She bit her lip. “I would like to, but…”
“You are a grown woman. If you want to learn, learn. Nothing is stopping you.”
“But Bree—”
“If she treats you like a child, it’s because you still act like one. Mindlessly obeying h
er. I’m surprised she even let you get a passport,” he said sardonically. “Isn’t she afraid you might fly off to Asia and wreak havoc? Crash international stock markets in South America?”
She stared at him, wide-eyed. “How would I even do that?”
“Forget it,” he bit out, looking out the window. “It just irritates me, how you’ve allowed her to control you. I can hardly believe you’ve bought into it for so long, looking up to her as if she’s so much smarter than you, thinking that eventually, if you tried hard enough, you’d be able to earn her trust and respect—”
His voice cut off as he realized it wasn’t Josie’s sister he was talking about. Jaw tight, he glanced at her, hoping she hadn’t noticed. His usual sort of mistress, who focused only on herself, wouldn’t have registered a thing.
Josie was staring at him, her eyes wide.
“But Bree is smarter than me,” she said in a small voice. “And it’s okay. I don’t mind. I love her just the same.” She tilted her head. “Just as you love your brother. Don’t you?”
Damn her intuitive nature. He turned away, his shoulders tight. “Loved. A long time ago. When I was too stupid to know better.”
“You shouldn’t give up on him. You should—”
“Leave it alone,” he ground out.
“But you’ve spent the last ten years trying to destroy him—in this internecine battle—”
“Internecine?”
“Mutually destructive.”
“Ah.” His lips tugged up at the edges. “Well. Our rivalry has certainly been that. We’ve both lost millions of dollars bidding up the same targets for acquisition, sabotaging each other, planting rumors, political backstabbing. All of which Vladimir deserves. But I can hardly expect him just to take it without fighting back. No. In fact—” he tapped his knuckles aimlessly against the side of the car “—I’d have been very disappointed if he had.”
“Oh,” Josie breathed. “Now I get it.”
Frowning, he looked at her. “Get what?”
“You’re like little boys in some kind of quarrel, wrestling and punching each other till you’re bloody. Till someone says ‘uncle.’ The reason you’re fighting him so hard… is because you miss him.”
Kasimir gave an intake of breath, staring at her. His shoulders suddenly felt uncomfortably tight. He was grateful when his phone rang. “Xendzov,” he answered sharply.
“It’s happened, Your Highness,” his investigator said. “Even sooner than you expected. Your brother has started looking for Josie.”
“Do you know why?” he bit out, extremely aware of Josie watching him anxiously in the back of the car.
“It could be at her sister’s request. Or for some reason of his own. He tracked her commercial flight from Seattle to Honolulu. It’s just a matter of time until he finds her on this island. With you.”
Kasimir’s hand tightened on his phone. “Understood.”
“Who was that?” Josie asked after he hung up. “Was it about my sister?”
His lips tightened. “Change of plan.” He turned to her. “We’ll have to skip the cake.”
“Did you find her?” she cried. “Where is she?”
“How would you like a surprise honeymoon?” he said evasively.
Josie scowled. “Why would I want that?”