Surrogate for My Brother-in-law - Chapter 42: Chapter 42
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I ended up in the laundry room after the fight. I didn't know why I ran there; I wasn't really thinking. The passage I'd hidden in ended in an odd little chamber just behind the connections for the dryers. The tubes that carried the hot air out of the laundry actually crossed through the space. I'm not sure how the contractors didn't find it when the laundry machines were put in.
I stayed in the passage until I couldn't hear any more shouting. Leo called my name for a while, and then the other servants and guards started looking, too. Lucky for me, Eva was still out of the house. She would have been able to find me. She knew the passages as well as I did.
But it was only Leo, the guards, and the servants who searched. And they did, eventually, give up. I slipped out of the passage into the laundry room.
I realized, once I calmed down, that running from Leo only made me look guilty. And it was pointless. I would have to face him eventually.
But not yet. I could avoid him for the rest of the night, and much of the next day. Sooner or later he'd find me. And I was, probably, still his personal maid. But I could put off the confrontation for a while.
And maybe I could come up with something to explain myself before he caught up with me. Maybe after he had time to calm down, he'd be willing to listen to reason. That was all I could hope for at that point.
I waited until it was late and I was pretty sure everyone was asleep before I went back to my room. The door was open and several of my personal belongings had been tossed around. My room had been searched. Either they were looking for me and became frustrated when they didn't find me, or they had been looking for evidence of treachery.
Fortunately, the few things that could expose my secrets to the pack were too well hidden. The healers' texts were safe in the hidden space in the laundry room. Eva always brought her clothes with her when we switched, so I had nothing to prove I disguised myself as her. My mask and clothes for Dr. Angel stayed with Ethan since he knew the secret.
My make up was scattered across the counter of my bathroom sink. I sighed and cleaned up the mess. At least no one would think it was suspicious for a woman with a scarred face to have specialty make up for disguising scars and bruises.
I fell into bed, and despite how scared I was, I was asleep as soon as I hit the pillow. For once exhaustion overrode fear and the sleeplessness that came with my pregnancy.
I woke up with Eva shaking me.
“Tessa, Tessa wake up! Where have you been?” she demanded.
“Sleeping?” I was too fuzzy headed from sleep to give any kind of useful answer.
Eva snarled and slapped me across the face. “Don't be smart with me,” she said, “What happened last night? Why did you hide from Leo? Why was everyone looking for you?”
“I...” I shook my head. “Do you know about the Rogue attack?”
Did she know? Had she helped Zane plan it?
What would she do to me, to hide her part in all of this?
“Rogue attack? When?” Eva asked. “I was out.” She paused. “Shopping, not with Zane.”
“I know,” I said. “Zane was, um, with me.”
“With you? What do you mean he was with you?” Eva growled.
I didn't want her to think I was out to steal Zane, so I explained about him watching me in the library and then approaching me in the garden. I told her about the second meeting, too. I told her that he wanted to take me to the Rogues. I did not tell her that I'd sent that letter to Leo.
“And then Leo found us,” I explained. “He took Zane to his office to talk. I went through the secret passages, to see what was going on.”
“You are too nosy for your own good,” Eva muttered.
She actually wasn't wrong so I just nodded and said, “They argued for a bit, and then Zane called something out, and a bunch of Rogues jumped through the windows.”
“Leo fought off the Rogues,” I said, “and had the guards take Zane to the cells in the basement. I ran because I was scared he'd blame me, too.”
Eva shook her head and stood up. She started pacing.
“Damn it, Zane,” she muttered, “this is going to wreck our plans! Why couldn't that idiot just wait?”
I could tell she wasn't speaking to me, so I just stayed wrapped in my blankets and kept quiet.
Finally, after ranting for a while, Eva turned to me. “You'll have to just go to work and pretend everything is normal. If Leo asks, the Rogues scared you and that's why you ran and hid.” She added, “Don't you dare tell him anything about the secret passages, either!”
“I've never told anyone,” I muttered.
Eva snorted. “Neither have I. That's too useful a secret to share.”
I actually agreed with her on that point, so I nodded.
She tilted her head as she looked down at me. “Wear a loose shirt, too. You're looking a little chubby.”
Leo
Leo had spent most of the night looking for Tessa, only to have her show up outside of his room for her work shift like nothing had happened the next day. He pulled her into the room and indulged his wolf's need to check her over for injuries. Her face had a faint bruise, but he couldn't find anything serious.
Mine. His wolf insisted. Protect.
Yes, yes, all the wolves in the manor were his to protect. He knew that. He'd seen over the weeks since his marriage what an ineffective and weak alpha Arthur really was. With the return of the Rogues, Leo had no choice to to formally take command of both packs and join them into one.
He'd make that announcement later. Hopefully Arthur would step aside with grace and dignity. If not, there would be a challenge.
But that was a problem for later. The problem for that moment was Tessa. That, and the letter he was certain Tessa had left for him.
He held out the printed letter. Tessa looked at it, and then up at him. Her eyes were wide with fear.
“I know you left this for me,” he said.
“That- that letter could have come from anyone,” she said. “It's printed, there's no handwriting to check.”
“Uh huh,” Leo said. “It came off my office printer.”
“Okay, and?” Tessa asked.
“And only two people know the codes to access that printer. You and me. Because you were there when I reset it two days ago.”
Tessa's face went pale. Leo sighed. He'd guessed she was involved, but he'd genuinely hoped the attempt to warn him meant she had some kind of reasonable explanation.
“Just tell me what's going on,” Leo pleaded. “Are you working with the Rogues? With Zane?”
“No!” Tessa shouted. “I would never work with them! They hurt my mother!”
“They killed our parents, and Zane still sided with them,” Leo pointed out.
Tessa just shook her head. “I would never. You have to believe me.”
“I wish I could,” Leo said.
I stayed in the passage until I couldn't hear any more shouting. Leo called my name for a while, and then the other servants and guards started looking, too. Lucky for me, Eva was still out of the house. She would have been able to find me. She knew the passages as well as I did.
But it was only Leo, the guards, and the servants who searched. And they did, eventually, give up. I slipped out of the passage into the laundry room.
I realized, once I calmed down, that running from Leo only made me look guilty. And it was pointless. I would have to face him eventually.
But not yet. I could avoid him for the rest of the night, and much of the next day. Sooner or later he'd find me. And I was, probably, still his personal maid. But I could put off the confrontation for a while.
And maybe I could come up with something to explain myself before he caught up with me. Maybe after he had time to calm down, he'd be willing to listen to reason. That was all I could hope for at that point.
I waited until it was late and I was pretty sure everyone was asleep before I went back to my room. The door was open and several of my personal belongings had been tossed around. My room had been searched. Either they were looking for me and became frustrated when they didn't find me, or they had been looking for evidence of treachery.
Fortunately, the few things that could expose my secrets to the pack were too well hidden. The healers' texts were safe in the hidden space in the laundry room. Eva always brought her clothes with her when we switched, so I had nothing to prove I disguised myself as her. My mask and clothes for Dr. Angel stayed with Ethan since he knew the secret.
My make up was scattered across the counter of my bathroom sink. I sighed and cleaned up the mess. At least no one would think it was suspicious for a woman with a scarred face to have specialty make up for disguising scars and bruises.
I fell into bed, and despite how scared I was, I was asleep as soon as I hit the pillow. For once exhaustion overrode fear and the sleeplessness that came with my pregnancy.
I woke up with Eva shaking me.
“Tessa, Tessa wake up! Where have you been?” she demanded.
“Sleeping?” I was too fuzzy headed from sleep to give any kind of useful answer.
Eva snarled and slapped me across the face. “Don't be smart with me,” she said, “What happened last night? Why did you hide from Leo? Why was everyone looking for you?”
“I...” I shook my head. “Do you know about the Rogue attack?”
Did she know? Had she helped Zane plan it?
What would she do to me, to hide her part in all of this?
“Rogue attack? When?” Eva asked. “I was out.” She paused. “Shopping, not with Zane.”
“I know,” I said. “Zane was, um, with me.”
“With you? What do you mean he was with you?” Eva growled.
I didn't want her to think I was out to steal Zane, so I explained about him watching me in the library and then approaching me in the garden. I told her about the second meeting, too. I told her that he wanted to take me to the Rogues. I did not tell her that I'd sent that letter to Leo.
“And then Leo found us,” I explained. “He took Zane to his office to talk. I went through the secret passages, to see what was going on.”
“You are too nosy for your own good,” Eva muttered.
She actually wasn't wrong so I just nodded and said, “They argued for a bit, and then Zane called something out, and a bunch of Rogues jumped through the windows.”
“Leo fought off the Rogues,” I said, “and had the guards take Zane to the cells in the basement. I ran because I was scared he'd blame me, too.”
Eva shook her head and stood up. She started pacing.
“Damn it, Zane,” she muttered, “this is going to wreck our plans! Why couldn't that idiot just wait?”
I could tell she wasn't speaking to me, so I just stayed wrapped in my blankets and kept quiet.
Finally, after ranting for a while, Eva turned to me. “You'll have to just go to work and pretend everything is normal. If Leo asks, the Rogues scared you and that's why you ran and hid.” She added, “Don't you dare tell him anything about the secret passages, either!”
“I've never told anyone,” I muttered.
Eva snorted. “Neither have I. That's too useful a secret to share.”
I actually agreed with her on that point, so I nodded.
She tilted her head as she looked down at me. “Wear a loose shirt, too. You're looking a little chubby.”
Leo
Leo had spent most of the night looking for Tessa, only to have her show up outside of his room for her work shift like nothing had happened the next day. He pulled her into the room and indulged his wolf's need to check her over for injuries. Her face had a faint bruise, but he couldn't find anything serious.
Mine. His wolf insisted. Protect.
Yes, yes, all the wolves in the manor were his to protect. He knew that. He'd seen over the weeks since his marriage what an ineffective and weak alpha Arthur really was. With the return of the Rogues, Leo had no choice to to formally take command of both packs and join them into one.
He'd make that announcement later. Hopefully Arthur would step aside with grace and dignity. If not, there would be a challenge.
But that was a problem for later. The problem for that moment was Tessa. That, and the letter he was certain Tessa had left for him.
He held out the printed letter. Tessa looked at it, and then up at him. Her eyes were wide with fear.
“I know you left this for me,” he said.
“That- that letter could have come from anyone,” she said. “It's printed, there's no handwriting to check.”
“Uh huh,” Leo said. “It came off my office printer.”
“Okay, and?” Tessa asked.
“And only two people know the codes to access that printer. You and me. Because you were there when I reset it two days ago.”
Tessa's face went pale. Leo sighed. He'd guessed she was involved, but he'd genuinely hoped the attempt to warn him meant she had some kind of reasonable explanation.
“Just tell me what's going on,” Leo pleaded. “Are you working with the Rogues? With Zane?”
“No!” Tessa shouted. “I would never work with them! They hurt my mother!”
“They killed our parents, and Zane still sided with them,” Leo pointed out.
Tessa just shook her head. “I would never. You have to believe me.”
“I wish I could,” Leo said.
End of Surrogate for My Brother-in-law Chapter 42. Continue reading Chapter 43 or return to Surrogate for My Brother-in-law book page.