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“How the hell do we get this place up and running?” Kid asked, looking the façade of Blanc Mont up and down as if there might be a sign pointing him in the right direction.
“Got in touch with one of the security detail during the drive,” Pyke said. “The power room’s down in the basement. The guy told me there should be some flashlights inside to help us find our way. Let’s all get in there, and Hud, you and I can get this place powered up.”
“Aye,” Hud said. “Sounds good to me.”
Ajax was closest to the front doors, so he was the one to pull them open and lead us in. Together, we stepped into the enormous entry room of Montblanc. The place was as magnificent as I remembered, the sight almost enough to make me forget for a moment that we were here because my life was in danger. According to my father, anyway.
“Come on, Pyke,” Hud said. “Let’s get the juices flowing.”
It was an oddly appropriate choice of words seeing that each of these guys had that effect on me in their own way. The fact that they turned me onandannoyed me was confusing, to say the least.
Hud and Pyke made their way to the stairs that led to the basement. After a bit of fumbling, they found the flashlights in the stairwell and flicked them on. Twin beams of powerful light appeared in the hallway, vanishing as the men went down the stairs.
Silence fell over us. I was still furious about what was happening. In those moments, however, all I could think about was how amazing it was to be back in Blanc Mont.
“This is a nice place you’ve got here,” Kid said.
“Now, that’s the understatement of the freaking century,” Ajax replied. “This is heaven on earth.”
“It’s been years since I’ve been here,” I said. “Not since I was a girl. It’s magical any time of year, but when it’s winter and the snow’s fresh all around you, the air crisp and clean…”
I trailed off. I was still mad, and I felt a little ashamed about letting myself open up like that. I was determined to keep my guard up around these men. I didn’t need them any more involved in my life than they already were.
We didn’t have to stand around for long. A sound filled the air, followed by the lights flicking on.
“Nice!” Kid shouted. “We’ve got power!”
“And you know what else we’ve got?” Ajax asked, stepping over to a small dry bar on the other side of the room. “Looks like some of the best whiskey money can buy.”
I scoffed. “Figures that the first thing a man like you would do is raid the liquor cabinet.”
He stepped around the bar, snatching one of the bottles from the shelf.
“Take it easy, Princess. We’re professionals. Sure, we might have a little booze when we’re off the clock, but never when we’re on it.” He gave the bottle a smirk before setting it back on the shelf.
“God, I could go for a belt of vodka right about now,” Kid said.
“Vodka?” Pyke asked. “What a cliché.”
“Hey, it’s a cliché for a reason. Might’ve been born and raised in the states, but I’m a Russian to the bone.”
Thethunk-thunk-thunkof heavy footfalls on the stairs sounded, then seconds later Hud and Pyke appeared in the hallway.
“Got it all sorted out,” Hud said, a proud grin on his face. “Took a little doing, but us experts pulled it off.”
Ajax snorted. “Yeah. Took all the expertise of pressing a button that said ‘power’.”
“Now, lad, why’d you have to go and say that? They were all ready to believe that we’d done some serious work, maybe enough to earn a wee belt of something good.”
Now that the power was on, the urge to get away from these men came over me once more. I turned on my heels and hurried to the front door.
“Where’s she off to in such a hurry?” Ajax asked.
I didn’t bother to respond. Instead, I rushed out to the car and, once there, grabbed my bag and turned around just in time to see the guys gathered at the front door.
Pyke grunted. “Hey! You can’t go running off like that without telling us where you’re going!”
I said nothing, shoving my duffel bag under my arm and hurrying back toward the house. I stormed toward the guys, playing a game of chicken. When I slammed into a wall of muscle, however, I realized they’d won.
