Blood Blade Sisters Series Read Online Free PDF Page A

it that I wouldn’t tell anyone.”
    “No,” Cilla said with a slight smile.
    “Well, then. What’s it to be? Gunshot to the head?”
    “Effective, but messy, I’d think,” Cilla answered.
    “Are one of you pretty ladies going to try and strangle me into silence?”
    Cilla smiled again. “It’s getting late, Mister…?”
    “You know my name.”
    Cilla continued to stare at him, waiting for an answer. She wasn’t going to confirm anything just yet.
    Finally he answered, biting each syllable out. “Forrester. Leo Forrester.”
    Well, that removed any lingering doubt. Cilla fought to keep from glancing over at Brynne.
    “Mr. Forrester, I might have a proposition for you that could help us both out.”
    He glared at her and waited.
    Cilla swallowed. “We won’t kill you. We’ll even help you find your brother.”
    “And in return?”
    “You marry my sister.” She nodded at Brynne.
    Leo stood in silence for half a heartbeat, then took a breath as though he was going to speak. Instead, his laughter rang out, a deep, gut-wrenching laugh that would have been hard to resist had she not been so deadly serious. He sat down on the stool that was in the stall and put his head on his bound hands. Rubbing his face, he took a deep breath and looked back at Cilla.
    She hadn’t expected a good reaction—well, she hadn’t been sure what to expect. But his laughter had taken her by surprise.
    “I’m glad I can amuse you.” Her hand twitched on the gun. She’d like nothing more than to clock him over the head with it again.
    He raised his hands a little, glancing down at the rope. “You have a funny way of expressing affection,” he said, looking around at each of them, coming to rest once again on Cilla.
    “None of this appeals much to us either. But since we’re in sort of a rough situation, you are going to have to do.”
    “Your tenderness astounds me.” He looked at her again, appreciation for what he saw flickering across his face. “Why your sister? Why not you?” he asked, his eyes burning into hers.
    Cilla sucked in a breath, momentarily struck speechless. His lips twitched and Cilla glared. “Because she is the eldest and because she needs…” Her words trailed off as she glanced at her sister.
    Leo followed her gaze, his eyes lingering on Brynne’s hands, which were resting on her slightly rounded belly. “She needs a name for her child.”
    If there had been one ounce of derision in his voice, Cilla would have reintroduced him to the butt of her gun. But it was said matter of factly, even sympathetically.
    “My child has a name,” Brynne snapped. “My hus—”
    “Brynne!” Cilla glared at her sister. She understood how hard this was for her, but Brynne had agreed and there was no time to argue through it again.
    Brynne folded her arms across her belly, her lips pinched tight.
    “Wait! She’s Brynne? She’s the one my brother loved?” He took a step toward Cilla, his face darkening. “Does that mean my brother is dead? What happened to him?”
    Cilla looked toward the barn doors. “Lucy?” Her sister glanced over and shook her head before turning her gaze back out the doors. Coast was still clear.
    Sighing, Cilla tucked the gun into the waistband of her pants. “Look. We have no idea what happened to your brother. If he were here, we wouldn’t be in the mess we are in now, so believe me, no one wants to find him more than we do. But since he isn’t here, we don’t have a whole lot of options. So this is real simple. You marry my sister, parade around as her husband for a couple weeks until a few…annoyances of ours go away. Then the marriage is annulled and you can go on your way.”
    Well, they wouldn’t be able to annul the marriage for a while, but Cilla didn’t see the need to point out specifics. Brynne wouldn’t be twenty-one for another six months. So unless Jake reappeared, which after four months seemed less and less likely, they were going to need Leo to remain