Chapter 12
Eva
It was hard not to feel the disappointment eating at me.
As absurd as it was, finding out that Idaho was willing to help me just because of my father upset me.
It just reminded me of all the times, over the years, when I found out that boys—then later men—only pursued me for the family name, or what my father could do for them.
I even had a few friends as a kid who had only gotten to know me because their parents had asked.
None of those relationships had lasted once I found out the real reason they were in my life.
It was why my sisters and brother were my closest friends, and why I'd never actually dated.
I couldn't trust anyone. At least I found out now what Idaho's motives were.
"What's going on?" Lockout asked as we walked into his office. He was behind his desk, looking like a king sitting on his throne. His eyes narrowed on me, then flicked over to Idaho.
"Lock, meet the Lady Tatiana Evangeline Desmet," Idaho said, motioning to me. He shot me a smirk over his shoulder.
I grimaced, then gave the man watching us a guilty smile. Thomas was standing close by as Idaho moved forward to speak with his brother. We waited by the door. I was sure Lockout was going to toss me out on my ear as soon as he heard the kind of trouble I brought with me.
"What?" Lockout snapped, giving his brother an impatient look.
"She's the Grand Duke of Luxembourg's daughter."
Shock and confusion settled on Lockout's face. It was amazing how similar they looked.
"Luxembourg, like the fucking country?"
"Yup."
As if there was any other Luxembourg. I didn't speak, though. The tension was so thick in the room you could cut it with a knife, and I knew better than to add to that. Americans weren't as used to royalty, so it made sense that Lockout looked so shocked.
"Hang on," Lockout said, a sigh escaping as he tried to figure out what his brother was talking about. "She's a duchess?"
"No, Sir," I told him. "Just the daughter of a duke."
Lockout frowned at me. "Don't call me sir."
"Yes, Si-" I broke off when his scowl deepened. "Okay," I amended.
"Lockout is fine," he told me. "We don't observe any kind of authority here. At least not for you."
I nodded, then stole a glance at Idaho. He certainly thought he had some kind of authority over me. I didn't really care for it, but I wanted his help. And we just wouldn't talk about the effect he had on my body. It was better to shove that truth somewhere deep down and try to ignore it.
There was no way Father was going to let me stay here with only Thomas as protection now that there had been an incident.
I'd be lucky if he allowed me to stay even with Idaho's help.
Father didn't know these men and he trusted people even less than I did.
I wasn't looking forward to having that conversation with him.
"Explain, Dickhead," Lockout told his brother, drawing my attention back to them.
"You heard her. She's not a duchess," Idaho said with a shrug.
"But she's still fucking royalty," Lockout pointed out.
"She is. And Thomas is her bodyguard."
Lockout scrubbed a hand over his face. "This is what I'm talking about, Idaho. This is why I didn't want you around, this is the kind of shit you always manage to get yourself in. Us in."
I frowned, looking between them. Lockout's words were a little insulting, but ever the diplomat, I remained silent. Thomas was standing close enough I felt him tense up. Glancing over at him, I shook my head.
"We can talk about that later. I've offered her my help." Idaho's face was a blank mask now as he faced his brother.
"You still think that was some kind of hit last night?" Lock asked.
"Even more sure now, but I'm going to put my guy on it."
"Your guy?"
"I have someone for everything," Idaho said with a grin, the mask slipping. "I'll have him look into what happened. Until then, I still want her to stay here."
"And what's her family going to say about that?" Lockout asked.
"We're not going to tell them until I know more."
Lockout's expression turned thunderous. "And when this fucking duke ends up finding out we kept this from him? Didn't send his daughter home when she was in danger?"
"We're more than capable of protecting her," Idaho countered. "You know that."
"Of course we are, but it's the last thing we need with Fremont up our asses! And now you want to get us involved in a literal international incident?"
I wasn't sure who Fremont was, but I was still stuck on the fact that Lockout wanted to send me home.
I couldn't blame him. I was going to cause trouble for his people, one way or another.
If last night wasn't some kind of attack on me specifically, then they'd still be torn apart by my Father once he found out he wasn't told.
"I think I have an idea to help with Fremont, actually," Idaho told him. "But for it to work, we need her."
Everyone was staring at me now and I took a small step backward, bumping into Thomas's shoulder. "Need me for what?" I asked.
"I'll explain later," Idaho told me, "if he agrees to the plan." Idaho turned back to his brother. "Come on, Lock. She needs our help."
Lockout studied me for a few moments before he sighed and looked back at Idaho. "You're sure about this?"
"I am."
"Fine, but you're taking the ass chewing from her pissed off father when the time comes."
"Deal."
Idaho shot me a grin as he turned and started to usher me out the door.
His large hand was on the small of my back, and even through my sweater, I could feel the heat from his palm.
Get it together, Eva, I chided myself. He's not actually interested in you.
Sure, he found me attractive enough to kiss, but other than that, he only wanted to use me for his own gains.
"Idaho." We all stopped and looked over our shoulders at Lockout. His hazel eyes rested on me, giving me a considering look, before he glanced at his brother again. "This better be worth it."
I looked back at Idaho with curiosity. He seemed to know exactly what his brother was talking about, but I had no clue. "What did he mean by that?" I asked when Idaho all but shoved me out into the hallway.
"Nothing."
Sighing, I planted my feet and turned to face him. "You're going to need to start explaining a few things if I'm going to accept your help."
"You already did, Duchess." He grinned down at me and I felt my heart skip a beat.
Dammit. I needed to watch myself around him. I didn't want to end up being some kind of conquest for him when all he wanted was to get to my father. "That's not fair," I told him, trying to keep my tone even. "You don't get to use my desperation to order me around and keep me in the dark."
"Seems to me, I get to do whatever I want. I'm not the one who needs help."
"I hate you," I muttered, turning away.
He chuckled and caught up with me easily. Thomas was following us, but keeping his distance. "No, you don't."
I didn't bother to answer him as we walked back into the main room.
The men were all sitting around the bar, drinking and talking.
They quieted when they saw us. I felt like an intruder.
Like I didn't belong here. It was a familiar feeling.
I never belonged anywhere. Even with my family.
I was the black sheep. The one who wasn't happy with following every order from Father.
Who didn't want to live in a gilded cage for the rest of my life.
Marrying who he chose. Working where he chose. It was torture for me.
"Kit, this is Tatiana Desmet," Idaho introduced me to the woman behind the bar. "Tatiana, this is Kit Kincaid."
"Nice to meet you," I said with a smile. "And please, just call me Eva." I shot Idaho a look that told him that was aimed at him as well. I never went by Tatiana.
She nodded and gave me a warm smile. "It's nice to meet you, too. If you're going to be sticking around, the other women will be back soon and I can introduce you."
"She will be," Idaho answered. He turned and started pointing at the different men. "You've met Toxic."
Toxic winked at me, then gave Thomas a warning look. It said not to cause any trouble here. I smiled at him, trying to smooth over the rough first meeting.
"That's Butcher, Hush, Riptide, Dash, Mel, Ricochet, Smokehouse, and Hellfire. The mutts on the floor next to Hush are Auron and Jecht," he continued, motioning to each man as he introduced them. "Guys, this is Eva. She's going to be staying with us for a while."
"Why?" Butcher asked. It wasn't asked in a malicious way, so I didn't take offense.
"I'll explain that in church," Idaho replied. "Until then, just do me a favor and keep an eye out."
"For what?" a deep voice from behind me asked.
I turned and watched as Priest walked up. There were four little girls, and a woman with him. His arm was around her and she smiled at me in welcome.
"For anything out of the ordinary," Idaho replied. "You met Priest. This is his old lady, Taz, and his daughters, Gabby, Caitlyn, Taylor, and Cassie."
One thing my upbringing afforded me was the ability to remember names and faces. I was grateful for it now as Idaho rattled off the introductions.
There was no stopping my smile. "Hi," I said to Taz, then squatted down so I was on the smallest girls' level. "I'm Eva." They were about as old as my brother and it made my heart trip in my chest. As much as I didn't want to go home, I missed my family. Especially with the holidays almost here.
"Hi, Eva," the oldest girl, Gabby, said with a grin. "Are you dating Idaho?"
My eyes widened and I choked back a laugh at her brazen question.
Idaho chuckled. It was a warm sound that flowed over me and made me feel safe. Which was ridiculous considering he was a stranger and had only offered to help me out of self-interest. He'd even admitted it to Lockout, saying they needed me to help with something.
He squatted down beside me. "No, she's not dating me." He winked at Gabby, then looked at me. "Yet."