Garrett came around the front of our rental car, scanning the property the way he scanned everything. He’d debated the wisdom of coming to Henri’s, given the possibility Richter could be lurking somewhere, but since we were coming straight from the train, he’d conceded.
‘It’ll be a short visit. I’ll do recon, you can get your proof, then we’ll leave,’he’d said.‘Kessler won’t suspect we’re here so quickly.’
The yellow manor house rose in front of us, weathered stone statues flanking the entrance like guardians who’d seen better centuries. Iron gates stood open, and beyond them, massive wooden doors waited under an arched overhang.
Henri’s car was parked just ahead of ours. He and Dmitry were walking toward the entrance with Henri’s assistant, Tomáš. The other Pendragon operator, Aleš, had positioned himself near the gate.
I stepped forward, and Garrett fell into place beside me. His hand brushed my lower back as we crossed the cobblestones, guiding me around a rough patch.
This morning on the train had been different. When I’d climbed down from my bunk, he’d been awake, sitting on the edge of his bed with his phone, already dressed. We’d eaten our à la carte breakfast—including a squeezy tube of liverwurst I’d tasted and moved on from—and discussed our plans for the day.
It was nothing like our morning at Jean’s, when he’d given me the brain-chemistry speech and I’d wanted to throw something at him. There was no echo of the desperate kiss last night, but no denial, either. He was… what was he? Not distant. Certainly not lustful, either. Comfortable, maybe?
Whatever was going on inside his head, at least he wasn’t pushing me away or snapping at me anymore.
Henri reached the door first, and a middle-aged woman opened one of the heavy wooden doors for him. We all filed through, into an entry hall that was nothing like I’d expected based on the ancient wood, iron, and stucco outside. Here, arched glass doors revealed a courtyard with a stone fountain at its center. Light poured through, illuminating the whitewashed walls.
“Oh, wow.” I looked around, taking in the vaulted ceilings and the old stonework. “This is beautiful.”
Henri beamed. “My great-grandfather paid to have it built when he settled in Prague after the Revolution. The items he smuggled out of the country funded the construction.” He gestured at the walls. “We did significant renovations ten yearsago to repair much of the original stonework, but it’s still his home.”
“It’s incredible.”
Garrett inspected a panel by the door. “Full security system? External monitoring?”
“Of course. We had it upgraded last year.”
“No security on premises?”
“As I told you, I live a quiet life. Too quiet sometimes.” Henri clasped his hands together. “You must stay here tonight. I have many bedrooms, and my chef is excellent. It’s been too long since I’ve had company. My children and grandchildren haven’t visited in?—”
“We have a hotel booked,” Garrett said.
Henri asked, “Where? Prague has so many options, and I would hate for you to end up somewhere not befitting.”
“Somewhere a friend recommended.”
He waited for more, but when Garrett didn’t take the bait, Henri said, “If you change your mind, the offer stands.”
He led us down a corridor, and I tried not to gawk at everything. Exposed wooden beams overhead. Animal pelts decorated the walls, ranging from boar to deer to an antelope with impressive antlers. Glass display cases with items I couldn’t identify sat nestled in the corners. Old harnesses and tools hung from hooks. It was like walking through a hunting lodge that had been merged with a museum.
Dmitry walked ahead of me, hands clasped behind his back, while Garrett was behind me.
I glanced over my shoulder at him and couldn’t stop myself from smiling.
Yesterday, he would have frowned at me and immediately found something very dangerous to evaluate. But this morning? He met my gaze and held it for a moment before looking away.
There it is, Grace. The man who pulled you onto his lap is still in there.
I continued walking, my brain flashing back to last night. To how hard he’d been underneath me, and how he’d pinned me against his muscled chest. How he’d stood up, lifting me like I weighed nothing, and I’d known—known—we were about to cross a line I’d been thinking about since I’d first laid eyes on him.
Then the train lurched. Stupid train. And his brain snapped back into bodyguard mode.
But! But he’d explained himself instead of avoiding me. He hadn’t run; he’d just expressed his fears. That was the biggest win. And I took the win with me into my bunk, because at that point, pushing would have made him retreat, not open up more. After that, I’d tried reading about the tough former Marine in my book, but I kept seeing Garrett’s face and the way he’d looked at me before he kissed me. I let out a little internal sigh. The way he’d said‘I’m going to kiss you now,’ like he was giving me one last chance to stop him.
And then, oh my god, that kiss.
I’d considered taking care of myself in my bunk. Burning off the tension like I had that morning. But I’d decided I liked the ache of unresolved want sitting between my thighs. He’d either change his mind before our adventure was over, or Iwouldtake care of it like I normally did.
