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“How are things up there?” I asked, gesturing towards first-class and trying to redirect my attention.
She gazed into my eyes for a few long seconds. I got the impression that the minutiae of the first-class experience was definitely not what was on her mind. Each time she stared at me, I got the feeling that she was trying to see straight through me. Trying to figure me out. It thrilled me and made me want to squirm at the same time.
“It’s great, thanks,” she said. “Oh, apart from Olivia and Lucy. They’re starting to grate on my nerves already.” She chuckled. Her hand was still on mine, she squeezed it gently. “Why don’t you come back up to first with me since there’s no trouble down here? They’ve got a bar there. Plus, we still have about three hours left until we get to Paris.”
She looked up at me expectantly, her large brown eyes sparkling.
I considered her offer, thinking about how the only trouble was those Russians, who wouldn’t be trying anything any time soon.
Fuck it, could use a drink, I thought. And wouldn’t mind looking at Alexandra for a few hours, either.
“You got yourself a deal, miss,” I said with an attempted smile that was really more of a rough grimace. But she smiled back nonetheless.
I frowned, looking up at the curtain between us and the stairs to first class. I put on a serious, hard face, my big jaw muscles bunching. “One thing though. If they don’t let me up there, there’ll be trouble.”
She frowned for a second, and then burst out laughing.
&nbs
p; Chapter Nine
Cruz
We spent the next two hours or so sitting at the bar in first class, talking. I was amazed to find a large fully-stocked bar complete with stools and a barman. I found the barman a bit too friendly for my liking though, and he pissed me off when he occasionally thought he was part of our conversation. Alexandra had found it tremendously entertaining when, after the third try at butting in, I’d told him in no uncertain terms to mind his own damn business.
I wasn’t one for deep conversation, but I found talking to Alexandra easy. She was friendly, intelligent, and sassy, which more than made up for my social ineptitude.
She had pressed me on my past, and I had reluctantly told her about my stint in the military, and even mentioned my ex-wife’s infidelity. Alexandra had merely nodded sagely, her eyes narrowed, making me feel like I was being analyzed.
We were now approaching our first destination, the luxury hotel in Paris. Alexandra’s dad had paid for a big blacked-out Mercedes saloon to be ready for me at the airport.
Olivia and Lucy complained about the quality of the bottle of champagne in the central unit between them in the rear.
Alexandra sat in the passenger’s seat. I could feel her gaze on me occasionally and when I had the chance, I would look back at her, only to find her smiling at me, absentmindedly playing with her hair. There was no doubt in my mind that she was sending me signals…
Keep it together, Cruz, I warned myself.
I distracted myself by concentrating on the road. I had memorized three routes in case we were being tailed, though after leaving the plane, there had been no sign of our three Russian friends.
Still, I was starting to get nervous. My long dormant libido had been aroused, and I was developing feelings for Alexandra. Lack of emotion for so long left me confused at the turmoil I felt. And overriding it all was a desire to keep the girl safe. To wrap my arms protectively around her and never let her go. But such thoughts distracted me from my job, which only left me feeling angry with myself.
“We’re here, gals,” I said gruffly as I pulled up outside the grand front entrance to the hotel. As soon as I’d parked, the girls’ doors were opened by attendants, and two bell boys began unloading the trunk.
“About time,” muttered Lucy. I glanced back at her and Olivia, seeing that the ten hours or so of drinking had certainly taken its toll on them; they looked like shit.
Alexandra, on the other hand, still looked radiant. She’d been sensible and had interspersed her alcoholic drinks with water and the occasional coffee.
I took the girls into the hotel while they checked in, memorizing their room numbers. They were on the top floor of the hotel, presumably in a large penthouse suite.
After they’d been checked in and I was confident they were safe, I left to get my guns from the safety deposit box across the street.
Alexandra
Cruz was a mystery. Just as I saw him start to open up, his rusty emotions showing through his gruff facade, they’d suddenly fade quicker than they had appeared.
His confusing anger and distance made me want him even more.
Cruz
