Deception Cove

Chapter 43

“ALICE THINKS SHE OWNS HALF OF RAINSHADOW?” Harry asked.

It was rare to see his brother looking dumbfounded, Drake thought. But this was one of those moments and he relished it.

“Half of anything of value that might be found inside the Preserve, to be more precise,” Drake said. “And she’s right. There’s a signed copy of the agreement in her great-grandfather’s diary and, according to it, there’s another copy in the Sebastian family archives.”

Harry whistled softly. “Son of a ghost. Wait until the old man hears about this.”

“Should be interesting.”

Harry raised his brows. “Another person, someone who didn’t know you well, might wonder if that’s why you got involved in an MC with Alice. Maybe trying to use a fake marriage to get her to cooperate with you?”

“No,” Drake said. His sense of amusement evaporated in an instant. He was suddenly angry and a little worried. Was that what Alice believed? he wondered. “That’s not why we’re married.”

Harry nodded. “Figured it wasn’t.”

“I’ve got a strategy.”

“You always have a strategy. That’s why they call you the Magician back home.”

“For the record, I had a hell of a time convincing Alice to go for an MC.”

“Yeah?”

“Her last MC husband tried to kill her.”

“That would be Fulton Whitcomb?”

“Yes.” Drake looked at him. “And before you ask, I believe Alice’s version of events.”

Harry nodded, still thoughtful. “Okay, in that case I believe it, too. Doesn’t explain why you’re in an MC.”

“Ethel Whitcomb has been spending a lot of money this past year trying to make Alice’s life hell. The effort has been successful for the most part. The night I found Alice, I had to deal with a private investigator searching her apartment, looking for anything that could be used against her. Ethel wants Alice in jail.”

“You figured Ethel Whitcomb would back off once she found out that you were in the picture.”

“I thought it would send a message,” Drake said evenly. “At the time I was concerned that Whitcomb might try to have Alice followed to Rainshadow. We didn’t need the complications. That was before I found out that the island had been shut down by the fog.”

“Uh-huh.”

Drake looked at him. “What?”

“You’re sleeping with Alice North.”

“So?”

“I’m thinking you didn’t need to get involved in an MC to protect her from Ethel Whitcomb. You have other resources available to you for handling situations like that.”

“In hindsight, maybe it wasn’t absolutely necessary. It just seemed like the most efficient way to get Whitcomb out of the picture until the problem here on Rainshadow was resolved.”

Harry smiled slowly. There was a knowing look in his eyes. “Wait until Mom finds out.”