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“This couldn’t wait until the morning?” It’s not out of the ordinary for one of our clients to be picked up. Some of the men who frequent our establishment don’t always have the best behavior. “So, it was only a client.” I stifle a yawn.
“Not a client, Fabien.”
I’m suddenly wide awake. “Who was it?”
“One of the new girls. Seems there was an officer following her. Set her up. Made an appointment as one of the clients, then arrested her.”
La Maison itself is nearly bulletproof. Ostensibly, we’re merely a bed and breakfast. But if one girl was arrested…
“I’ll take care of it.” I make a few calls to post bail and get my lawyer on board.
“We’ll have to fly back to Corsica immediately following the wedding.” I tell Nicolette what happened. She doesn’t know the girl but is obviously concerned.
“So he went after the worker, not the client,” she says, shaking her head. “Unbelievable.” I can tell she’s as angry as I am.
“Do we have to wait until after the wedding to go?”
“I’m sorry, but yes.” She doesn’t know how loyalty works in a family like mine. “But I promise we’ll go straight back afterward. We’ll leave as soon as possible.”
We make our way back to our room in robes. I can hear my brother outside with my cousins, thankfully all occupying each other for now.
I have no interest in anyone but me seeing Nicolette in a robe.
“Is she alright?” Nicolette asks when she comes back into the room after showering.
“She’s heading home now. I called in some favors.” I shake my head. “But I don’t like that this happened.”
“Is it a warning?”
“Could be.” I draw her over to me. “But you don’t need to worry about that now. You won’t be going back to work, not if I can help it.” I kiss her cheek. “Let’s get some rest.” I take her robe off and drape it over a chair by my desk. “You won’t need that tonight.”
I watch her climb into bed. Her eyes have already begun to shut. “Thank you,” she whispers.
“For what?” I ask, genuinely curious. I climb into bed beside her and drape my arm over her. She fits against me as if she were carved here, her naked body as soft as silk, her hair still damp on the pillow.
“For caring enough to go back,” she says on a yawn. What she doesn’t know is that her gratitude says more about her than it does about me.
“I take care of the people I care about,” I tell her as I tuck the blanket around her. I kiss her bare shoulder and realize she’s already fast asleep.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Nicolette
I dream I’m in a luxury hotel with Fabien, but there are sirens in the background. I know that someone’s after me. I try to wake him to tell him, but he’s dead asleep and can’t be roused.
“Fabien,” I tell him, shaking him harder. “They found us. They know we took it. Wake up!”
Sirens come on all sides, along with flashing lights. I know before they come that my name and face will be plastered all over the American news. What will Savannah think?
Then my dream becomes a weird juxtaposition of me sleeping and Fabien trying to wake me. I realize as I slowly come to that it wasn’t just a dream. I open one eye to Fabien lying next to me cursing at his phone.
“…will kick their goddamn asses,” he’s muttering under his breath.
“Who?” I murmur sleepily.
“My brother, my cousin, who knows. One of them did this, I know it.”
“Did what?” I push away the cobwebbed memories of my dreams. They’re already fading.
“Set an alarm for every two minutes starting at six.”
I snicker into my pillowcase.
“You think that’s funny?” he asks, but in the darkened room I can’t tell if he’s scowling or smiling.
“Hilarious.”
“Oh yeah?” There’s a dangerous tone to his voice. Uh oh.
Before I know what’s happening, I’m on my back and he’s tickling me. I can’t possibly push him off me, so I kick and scream for him to let me go, and when that doesn’t work, I reach for his neck and give him a lavish lick.
That works. He releases me and grabs at his neck. “Did you just lick me?”
“I considered biting you but didn’t think that would end well for me.”
“Hmph,” he grumbles, but now I can tell that he’s smirking. “You were right. Now pretend you’re still asleep, that stupid alarm ruined my surprise.”
“Ooh, there’s a surprise?” My eyes are already closed and I’m pretending to snore.
I decide right then that I don’t care if he’s scary or dangerous or whatever, this will be the most fun I’ve ever had earning two million dollars.
I lay there for long minutes. “Fabien,” I finally mutter into my pillow. “I have to… use the facilities.”
“Go ahead, use the bathroom then come right back here and go back to sleep.”
