Finally. Finally his wife was in
Avernos where she belonged. Brandt leaned back in his chair and swirled
his single malt, inhaling the peaty aroma. Miri may not want to stay,
but he’d change her mind, no matter what it took. He took a deep
swallow and dropped the glass to the wooden tabletop. He’d let her
escape once. He wouldn’t allow that to happen again.
The door opened and he
stood, his gaze intent. Miri walked into his study, hell, stalked in,
anger reverberating with every step. He silently scrutinized her,
gauging her emotions. Furious, no doubt about that. But he could also
see the hurt that underscored all else.
She wore a silk suit in
blistering red. It was one of the outfits he’d personally selected in
anticipation of her return, knowing she wouldn’t have anything of her
own with her. The tailored lines revealed the weight she’d lost, making
her appear even more delicate than usual. She’d pulled her hair back
from her face, inky dark, the heavy length gathered into a
sleek knot at the nape of her neck. The style emphasized the fine-boned
curves of her face and drew attention to her eyes, eyes the deep green
of a stormy sea.
“It’s good to have you
here, Miri.”
“I wish I could say the
same.” She approached, tossing her purse onto a side table before
gesturing toward the chair in front of his desk. “Do you mind?”
He shook
his head, amused. How could he have thought he’d ever be able to make a
successful match with Alyssa? He wanted impulsive. Bold. Vibrant. A
woman who brought color into his world. He wanted Miri. “Please, have
a seat. I’m sorry I couldn’t join you for dinner. Would you care for a
drink?”
She shook
her head. If he didn’t know her so well, he’d think she were perfectly
at ease. But he did know better. Her nervousness showed in the defiant
slant of her chin and the tight grip she maintained on the padded arms
of the chair. Even the curve of her mouth warned of emotional turmoil.
“Thank you
for returning to Avernos,” he began.
“Thank you
for—” She stared in disbelief. “Have you lost your mind? You make it
sound like I chose to return. In case you’ve overlooked a few dots, let
me connect them for you. You gave me no other choice. I had to come
back with you or you’d have—”
“I’d have
. . . what?” he cut in.
She froze,
like a deer scenting the approach of a predator. “Your men. You. You
had all of us surrounded. I had to go with you.”
“Do you
think I’d have harmed you, or any of the Montgomery women for that
matter?” He bit off each word, offended that she’d believe him capable
of such a thing.
“Not harm,
no,” she conceded.
“You think
I’d have forced you to come with me?”
Her head
jerked up. “Yes.” No equivocation this time, just that single fierce
word.
He gave it
a moment’s consideration before lifting a shoulder. She might be
right. He sure as hell wouldn’t have left without her, he knew that for
a fact. “Perhaps I would have used force if there had been no other
alternative. I don’t know. But since you chose to come of your own
free will, I didn’t have to make that decision, did I?” He picked up
his drink and drained it, before setting it aside. “Well? Shall we get
down to it? Would you prefer to start, or shall I?”
“I’m not
sure.” She eyed his glass. “Are you sufficiently fortified?”
He
couldn’t help but smile. “There’s no fortification sufficient enough
when it comes to dealing with you.”
She
relaxed ever so slightly at the admission, but didn’t respond to his
smile. “Okay. You want to discuss our issues? Fine. I’ll go first.”
She leaned forward in her chair, fixing him with an unforgiving stare.
“The first thing we need to discuss is who betrayed me. I want to
know who told you I’d be at the mall unescorted.”
“Next
question.”
“Tell me
who the traitor is,” she insisted.
“I said,
next question.”
A silent
battle of wills ensued, neither willing to back down. He’d just begun
to wonder if they were going to sit there all night when she released
her breath in a frustrated sigh. “Fine. Don’t tell me. Explain
something else instead. What possible excuse can you have for what
you’ve done? For the lengths you’ve gone to, to try and gain the
throne?”
"It was my duty to protect
Verdonia."
He winced at her drawn
expression. “So you forced Alyssa to the altar because you didn’t trust
my family? Is that what you’re telling me? You think they stole
the country's amethysts and sold them on the black market?”
“It was a possibility I
couldn't dismiss." He leaned forward. "You seem to have
forgotten something, Miri. It’s my duty to protect the people of
Verdonia. To safeguard their future. The only way I can do that is
from the throne. You may not approve of my methods, but at the time I
didn’t see any other option. Looking back, I still don’t.”
She stiffened. “My God,”
she whispered in disbelief. “You’d do it again, wouldn’t you?”
“Marry Alyssa in order to
keep Lander off the throne?” He didn’t even hesitate. “Yes, I would.”
“Regardless of what
happened between us on Mazoné? Regardless of what we had?”
“Damn it, Miri.” He
scrubbed his face with his hands. “Do you think that doesn’t tear me
up? That I wouldn’t wish for a different life, if it were possible?
But, it’s not. I am who I am. I can only act the way I’ve been raised
to behave. The way I’m ethically bound to respond. I can’t change
that.”
“Ethically bound?” She
jumped to her feet and shot away from him. Halfway across the room, she
spun around again, a flame of red fire. “Alyssa didn’t want to marry
you, Brandt. She was terrified, both of you and the situation she found
herself in. If I hadn't taken her place at the altar . . . But
that doesn’t matter to you, does it? You would have sacrificed her on
the altar of your precious code of ethics. She was no more than a pawn
to you. How can that be right? How can that be just?”
He didn’t back away from
the question, but faced it squarely. “Not a day goes by that I don’t
regret what I did to her.” Pain carved deep crevices in his face. “It
came down to forcing her to marry me and saving Verdonia, or allowing
the corruption to continue until the entire country was destroyed. What
should I have done?”
“That’s so obvious, even a
child could answer.” Scorn filled her voice. “You should have brought
the matter before the Temporary Governing Council, as you ultimately
did.”
He conceded the point with
a nod. “Perhaps. But I couldn’t be certain how deep the corruption
ran. At the time, I didn’t feel I could take the risk. Only afterward
did I dare take that route.”
“So marrying Alyssa seemed
like the best option, despite what we’d shared in Mazoné.” She didn’t
phrase it as a question.
“The only option,” he
confirmed.
“Then what am I doing
here? You brought me back to Avernos.” Her hands fisted at her sides.
“Why?”
A muscle jerked in his
jaw. “You’re here because I can’t let you go.” The words held a raspy
edge. “I won’t.”
“And I won’t be a
consolation prize. Nor will I be second choice.” She marched across
the room and snatched up her purse. “You don’t have the right to keep
me here any longer. I want to go home. And by home I mean Verdon. Do
you take me, or do I call my brothers for help?”
Surging to
his feet, Brandt came for her. “There’s only one place you’re going and
it sure as hell isn’t Verdon.” Before she had time to react, he scooped
her up in his arms and carried her toward the door.
“Let me
go!” She fought to free herself, not that it did any good. “What do
you think you’re doing?”
“Taking
you to my bed,” he answered promptly. “Maybe once I have you there
again you’ll remember why you stayed last time.”
