and meet them as he requested, and I have. You can't force someone to have a connection they don't want."
"I'll have a talk with them."
"That's not what I'm saying." She tried not to let her disappointment creep into her voice. "It's time for me to go home."
"Take a walk with me."
"Why?" Suspicion rose within her. He was going to show her something to try to force her to stay.
"I need some air." He led the way out of the office, then out the front door. The sun was just beginning its drop into the orange and pinks. "And I have more to show you."
She just bet he did. "Marc…"
"This way."
He didn't take her hand to tug her along as he had the night before. Instead, he strode out purposefully, and she had to jog a couple of steps to catch up to him.
As they rounded the corner, they came to the side of the house where she'd originally arrived. At the time she'd been so focused on the mansion itself she'd barely noticed the ten–stall garage.
Marc paused, his gaze finally coming back to her. "The garage."
"Kinda obvious." She hugged herself and rocked back on her heels. "That has ten bays, and there are several cars in the front of the house and three outside the garage."
"We have a lot of cars. Personal and business."
Next to the garage, she spotted the one she'd been driven around in. She wrinkled her nose.
"The boys who stay on campus live in the apartments above the garage."
Little windows lined the top of the two-story garage.
"The boys?"
"You met one of them last night."
"You mean guards."
He shrugged. "Part of the job description." He started walking again past the garage at a slower pace.
Lessa noted one of the boys walking the perimeter of the pool. Marc nodded to him as they passed and headed in the direction of the vine-covered hills.
He ran a hand through his hair and dropped it. "About Tony—"
"Tony doesn't matter anymore." She sighed. "I think I can avoid him until I leave."
He looked at her with narrowed eyes. "Jio was already planning on keeping Tony out of the way. You don't need to run off on his account."
"I'm not."
"Look." He stopped and turned to her. "Give it a couple more days."
She raised an eyebrow. "That's not very convincing."
Marc rocked back on his heels and dropped his hands on her shoulders as he had earlier. "You'll regret being run off. You'll wonder what could have happened if you'd stuck it out."
He might be right, but he'd also made it clear he didn't believe her father should have invited her to come there. How much of his protestation was real and how much was him following his old boss' orders?
"I could regret not leaving before things get worse."
"You're being dramatic."
Lessa raised her eyebrows and stayed silent.
His lips curved. "I'm being cautious not dramatic. Come on." He released her shoulders and grabbed her hand to tug her after him.
At the familiar gesture some of the tension she'd been carrying released, and she let him pull her after him. The dirt lane bordering the house was thankfully easy to traverse in her sandals.
"Where are we going?"
"Just giving you a feel for the land, since you're going to be spending a lot of time here."
She sighed. "You don't give up easy."
"I didn't think you did."
She jerked him to a stop. "Now, wait a minute. You have no right to judge me."
"I'm not."
"Yes, you are. You spend half your time issuing dire warnings, with the seeming intention of running me off, and the rest of the time acting like I somehow owe it to Jiovanni to hang out here and wait until one of my half-siblings condescends to speak with me." She placed her hands on her hips, warming up to her rant. "You pop in and out whenever you feel like it, leaving me to be babysat like a child. I can't fathom why you'd think I'd want to hang around for another day?
"That's not—"
"It's not like he even wanted to meet me or get to know me. He had me summoned after he died. For what purpose? To stir up trouble with his family, because that's all
"I'll have a talk with them."
"That's not what I'm saying." She tried not to let her disappointment creep into her voice. "It's time for me to go home."
"Take a walk with me."
"Why?" Suspicion rose within her. He was going to show her something to try to force her to stay.
"I need some air." He led the way out of the office, then out the front door. The sun was just beginning its drop into the orange and pinks. "And I have more to show you."
She just bet he did. "Marc…"
"This way."
He didn't take her hand to tug her along as he had the night before. Instead, he strode out purposefully, and she had to jog a couple of steps to catch up to him.
As they rounded the corner, they came to the side of the house where she'd originally arrived. At the time she'd been so focused on the mansion itself she'd barely noticed the ten–stall garage.
Marc paused, his gaze finally coming back to her. "The garage."
"Kinda obvious." She hugged herself and rocked back on her heels. "That has ten bays, and there are several cars in the front of the house and three outside the garage."
"We have a lot of cars. Personal and business."
Next to the garage, she spotted the one she'd been driven around in. She wrinkled her nose.
"The boys who stay on campus live in the apartments above the garage."
Little windows lined the top of the two-story garage.
"The boys?"
"You met one of them last night."
"You mean guards."
He shrugged. "Part of the job description." He started walking again past the garage at a slower pace.
Lessa noted one of the boys walking the perimeter of the pool. Marc nodded to him as they passed and headed in the direction of the vine-covered hills.
He ran a hand through his hair and dropped it. "About Tony—"
"Tony doesn't matter anymore." She sighed. "I think I can avoid him until I leave."
He looked at her with narrowed eyes. "Jio was already planning on keeping Tony out of the way. You don't need to run off on his account."
"I'm not."
"Look." He stopped and turned to her. "Give it a couple more days."
She raised an eyebrow. "That's not very convincing."
Marc rocked back on his heels and dropped his hands on her shoulders as he had earlier. "You'll regret being run off. You'll wonder what could have happened if you'd stuck it out."
He might be right, but he'd also made it clear he didn't believe her father should have invited her to come there. How much of his protestation was real and how much was him following his old boss' orders?
"I could regret not leaving before things get worse."
"You're being dramatic."
Lessa raised her eyebrows and stayed silent.
His lips curved. "I'm being cautious not dramatic. Come on." He released her shoulders and grabbed her hand to tug her after him.
At the familiar gesture some of the tension she'd been carrying released, and she let him pull her after him. The dirt lane bordering the house was thankfully easy to traverse in her sandals.
"Where are we going?"
"Just giving you a feel for the land, since you're going to be spending a lot of time here."
She sighed. "You don't give up easy."
"I didn't think you did."
She jerked him to a stop. "Now, wait a minute. You have no right to judge me."
"I'm not."
"Yes, you are. You spend half your time issuing dire warnings, with the seeming intention of running me off, and the rest of the time acting like I somehow owe it to Jiovanni to hang out here and wait until one of my half-siblings condescends to speak with me." She placed her hands on her hips, warming up to her rant. "You pop in and out whenever you feel like it, leaving me to be babysat like a child. I can't fathom why you'd think I'd want to hang around for another day?
"That's not—"
"It's not like he even wanted to meet me or get to know me. He had me summoned after he died. For what purpose? To stir up trouble with his family, because that's all
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