“Hey, pretty girl.”
She nearly dropped the pan and sent macarons tumbling across the floor. She managed to get it on the rack but still ended up skimming her thumb against the edge of the pan.
“Damn it,” she said, and stuck her thumb under the tap as the knife-sharp pain throbbed beneath her skin.
“You all right?”
“I’m fine. What do you want, Rowan?”
“I know I’m not your favorite person right now. But I’m back in Chicago—just drove in, actually—and I’d really like the chance to see you.”
He was setting up his alibi, she thought. For his previous attack, and for whatever he planned to do next. The asshole was using her in case it all went wrong again.
Anger began to heat her skin, and she realized it was a lot more comfortable than anxiety or shame.
She also, for the first time, understood Jonah was right. This wasn’t about her or what she’d said or what she’d done. There were dozens of vampires in the House with significant others who talked about Cadogan and its vampires, and precisely none of them had tried to kidnap Merit.
Rowan was just an asshole. And that wasn’t her fault or her responsibility.
On the other hand . . .
They hadn’t yet managed to find Rowan, and she had him, right now, on the phone. Maybe she could help put him away. And in doing so, close this particular chapter of her life.
“I just . . . I don’t know, Rowan.” She tried to imagine how she’d have responded if she didn’t know Rowan was the one who’d attacked her friend. Adrenaline made her voice flutter now, not fear or anger. But it sounded, she thought, pretty convincing. “The House is . . . pretty frazzled right now.”
“Frazzled?” He couldn’t hide the excitement in his voice, probably figured she’d think it was just concern.
“Someone attacked Merit the other night. So we’re all a little freaked out.”
“Oh, man. That’s rough. They know who did it?”
Anger built on anger, one hot block at a time.
“I don’t think so. The street was dark, and I guess he was covered up or something.”
“Crazy,” he said. “Crazy. So, maybe I could just come by with a coffee.”
She didn’t know whether to be furious he was using her to get into the House or thrilled that he was putting himself in her hands.
“I don’t know, Rowan. We haven’t talked in a long time, and everyone is pretty tense.” She put just enough hesitation in her voice to make him think a little more pushing would send her over the edge and get the answer he wanted.
“How about we’ll just talk in the foyer—that front living room or whatever? I’ll bring you a coffee, and we’ll talk. Nothing serious, nothing intense. Just a chance to catch up.”
She made herself count to ten, as if she was seriously debating how to answer. “All right,” she said. “But I’m working the breakfast rush. Can you give me a couple of hours?”
“Of course, Margie.” She could practically hear the smile in his voice. “Two hours.”
She hung up the phone, slipped it back into her pocket, and smiled like a cat who’d gotten the mouse. And that haze of regret began to melt away.
Margot pulled off the apron, turned off the oven, and walked to Ethan’s office.
He and Merit were in the seating area with Malik and Jonah talking, she assumed, about the deal with the mayor.
Jonah looked up first, and there was heat in his eyes before he banked it. And he banked it, she realized, for her. Because unlike Rowan, Jonah understood self-control.
“He’s coming here,” she said, shifting her gaze to Ethan.
Ethan’s brow furrowed as he turned to face her. “Who?”
She swallowed. “Rowan. He called and said he just got into town and he wanted to talk, and maybe we could just chat. He invited himself over here for coffee. So I let him. He’ll be here in two hours.”
Ethan rose and strode toward her. When he reached her, he put his hands on her cheeks. “You are absolutely brilliant.”
Margot grinned. “I did good?”
“You did exceptional.”
“Yay! My heart was racing,” she said, and pressed a hand against her chest. She looked at Merit. “And I didn’t mind. It’s no wonder you like to do this.”
“Adrenaline is a powerful thing,” Merit said, smiling as she joined them.
Ethan checked his watch. “So we have two hours, but I want a plan ready and underway in half that.” He looked back at Margot. “Do you think you can play along a little longer? Maybe meet him outside, ensure we can get near him?”
She made herself nod. She knew Rowan wasn’t above hurting her, and she didn’t want to spend any more time with him than was necessary. But she couldn’t say no. Not now. “Sure.”
Ethan glanced at Merit. “Sentinel, you’ll talk to Luc?”
“I’ll head downstairs right now,” she said, and brushed her fingers against his as she moved, with a slight waddle, toward the door.
Ethan nodded, then looked at Malik. “I apologize for dropping the negotiations on you again.”
“It’s my pleasure entirely,” Malik said. “You know I love a good contract.”
“That’s why you’re my Second. I’ll call your grandfather,” he said to Merit, “while you coordinate with the Ops Rooms.”
“I’ll head back to my office,” Malik said, giving Jonah an appraising look. “And you can meet me there when you’re ready.”
Margot wasn’t sure if Jonah had heard him, as he was staring at her.
“Just a minute, please,” Jonah said.
“Of course,” Malik said. Margot assumed he left the room, but didn’t see, because she couldn’t seem to tear her gaze away from Jonah’s. And when he walked toward her, stride as intense and purposefully as his expression, she couldn’t seem to move, either.
“Can we talk?”
“Okay,” she said, and headed back to the front of the House. The kitchen and dining room would be full of vampires, as would the front parlor. But there was a quiet spot near the back staircase where they could chat without being interrupted.
She moved to the spot, turned to face him. And he was close enough that she had to look up to meet his eyes.
“This could be dangerous,” he said. “He’ll probably get really pissed when he figures out he’s been set up. He could try to hurt you, and you aren’t trained—not at combat, anyway—to get out of that situation. I just want you to understand the risk. To be aware of it.”
Margot lifted her chin. This was her chance, and he wasn’t going to take that away from her. “I’m going to do this because he’s using me to get to my friends. And I won’t allow that. I need to do it. When he’s taken down, I need him to know that I was part of it. That I’m stronger than he thinks. And I know everyone will have my back.”
Jonah looked at her for a long, quiet moment that stretched like pulled candy, then nodded. “Okay, then.”
Margot blinked. “What do you mean ‘Okay, then’? That’s it? That’s all you’re going to say?”
His eyes went dark, and they focused on her with such precision she thought they might drill through to her soul. “What did you expect me to say?”
“I don’t know. That I’m being stupid and you’re going to tell Ethan not to let me help.”
In a flash, the heat in his eyes went cold, like deep and fractured ice. “You aren’t stupid, Margot. You’re anything but. You’re resilient and strong and creative and sexy, which is entirely off topic.” He shook his head as if to get himself back on track. “I don’t think you should do it because it’s dangerous, because I’d rather you not take the risk. But it’s your call, not mine. It’s your decision to make. And if that’s your decision, then I’ll support it. Because I know you can do it.”
For a full minute, she just stared at him, at a complete loss for words. He trusted her. He believed in her. And even though he thought it was dangerous, he accepted it was her choice and would support her.
He believed she could do it. That baffled and amazed and thrilled her. This wasn’t codependence. This wasn’t control. This was trust and respect. This was . . . sexy as hell.