Donovans 02 - Jade Island

Seng dragon, is that it?”
    “If she does, she’s out of luck. The knight business is a hell of a lot more trouble than it’s worth.”
    Archer lifted his coffee mug in a silent toast of agreement, and drank the bitter dregs. “Don’t forget dinner tonight.”
    “What about it?”
    “Honor knew you’d forget. Mom and Dad’s thirty-sixth anniversary.”
    Kyle’s broad palm smacked his forehead. “Damn! I’ve got to get them something.”
    “Honor took care of it. She’ll bill you later.”
    “Thank God for little sisters.”
    “They have to be good for something.”
    “Funny,” Kyle said, “that’s what Faith and Honor were always saying about big brothers.”
    “Speaking of Faith…” Archer’s face became expressionless. “She’s bringing her intended to the party. Anthony Kerrigan. Word is she’ll be wearing a diamond.”
    Kyle hissed something under his breath that was as unhappy as the slant of his mouth.
    “I don’t like the son of a bitch, either,” Archer said evenly, “but that’s our problem. Since Honor got married, Faith has been lonesome as hell. If Tony makes her feel good, so be it. Be here at seven with a passable smile on that pretty face of yours.”
    “I’m supposed to have a date with Lianne.”
    “Bring her.”
    “Wonderful,” Kyle said sarcastically. “Bring the Tang family spy into the bosom of the Donovan family to meet the shit-eating insect Faith is going to marry.”
    Archer raked his fingers through his dark hair. “If I thought it would do any good, I’d take good old Tony hiking in Alaska and feed him to a grizzly.”
    “I’ll buy the plane tickets.”
    “Did it ever occur to you that maybe we’re being just a little too protective of our little sister?”
    “No. Tony is a loser. He thinks Faith is a lifetime ticket to a place in the fast lane. When he figures out that she won’t take a dime from the family that she didn’t earn, things will go in the toilet real quick.”
    Archer didn’t argue. “If I thought it would speed the process, I’d give her the results of Tony’s background check, but she wouldn’t—”
    “Give them to me,” Kyle cut in. He already knew Faith was stubborn, especially if she thought her older brothers were interfering.
    Which they were.
    “Tony’s good at wooing and bad at long term. There’s an ex-wife in Boston who’s suing him for nonpayment of child support. A girlfriend in Las Vegas who had twoabortions. Another one in Miami who thinks Tony is going to marry her because she’s two months away from delivering his son and heir.”
    There was a long, tight silence before Kyle spoke. “So good old Tony’s dying to know how the other half lives? I’ll show him. I’ll take him fishing in Kamchatka. Big country. Wild. Empty. As they say in Australia, no worries, mate.”
    Archer’s smile was as thin as a blade. “I’ll keep it in mind. But first, let’s give Faith a chance to figure it out for herself.”
    “Too late. You said she was showing up with a diamond.”
    “Engagement ring, not wedding. Not yet.”
    “Not ever,” Kyle said flatly. “I mean it, Archer. Women like Faith and Honor are an endangered species—decent, generous, and honest. Honor has Jake to protect her. Faith just has us.”
    “Faith isn’t stupid, just stubborn. Hormones and wishful thinking won’t last long. Sooner or later she’ll see Tony for the amorous, fertile weasel he is.”
    For a minute Kyle said nothing. He simply watched cloud shadows slide over the kitchen’s lemon-yellow walls. “It’s obvious that Tony likes knocking up his women. What if Faith gets pregnant before her common sense takes over?”
    “Then we’ll have a niece or nephew to spoil,” Archer said softly. “And that lucky baby will have as many fathers as there are Donovan men.”
    Kyle’s breath came out in a hissing sigh. He finished his coffee and smacked the mug down on the glass table. “I’ll be here at seven. With Lianne.”
    “You’re picking her up?”
    Kyle nodded.
    “Let me know when you’re leaving,” Archer said. “I’ll follow you.”
    “That will be a switch, knowing who’s following me. What if someone is already following Lianne?”
    “I’m counting on it.”
    The predatory anticipation in Archer’s eyes almost made Kyle feel sorry for whoever was following Lianne. But what he really regretted was that he wouldn’t be around to help Archer ask questions.
    “Sounds like you might be late for dinner