Devious Intentions (Carson Cove Scandals 3)

“Too bad you won’t live long enough to watch me bleed.” He took another step towards me. “I’m still going to enjoy it, though.”

“We’ll both be in handcuffs before that happens.” I narrowed my eyes. “What will my father say when he finds out you got arrested when you were supposed to be bringing his daughter home?”

“I might get a raise if I splatter your head on the pavement first.” He glanced over his shoulder as the bell and students started exiting the school.

“Two minutes, Pennington…” I motioned to Jenny as soon as she walked into view. “It’ll be a lot less painful than the alternative.”

“Fine…” He adjusted his jacket. “I’m not in the mood to get blood on my clothes today anyway.”

I’m not sure which one of us called the other’s bluff right there. I’m in no condition to fight anyone right now.

It seemed that my day wasn’t going to end with bloodshed or handcuffs. I considered that a small victory. Jenny’s face lit up with a smile when she saw me, and she immediately started walking in my direction. I closed the distance between us, but I kept Pennington in the edge of my vision. There was no way I was taking both eyes off that giant of a man. His loyalty to my father couldn’t be understated, and I truly had no idea what he really capable of. When my father got arrested for Securities Fraud, Pennington turned himself in for a crime he didn’t commit and pleaded guilty—just so he could get sent to the same prison.

“Hey!” Jenny waved to me. “You look rough… How did you get Pennington to let you talk to me?”

“I’m fine. We’re avoiding mutually assured destruction—and handcuffs.” I motioned for her to follow me. “We only have a couple of minutes. Are you okay?”

“Dad is putting on a show for his new family.” She shrugged. “I don’t know how long it will last, but we haven’t gotten in any fights that I didn’t pick myself.”

That is better than I expected.

“I’m trying to come up with a plan. I haven’t given up.” I sighed and stopped once we were far enough away that Pennington couldn’t hear our conversation.

“I haven’t either.” Jenny looked down and grinned. “I’ve actually got something cooking right now.”

“You’re not going to do anything stupid, are you?” I tensed up.

“Nah.” She shook her head back and forth. “I’m just planning to give dad enough motivation to throw me out.”

“Do you really think he’s going to do that?” I raised my eyebrows.

“He’ll either toss me out on my ass or absolutely lose it in front of his new wife.” She laughed under her breath. “Either way, I think it’s a win…”

“I don’t even know what you’re planning, and I already think it’s a bad idea.” I looked down and sighed. “Are you going to tell me?”

“No, you’ll try to talk me out of it.” She raised an eyebrow. “Oh, by the way—I met our new stepsister…”

“Really?” I tilted my head inquisitively. “What do you think of her?”

I’d like to tell my sister the truth, but I don’t want her to accidentally say something…

“I’m not sure.” Jenny shrugged. “I caught her in dad’s office last night—snooping around.”

“Wow…” I blinked in surprise.

“Yeah, we almost got busted when he got home.” She laughed under her breath. “I’m going to have to keep an eye on her. She’s definitely up to something.”

“I’m sure it’s nothing.” I felt my throat tightening up as I thought about Leigh getting caught snooping around my father’s office—by someone other than my sister.

“I believe our time is up.” Jenny glanced at Pennington, who was motioning for her.

“It would appear so.” I nodded and gave her a hug. “Please let me know if you need anything.”

“I’ll be fine.” She gave me a quick hug and pulled away. “We’ll laugh about this one day.”

I’m not so sure about that.

I managed to keep my emotions in check while I was talking to Jenny but watching that car drive away tore me up inside. If worrying about her wasn’t bad enough, I was terrified that Leigh was going to actually get caught before she found anything useful. It could have just as easily been my father that found her in his office, and that could have ended badly. I already had a bad feeling about it—the entire situation felt off in some way. My father never had good intentions, whether it was another one of his twisted games, or something much worse than that. As soon as I made it back to my car, I pulled out my phone and sent a message to Leigh.