Free Devious Minds by Colleen Helme Page A

didn’t you tell me about this deal?”
    “Uh... I was hoping Uncle Joey would take care of it and I wouldn’t have to.”
    “Really? How was Manetto supposed to get you out of it?”
    “I don’t know. All I know is that Uncle Joey didn’t want me to help Blake. I think it’s mostly because he was worried that Blake would find out my secret. But I think the real reason is because he doesn’t like sharing.
    “Uh... anyway, Uncle Joey thought I was hasty in making my deal with Blake. I guess he has something on Blake that would have canceled out whatever Blake has on him... or something like that. I don’t know... it’s kind of confusing.”
    “Damn. If Manetto didn’t want you helping Blake, he’s not going to be happy when he finds out.”
    “I know. But Uncle Joey’s out of town until day after tomorrow. Maybe I should wait until I get back to tell him. Then there won’t be anything he can do about it.”
    “Shelby,” Chris said, his brows drawn together. “I’d think you’d learn after this that it’s better to tell people what’s going on than keep it to yourself. It certainly would have helped me today. Now look at this mess. You’re leaving for Paris tomorrow, and we don’t even know why.”
    “Oh... I sort of have an idea about that.”
    “Oh yeah? What?”
    “Uh... you’re not going to like it.” I kept my gaze down, but even without looking at him, I knew he was ready to tear his hair out with frustration.
    He cursed under his breath before turning his back on me. “Maybe you’d better go home. I’ve still got some work to do on this case.”
    “Don’t you want me to tell you?”
    “No. Not right now. Maybe when I get home.”
    “Okay... I guess I’ll go then.” I gave him a moment to turn around, but he didn’t move. I picked up that he was just too upset to talk to me. This case was hard enough, but finding out that I hadn’t told him about Blake hit a nerve. I wasn’t supposed to keep him in the dark. I should know better than that. Now, besides dealing with Manetto, he had to face the fact that I was going off to Paris with Blake, and who knew what kind of danger I’d be in? It was just too much.
    With a heavy heart I walked to the door, then hesitated. I couldn’t leave him like this. “I’ll talk to Uncle Joey. Okay? I don’t want you to worry about him. I can take care of it. He’s sure to understand once I tell him what happened. And I don’t think Paris will be that bad. Don’t forget I just passed my fifth kyu test in Aikido, so I’m not entirely helpless, although I don’t know much French.”
    My stomach clenched with sudden horror. “Oh my gosh! I don’t know that much French! This could be terrible! What if Blake needs me to listen to a French spy or something? I won’t know a thing.”
    “Shelby. Stop.” Chris closed the distance to my side and pulled me into his arms. “Don’t freak out on me now. You’ll be fine. All right? Pull yourself together.”
    I held him tight but couldn’t stop trembling. What had I done? This was insane. “I’m kind of scared to go now.”
    Chris rubbed my back and kissed the top of my head. “You can do this. Since you have to go, just do your best, that’s all Blake can expect. He put you into this, not you, so it’s his fault if things don’t go like he wants. As long as he keeps you safe, which I’m sure he will, you’ll be fine. Besides, you’ve always wanted to go to Paris, right? This will be a nice adventure, and you don’t even have to pay for it.”
    “That’s true,” I agreed. Calmer now, I pulled away and met his gaze. “But... do you think I should tell him my secret? So he’ll know what he can expect from me... you know... with the whole language thing?”
    “No! No, and hell no,” Chris shook his head vehemently. “Whatever you do... don’t tell him... promise me.”
    I swallowed and nodded. “Okay. I won’t. You’re right. It would be a big mistake if he ever found