His jaw clenches again and his words are low, stripped of emotion, when he speaks. “It’s too late. You’re already involved.”
My eyebrows go up on my forehead. “You’re kidding,” I say flatly, unable to muster even an ounce of incredulity.
His eyes scan my face. “I tried to keep you out of this. I swear, I did. But it’s too late now.”
A hysterical noise — half chuckle, half scream — escapes my mouth. “You’re totally nuts. Bonkers. Gonzo.”
“Gemma.”
“Seriously, what are you even talking about?”
He sighs. “My cousin and I — we don’t get along.”
“Yeah, I got that, thanks,” I snap.
His nostrils flare with anger, but he reins it in and his voice is composed when he continues. “He thinks I’m interested in you.”
I notice he doesn’t clarify whether Brett’s beliefs are accurate, but I’m certainly not going to ask, so instead I just bite out a terse, “And?”
“And that makes you a target.”
I stare at him, waiting for him to break into a grin and say,Gotcha! Just kidding, Gemma.
He doesn’t.
“What does that mean?” I ask. “That I’m atarget?”
“It means, he’ll do everything he can to use you against me. To hurt me.”
“Oh,” I say, instantly relieved. “Well, then there’s nothing to worry about.”
His eyes narrow. “Care to explain that statement?”
My cheeks heat with the beginnings of a blush. “Well, I just mean, there’s nothing going on between us, so it’s not like he could use me against you even if he wanted to. We’ve only met, like, twice. We’re basically strangers. So, there’s really nothing to worry about. You can let me go, I’ll tell your cousin there’s nothing between us, and we can all get on with our lives.”
That strange, scary look creeps into his eyes again. “You will not be speaking to my cousin again.”
“Excuse me?” I huff. “I’ll do whatever I damn well please, thank you very much.”
“Gemma—”
“No!” I interject. “He’s a client, now. I’ll have to talk to him, one way or another.”
“Find a new client.”
“Oh, right.” I snort. “Because I can just snap my fingers and find a new gazillionaire art connoisseur.” My eyes go wide and I infuse my voice with sarcasm. “Or,hey! Maybe I can just go out into the forest and pick up a few new ones, because apparently they’re growing on trees, now!”
“Good.” Chase totally ignores my sarcastic comments, his voice flat. “Because you’re not dealing with Brett ever again.”
I fight a scream “Are you even listening to me?”
“I’ll buy however many goddamn paintings you want!” he barks, his expression dark. “I’ll buy the whole fucking collection! ButBrett is not your client, anymore. Do you understand me?”
I make a concerted effort to get my breathing under control and decide to try a new tactic. “How did you even know I was here?”
“I keep an eye on everything my cousin does.”
“That’s insane,” I breathe.