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At first, the guys and I took the whining in stride. We’d all taken care of royal types before, so a little prissiness came with the territory.
All the same, by the time I pulled the vehicle up the winding road that led to the chalet, I was about ready to strangle the girl—royalty or not.
“Holy shit,” Ajax said, leaning forward as the house rose from the mountains in front of us. “Is this the place?”
King Finn had shown us pictures of Blanc Mont beforehand. All the same, the chalet was something else—three stories of glass with the mountains rising up behind it. It was the sort of pad you’d expect for a royal family’s Alpine getaway.
Already I was spotting security issues. I noted them one by one as I pulled around the big, circular driveway in front of the huge structure.
Despite that relief washed over me as I turned off the engine. I’d been keeping the displeasure to myself, and the idea of getting in there and taking a shower sounded like the best damn thing imaginable. There was a hell of a lot of work to be done first, of course, but knowing a hot shower was close alleviated some of the tension I was feeling.
I glanced back to see Victoria looking out the window, the first time I’d seen her smile since we’d met. She’d made a little nest for herself in the back—her sitting area packed with blankets, pillows, and snacks.
“It’s so gorgeous,” she said. “I’ll be taking the master suite.”
“You can have whatever bedroom you want, kiddo,” Ajax responded. “But we need to do a security sweep first.”
The smile vanished from her face, replaced with a hard glare. “I’m not a ‘kiddo’. Hell, I’m not that much younger than any of you.”
“That right?” Hud asked. “How old are you, Princess?”
“Didn’t anyone tell you it was rude to ask a woman her age?”
“We’re roughneck mercs,” Kid said. “You want manners, you’re hanging with the wrong crew.”
She sighed. “I’m twenty-two. Almost twenty-three.”
“You see Kid back there?” Ajax asked. “He’s twenty-eight and he’s the youngest of us.”
She narrowed her eyes again. “Whatever. Let me out; I want to go inside and take a shower.”
“Not so fast,” I said. “As far as I’m concerned, this car’s the only safe place on the property until we check out the rest of the area. “You’re going to stay put right here until we give this place a thorough check.”
Her eyes flashed with surprise and anger. “First, you stick me in here for twelve hours insisting on minimal stops along the way, then you don’t even let me out once we get here?”
“Easy, Princess,” Hud said. “We’re going to take a quick pass—won’t be long. Just want to make sure there aren’t any baddies lurking about or anything of the sort.”
“So, you’re going to make me wait in here alone? What if thereissomeone?”
“We’re not making you wait alone,” I said. “Kid’s going to stay with you.”
Kid gave a little salute. “I’ll keep you good company. Been a while since I’ve had a French conversation partner.”
“We’re not going to be talking in French or any other language. If you’re going to make me wait, I’m going to stay put right here and listen to my music until you’re done. Make it quick.”
She didn’t wait for a response before grabbing her headphones and putting them back on. Once the conversation was over, the guys and I shared the same exasperated look that had been given countless times since the drive had begun.
“Let’s do this, boys,” I said. “Kid, you strapped?”
He pulled up his pant leg and revealed a black Glock 17 tucked into a leather holster by his ankle.
“You know it. Might end up using this on myself if I have to listen to her complain for another minute, though.”
That got a laugh out of the rest of the crew. Victoria sat in the back, her headphones on and oblivious to the discussion.
The guys and I climbed out and stepped into the warm summer air. It was well into the night—a little after three, just as I’d planned—and though it was late, it was still nice enough to not need a coat.
“God, the fresh air’s damn near perfect,” Hud said as we made our way to the back of the car.
