanted her. He’d known within days of sleeping with her that he needed her. “I guess I do.”

Frankie sighed as he stared out over the ocean. “I love Amy, but as you’ve already figured out, there are many kinds of love.”

“So you admit she’s not your type.” He still wasn’t so sure Bridget was right about not talking to her sister, but who was he to complain? He’d tried to butt into his own sister’s love life and Mitch still seemed stiff and awkward around him. He’d f*cked things up with his best friend and almost alienated his sister.

Frankie shook his head. “She’s everyone’s type and that’s all I’ll say on the matter. Now, I would like to know how much it’s going to cost me to get you out of Bridget’s life.”

Okay. Now he didn’t like the man very much. “There is not enough money in the world.”

Frankie finally turned and gave Will an assessing look. “I’m thinking there is. She doesn’t have any, you know. I mean she’s got what she makes from her writing, and that’s not an insubstantial amount, but it’s nothing compared to the Slaten fortune. How about I pay you a hundred thousand? That should cover your medical school loans and leave you with a little something left over. I’m sure if you stayed with Bridget for several years you could amass that much, but now you can have it all in one go. And you can find another target.”

Will’s blood pressure ticked up. He’d managed to keep Bridget calm for days. He wasn’t about to cause a scene himself. “I am going to forgo the pleasure of beating you senseless, you piece of shit. I’m going to do it because Bridget would be upset, but if you ever talk to me again, I don’t know what I’ll do. Bridget is mine. Mine, do you understand? And no one in this god-forsaken family of hers is going to come between us. I’ve been here for exactly two days and I already know every single one of you is rotten to the core. I have zero idea how that woman came from this family. She’s worth a hundred of you.”

A slow smile spread across Frankie’s face. “Is that right?”

“Yes, that’s right.” He finally got it. He finally figured out why her mother calling her healthy had bugged her. “Healthy means fat. That bitch. She stood right in front of me and called her daughter fat.”

“Mother Slaten is very good at that,” Frankie replied as though it should have been obvious. “Not much good at anything else.”

Now he could see that every single woman in her family, with the exception of her sister, had subtly insulted her. “She’s gorgeous, and I won’t listen to anyone who says otherwise.”

“She is a stunning woman. She’s almost as beautiful as her sister. So George didn’t send you I take it.” Frankie took a deep breath. “I’m glad to hear that. I’ve been working myself up to this scene for days.”

“Bridget’s dad? Why do you think he sent me? Why would he send me?”

“Well, I discovered a connection to you a few days before we flew out here. You see, I snoop. A lot. It’s one of my hobbies. George has a file on you. I wasn’t able to read it, but he keeps files on all his employees. I was worried he’d sent you in to handle Bridget. It would be exactly like him to send his own man to ensure the prodigal daughter’s return didn’t disrupt his plans. I assume Bridget’s going to attempt to talk Amy out of marrying me. George won’t let that happen.”

Will shook his head, trying to take it in. This family’s intrigues astonished him. He’d figured out rapidly that they very rarely said what they meant. It was all a dance of subtle insults and backhanded compliments. “I hadn’t met the man before dinner the other night. Bridget introduced me, but she got us out of his line of fire really quickly. I’m not a plant. We had mutual friends and I pursued her until I ran her to ground.”

“So you are engaged?”

“Of course we are.” He wasn’t going to give up the game at this point.

Frankie chuckled. “You’re a horrible liar. Let me guess. My Amy got sick of her cousins talking about Bridget. She had too much wine and announced that Bridget was dating a hot guy. Oh, but Amy never does things halfway. She likely said Bridget was getting married, too.”

It was obvious that Frankie knew his fiancée well. “I think you should talk to Amy about that.”

Frankie tipped his head as though agreeing to the point. “Well, obviously I apologize for trying to buy you off and for suggesting that you might be a paid escort.”

“Hey, I’ve never been accused of prostitution before. It’s a new experience. So that begs the question of why Slaten has a file on me.”

“More than likely because he was trying to get leverage on you. It’s what he likes to do. He’s not as clever as he thinks he is though. And he definitely likes to underestimate the people around him. Especially his daughters.”

So Bridget’s dad had been digging up dirt. He would find quite a bit. He could take all that dirty laundry right to Bridget and lay it out.