“I know about Eleanor. I can’t believe someone would kidnap her.” Daniel glanced between them. “I wouldn’t even borrow a teacup from you two.”
“Is that so?” Søren asked, and gave Daniel the only glare more feared than the Ouch.
“You let me borrow her, remember?” Daniel asked.
“For one week. You’re the one who attempted to convince her to stay.”
Kingsley watched as Daniel walked across the room and met Søren in the doorway.
“Come on,” Daniel said, looking up at Søren. “You would have tried to keep her, too.”
“Yes,” Søren agreed. “Only I would have succeeded.”
“You get more arrogant with age. Aren’t priests supposed to be humble?”
“We’re also supposed to be celibate.” Søren smiled at Daniel, and Daniel and Kingsley had to laugh. No need to fight an old battle when a new one was already brewing.
“Good point. Now someone tell me what I can do to help,” Daniel said, turning back to Kingsley.
“You can leave,” Kingsley said.
“I’m not leaving. I love Eleanor, too. You know she—”
“Tell me the names and ages of your children,” Kingsley said.
“King, I know—”
“Tell me the names and ages of your children, Daniel,” Kingsley repeated.
Daniel paused to glare at Kingsley again. “That’s not fair.”
“It was not my idea for you to get married again and have how many children?”
“Four,” Daniel said almost apologetically.
“Right. Four children. And a wife. And your wife has how many siblings that you’re taking care of?”
“Daniel...” Søren said as he came into the room. “He’s right. This is dangerous. You should go.”
“Your niece is here,” Daniel countered.
“She has a purpose being here. You don’t.”
“Well, thank you very much for that.”
“He means Laila was there,” Kingsley added. Did Søren always have to be so Søren all the time? “She knows things.”
“Who’s the guy with her? Boyfriend?”
Kingsley nearly hurt himself trying not to smile. Søren turned his glare on Daniel up a notch.
“He most certainly is not,” Søren said, his voice dangerously icy.
“Sorry. Jesus. I said ‘boyfriend’ not ‘pimp.’”
“Le prêtre is annoyingly protective of his nieces,” Kingsley explained.
“A product of spending too much time in your company,” Søren said.
“And the young man to whom you’re referring...I suppose you could call him an interested party,” Kingsley said, looking for the most tactful description of Wesley’s presence. All of it was nonsense, lies and subterfuge. Neither he nor Søren wanted nor needed any of them here—not Wesley nor Laila, not Grace. He knew why Søren insisted that they be allowed to come. He knew and refused to accept that their presence here would ever be required.
“An interested party?” Daniel repeated, a slight smile on his lips. “So he’s sleeping with Nora.”
“Précisément,” Kingsley said.
Daniel only shrugged. “Figures.”
“I’ll let you two talk,” Søren said from the doorway. “But, Daniel, for the sake of your family, you do need to go. You shouldn’t be involved in any of this.”
“I appreciate the concern,” Daniel said, and Kingsley heard no sarcasm in his words. “I was prepared to die in this house after I lost Maggie. Eleanor saved me from that fate. I owe her...everything.”
“Then do what she would want you to do,” Søren said.
“She’d want me to take care of my family first,” Daniel admitted with obvious reluctance.
“She would,” Kingsley said.
“I’ll go.” Daniel raised his hands in surrender. “But I want to know everything. I want to know when she’s safe.”
“Thank you,” Søren said with real sincerity in his voice.
“For leaving?” Daniel asked with a small laugh.
“For saying ‘when she’s safe’ and not ‘if.’”
Kingsley watched as Daniel’s jaw clenched and his eyes darkened.
“You’re welcome.”
Søren merely nodded and walked away.
Daniel exhaled heavily as if he’d been holding his breath.
“I’ve been friends with him for decades, and he still scares the shit out of me sometimes,” Daniel said.
Kingsley sat on Daniel’s desk.
“He knows he does. You make it too much fun for him.”
“I thought he was going to kill me for daring to suggest his niece had a boyfriend.”
“He might have.”
“So that boy...one of Nora’s conquests?”
“Worse,” Kingsley said, grimacing. “He’s her fiancé. Supposedly. He asked her to marry him right before he was knocked unconscious and she was taken.”
“Are we sure he asked her before he received the head injury?” Daniel winked at him.
“I knew I liked you for a reason.” Kingsley hopped off the desk and clasped Daniel by the shoulder. “I’m taking care of this. You know that I can.”