‘Forgive the archaic language, sweetpea.A nicer way of describing the dirty things that happen behind closed doors.’
‘Um.’Savannah looks around, but no one is there to help.
Lachlan’s fingers flex, irritation climbing.
‘Come now, you can tell us,’ Madeline says, laughing softly.‘You and Mikhail’s eldest seem close.’
‘Roman’s my friend, yes.’
‘Arrangements can always be made.Isn’t that right, Pressy?’
Prescott smirks.‘Always.’
Lachlan kicks a small wave of sand towards Roman, who looks over at him with a half-formed scowl.Lachlan makes a face, gestures to Savannah.
Roman doesn’t even hesitate, goes to join Savannah and the twins, politely inserting himself before asking if he can borrow her.The twins are all silky laughter and manners atop rusted, jagged nastiness.Jules watches the whole interaction quietly, just like Mikhail.
Roman frees Savannah and Lachlan winks at him when he walks by.The other two bodyguards are stationed on his opposite side, spread out.They’re not paying attention the way Lachlan is, but they are on guard, at least.
With theiramusementstolen, the Delacroix twins zero in on Lachlan as being the one to have orchestrated it somehow.
Madeline gets up and approaches with naked curiosity.
‘You’re a pretty one,’ she says, alcohol bitter on her breath.Lachlan stares openly, borderline insolent.‘Alistair speaksveryhighly of you.I wonder, what does it take to guard his treasures so well?Are you full service?’
‘I’m a trained killer, ma’am.’
She giggles like a teenager, hand landing on his neck, sweaty, sandy fingers grasping as if she has any right but it’s not aboutright,it’s about what Lachlan will allow.‘And how many men have you killed, little boy?How old evenareyou?Twenty-three?’
‘He’s twenty-six,’ Jules answers from behind her, still sitting with Mikhail.
Roman and Savannah are just by the water’s edge.
Lachlan is so fucking tense he could snap in half.
Madeline Delacroix smiles smugly, like Jules knowing it is a damning indictment.‘Twenty-six,’ she echoes.‘How many men have you killed?’
‘I don’t know, ma’am.’
‘Such a weak answer.What kind of trained killerdoesn’t know his count?You’d be nothing anywhere else but this godforsakenkindergartencountry.’Her hand freely roams down his front, lower still until she digs her fingers into his belt and pulls back and forth to jostle him.‘Look at you, so big and strong, but I know you bend when told and I know you stay quiet when ordered and I know you’llwatchas your pretty little Primary—’
‘Madeline,’ Alistair calls out, an actual degree of warning in his tone for once, ‘leave the bodyguard alone.’
Her eyes are bright with that same old evil Lachlan sometimes senses in Penhalyx.‘I don’t want to.’
‘Let him do his job.’
‘His job is whatever you tell him.’She looks back, fingers still hooked into the front of Lachlan’s waistband.‘Isn’t it?’
Lachlan has already mentally calculated a dozen different scenarios and they’re all equally bad.In the Estate, he’d go numb and let it happen if he absolutely had to, just like he would have with Ariadne Alderwyck, but this isnotthe Estate, and he will not leave Jules’ side the entire time he’s here even if it means breaking his contract.
‘Leave him be,’ Alistair bids.
She huffs.‘Is this a party or isn’t it?’
‘Delly, come back to me, my love,’ her twin brother calls out.
Madeline’s mouth twists, eyes narrowing before she smiles thatpolite societysmile and releases Lachlan.‘I’ll see you later,’ she promises, returning to her seat as if nothing happened.
