Page 23 of Guarded Knight

Freya crunches into the crispy fried bread. “Thank you so much for moving the boxes up. We needed a hero after all that driving.”

I nod politely, thin-lipped, and take a bite of the grilled cheese. Jesus, this thing is good. I don’t usually take the Lord’s name in vain.

“Tomorrow we need to get back to the grind,” Freya goes on. “I guess we’ll work from home, but this tiny table isn’t going to be fun for the two of us.” She hooks her thumbs in Lara’s direction. “Especially Little MissI Need Twenty Drinks Going at One Time.”

“Like, three, maximum.” Lara’s face fills with feigned guilt as she pretends to be sneaky and moves one of the multiple drinks in front of her slyly on the floor, out of Freya’s sight.

Freya laughs. “Ha. Trythree minimum.” She counts on her fingers. “Coffee, water, something fizzy, a smoothie…”

My chest relaxes hearing Lara is looking after herself. CF can mean a person doesn’t feel thirsty. Mrs. Young’s nagging made its way into Lara’s nervous system.

I see this as a perfect opportunity to get her somewhere even safer than this where I can do more digging and less watching. “Bring your drinking habit to the ranch. We have a family office at Monarch Hills,” I offer. “You could keep a twenty-four pack out and not get in anybody’s way.” Not that I’ve asked Santi. Or my other brothers. But I ask very few favors, and having Lara behind the guarded perimeter at our family ranch would be one worth asking.

Anyway, they’ve always said it’s mine, too, I just never made it feel like it.

“Oooh. A ranch?” The stars are back for Freya, making her deep-brown eyes sparkle again.

Lara sighs. “Freya is a city girl.”

That’s perfect. Freya can do the begging now instead of me.

“I’d love to be around horses,” she practically coos.

In my pocket.

Lara’s head flops to one side, and she throws me a look that says thanks a lot. I return her unspoken annoyance with a triumphant, smug grin. We both know Freya will be asking to work at the ranch, if not tomorrow, then soon.

Freya puts down her sandwich and wipes her fingers on a napkin. “How long have you two known each other?”

Lara doesn’t look up, but her answer is said in that way where people want to end the conversation. “A long time.”

Freya glances at me.

I get the impression she already knows more than she’s letting on.

“So childhood friends?”

“Our families were close.” I observe Lara’s body language and I’m guessing by how closed off she is, she didn’t tell Freya our real story. “Lara’s brother was my best friend growing up. And she was…”

“The tagalong,” Lara says flatly.

I don’t flinch but hold her honey eyes and try not to drown in them. “She was more than that.”

Freya tilts her head coyly. “So… friends, then?”

Freya darts her gaze between us, sensing the tension you wouldn’t get through with a samurai sword.

I offer a curt nod.

I guess one day, probably while Lara’s here in Echo Valley, we’ll have to talk about our past again. Hell, I want to talk again. Maybe she’d be happy to hear I’m trying to stand still. That the nightmares have finally lessened with therapy.

Or maybe she’s not as invested in me as I am in her.

Anyway, right now, I’ve got bigger priorities, and they start with taking her ex down.

I shift gears. “What do you two do at the Foundation? It benefits sickle cell anemia, right?”

I already know Lara’s Head of Fundraising. I already know just about everything there is to know about her but I think she’ll appreciate the change of subject.