Let's Misbehave Read Online Free

stop that. His Public Safety Act was costly in the short-term, and the conservatives were loath to spend money. But how much was a saved life worth? He owed it to his sister. He was going to make it happen.
    “It was a horrible, horrible thing.” Valerie leaned her forehead against his chest, sniffling. “It’s been thirteen years, and I still remember that night like it was yesterday. But sometimes bad things happen, and there’s nothing you can do.”
    He wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on her head. “Bad things happen, but you can’t deny it’d have been different if I’d been there. I could have made a difference.”
    She looked up at him, her gaze watery. “You’ll never know.”
    “No, I won’t.” But he could try to prevent it from happening to other people.
    “You can’t keep living Michaela’s life.”
    He stiffened. “Sorry?”
    Valerie waved a wild hand at the office. “This is what Michaela wanted. Effecting change. Positive influence in the world. She was the do-gooder who wanted to fix the world, not you. You changed the world with your music.”
    He forced a laugh as he sat on the edge of his desk. “I got chicks with my music. That was the extent of my ambition.”
    “You were a teenager. Of course you wanted girls.”
    Crossing his arms, he shook his head. “That was a different lifetime, Val. I don’t understand why you’re bringing all this up now, after so much time.”
    “Because I miss my best friend.” She took his hand. “Because I’m tired of dreading this day every year. Because I want to celebrate Michaela’s life instead of forever mourning her. Because Michaela would have been so angry that we let this happen to us.”
    “Michaela would applaud what I’ve done with my life.”
    “Michaela would have been sad that you live a half-life in a dark cave.” Valerie let go of his hand, eyes blazing, hands on her hips. “But we’re going to change things.”
    “No, we’re not.”
    “We’ll see about that.” She gave him an ominous look as she swept from his office.
    He winced when he heard the front door slam.
    The gnome grinned manically in front of him.
    “You’re mocking me,” Merrick said to the statue. “But perhaps you should take a look at your outfit before you judge anyone else.”
    Not able to sit, he headed to make himself coffee. As he walked down the hall, he tried not to notice the somberness of the ground floor, but it was difficult not to with Valerie’s words echoing in his head.
    The tiger in him prowled restlessly.
    Damn Val for bringing up his beast. Merrick stopped in front of the staircase that led upstairs. In the past, when he felt frustrated, he’d go to his piano.
    But music brought out a recklessness he needed to keep suppressed. It was from a life he’d left behind—a life he could never revisit. Everything about the way he used to live was counterproductive to what he needed to get done now.
    Impatience surged through him. It’d taken so long to get his safety act this far, and he wasn’t going to let it be rejected again. Countless people were attacked each year in the Underground, some with consequences like Michaela’s.
    He wasn’t going to allow more deaths. Another year wasn’t going to pass with him feeling ineffective. His bill was going to pass—period.
    He had a plan. He was going to win the Leader of the House of Lords to his side. Yes, Lawrence Howell was conservative to almost a fault, but Merrick was persuasive. He just needed a chance to talk to the man.
    Unfortunately, Howell never gave him the time of day.
    But that was going to change. Forget coffee—he was going to hunt down Lawrence Howell.
    His tiger growled in approval as Merrick slipped on his coat. He pulled out his mobile and made a few calls as he left his house, to pinpoint where Howell was.
    The Carlton Club.
    He headed to his Ducati without thinking, but of course took the Jaguar instead. MPs didn’t drive Italian crotch rockets,