Blindfold: The Complete Series Box Set by M. S. Parker, Cassie Wild

sit?”
    Ash looked like he was going to explode.
    Quickly, I moved forward and touched his arm, acting before I could think better of it. “This will probably take some time, Ash.”
    It was probably my use of his nickname more than anything that got through to him. Brilliant green eyes glinted almost feverishly as he studied me. After a moment, he gave a short, terse nod. I was slightly surprised when he took my elbow and led me to a couch, gesturing to the lieutenant to have a seat as well. Fortunately, it wasn't the couch we'd been on earlier. That could've been…awkward.
    Green sat down and smoothed her skirt, folding her hands in her lap, taking an almost deliberate amount of time to do it. If she was waiting for hors d’ oeuvres, she was wasting her time. Finally, she spoke, her attention still focused on Ash. “It’s my understanding that you employ several bodyguards for your sister?”
    Lieutenant Green studied Ash the same way I would have looked at bacteria under a microscope in one of my biology classes.
    I didn't like it.
    Ash gave her a cool look that said he didn't like it either. “Yes, though they're used for when Isadora goes out. I rely on my home security staff to keep her safe while she's at home. You should know that each security member who was on duty today will be fired, so you might want to get their contact information in case you need to see them again.”
    “That seems a bit harsh.”
    “Harsh?” His body stiffened. “My sister was taken on their watch.”
    “That is still undetermined.”
    “Really?” Ash’s sarcasm was so thick, I was surprised nothing viscous dropped from the air to stain the thick, expensive carpet. “Oh, maybe I missed her while I was going over the security footage, or when I was tearing the house up, bellowing her name.”
    “She could have left.” Green sighed and glanced at me.
    I recognized the look well enough, but she was looking the wrong way for backup. I might not have known Isadora that well, but I didn't think it was likely that she just stepped out without telling anyone where she was going, especially since she hadn't told me that we were done for the day. She was disorganized, but never thoughtless. I wasn't a mind reader, but I was a good judge of character on top of studying to be a psychiatrist.
    I returned Green’s steady look, but didn't say anything. If she wanted my opinion, she was going to have to ask for it. And I doubted she'd like it when she did. Her gaze lingered for a moment and then she turned back to Ash.
    “Here are my concerns, Mr. Lang. Your sister is twenty years-old. I’ve got a fourteen year-old. I all but raised my two younger sisters. And although it was quite some time ago, I recall how it felt to be twenty. You want privacy. You want some independence. Does your sister have any of that?”
    “She has safety,” Ash snapped.
    “Safety.” Green nodded as she said the word slowly, as if weighing it on her tongue.
    “Look,” he said. “My sister wouldn't leave without telling me where she was going or taking her bodyguards with her.”
    I was torn between hugging him and rolling my eyes. He was smart. He'd managed to get his MBA while raising Isadora and taking over the family’s numerous companies, even though he'd only been nineteen when his parents had died. But smart didn’t always produce insight. And insight into a loved one was always the hardest.
    I knew that from experience. I'd had common sense drilled into me by my older brothers, but I'd known plenty of kids through the accelerated learning programs I’d been in who were practically as dumb as a stump when it came to practical things.
    When it came to his sister, I had a feeling Ash was clueless.
    Actually, when it came to twenty year-old females in general, Ash was probably clueless.
    That wasn’t to say he didn’t have a clue about women. Or at least a certain type of woman. But Isadora wasn't that type of woman, and she was at the weird stage