"Because she did a sorry job of covering her tracks."
"Oh." Now I didn't know what else to say.
On the phone, Jack gave a low scoff. "Satisfied?"
Was I?Maybe a little. Still, I had to ask, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"Because you didn't need to know."
"But—"
"And," he said, "I didn't know you. Not yet."
On this, he was right. At the time, we'd known each other for less than a day. So of course he wouldn't be sharing such personal details. Still Iwascurious. "But why didn't you tell me later on, after we knew each other better?"
"Because you didn't ask."
Logical or not, this was probably the worst thing he could've said. "Yeah," I replied. "And you wanna know why? It's because you hated me asking questions."
"And yet it never stopped you."
I started to object, but then stopped myself.He was right. Sort of.In the end, I could only say, "Well, I didn't ask nearly as many as I wanted."
"And I answered more than I should've." An edge crept into his voice. "So let's call it even."
That was easy for him to say. He held all the cards. And now, I wasn't even sure that I'd ever see him again. Did Iwantto see him again?
My heart said yes, but my brain said no.
I was still dwelling on this unsettling question when he said, "On the trip, don't forget to take notes."
And with that, he hung up.
Well, that was nice.
Chapter 69
Becka
I stared at my sister. "Do you want to say that again?"
She bit her lip. "From the look on your face, I'm not sure I should."
When my only reply was a sullen look, Anna persisted. "I'm just saying, maybe he had a perfectly good reason for sending you here."
Hearing her say this thefirsttime had been bad enough. But hearing it a second time? It was maddening to the core.
We'd just landed in Romania and were on our way to our first hotel, courtesy of a town car that had been waiting at the airport.
I wasn't even sure who arranged it – Flynn or Jack. And honestly, I was almost afraid to ask.
Even by private jet, the flight had been too long and way too turbulent, just like my own emotions. During the twelve hours we'd spent in the air, I'd resisted the urge to tell my sister everything that had happened during the past week.
And why?It was because Istillwasn't quite sure what was going on and hated the thought of worrying her for nothing. Already, I was worried enough for the both of us.
So in the end, I decided to hold off until I did some research – not only into castles, but into Jack's activities during the past several months.
In the meantime, I vowed, I'd try to be a better sport.
