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Twenty-Six
Camille
He disappearedto his office shortly after our conversation, and once I’d called Bagpipes and told him I needed to run some errands, I followed Brennan downstairs to the room I’d claimed as my own and grabbed the clothes I wanted to wear today.
All the while I was rifling through my newly organized closet, two problems plagued me.
One:what had really happened to instigate that conversation in bed? Would I ever know? Did Iwantto know? Those were questions that pinged to mind every time I heard him snarling at someone on the phone in his study.
Two:I knew what his promise to my mother had been, and to me, but he’d said that he’d made one to his mom too—what was that? It wasn’t just curiosity that had me wondering either. It was concern.
My thoughts were tangled, snagging like my callused palms on my silk stockings as I bustled around, but eventually, I got my outfit set out and started getting ready for the day ahead of me.
When I returned upstairs, I rifled through the drawers, and found some fresh bed linen so I changed the sheets before showering and quickly dressing in the yoga pants and sweater I’d set out, and teamed them with some comfy UGGs. Not bothering with make-up, I left the bedroom and headed for the kitchen.
Filled with all kinds of goodies, from a food fairy I’d yet to meet and maybe by the nature of her magic I never would, I grabbed what appeared to be an oat bran muffin and a banana, just in time for a buzzer to sound by the elevator.
Thinking that was the warning someone was on the way up, I just waited, but then it came again, and I darted over there, not wanting to disturb Brennan, and found Bagpipes peering at me on a screen.
“Come on down,” he told me as a greeting.
“Be there in a second. How cold is it out?”
“It’s okay. Sweater weather.”
Considering myself dressed enough, I headed for the elevator without a backward glance and pressed the button for the basement.
Bagpipes was waiting by the door, his back to it, one foot kicked up against the wall, and with his focus on his phone, he murmured, “Pick whichever car you want.”
We were within a kind of compartment of ten cars, partitioned off with windows. I’d figured that this was special parking for the penthouse apartments, but I guessed I was wrong.
Seeing a Ferrari, a couple of Porsches, a very nice Bugatti and a couple of Bentleys that all apparently belonged to my husband, I whistled under my breath, but selected the Merc I’d driven yesterday.
Comfort, in Manhattan traffic, mattered to me more than anything else.
He grunted at my choice, and collected the keys from a compartment beside the elevator. He pulled out a kind of stick too, black and shiny with a couple of LED lights that flashed to life when he turned it on. Before my bewildered eyes, he headed to the car, opened the door and started doingsomethingwith the stick.
When he was done, he tossed the keys at me, explaining only, “Sweeping for bugs.”
“Oh.”God, this life...
Shoving that thought aside because this was it until I died, I climbed behind the wheel, hooked up my phone to the dash, then immediately called Inessa.
Knowing that Bagpipes would tell Brennan I spoke in French with her, I chose to speak in English, because I didn’t want them to think we were hiding anything from the O’Donnellys. Especially when we were only going to be discussing the heads of said family and what to gift them—nothing important enough to require accusations of espionage.
“Camille? God, it’s early.”
My lips twitched at her groan, but I just said, “Brennan told me we’re having dinner with his parents tonight.”
Bagpipes’ interest shifted to me, but I ignored him and focused on Inessa as she gasped. “Oh, dear.”
“Yeah,” I said dryly.
“No church for us then, I guess,” she grumbled, but didn’t sound angry at me, more unsurprised. I guessed we mob wives had to learn to be accommodating or go mad. “Okay, well, Lena loves lilies. You could get her some of those. Aidan’s a sucker for the Knicks.”
Appreciation swirled inside me. That she was willing to help me felt like a massive virtual hug. I wasn’t sure why, but I’d really needed that this morning.
I cleared my throat, feeling stupid for the tears of gratitude that were gathering there, and rasped, “Brennan said you gave them slippers. Maybe I should do the same?”
