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“I just wish my piece was bigger,” she said, raising an eyebrow.
I’d communicated with the waitress in Swiss German, so Belle couldn’t have known I’d specifically requested a small piece, but she probably suspected it. I chuckled.
“How about I get one to go to?”
She beamed and then her eyes went wide as she scooted the chair back. “Be right back.”
I watched her walk to the short hallway where the bathrooms were. As she disappeared down the hall, I caught sight of two men at a table nearby who were following Belle’s movements. Unease made my stomach drop and my protective instincts flare to life.
They noticed me watching them and cut their gazes away from the bathrooms and chatted amongst themselves quietly. I stared a moment longer. Memorizing their faces, just in case.
* * *
When we returned to the castle, I took Belle straight to her wing. I could tell she was tired, so I demanded that she rest while I got some work done. I situated her in the bed with her pregnancy pillow and placed a book from her nightstand into her hands, knowing she’d probably fall asleep before she even read two pages.
“You know, I didn’t take you to be the classic literature type,” I said, seeing that the book was Pride and Prejudice.
“Oh, really? And what type of person am I?” she asked, raising one eyebrow as if daring me to say something thoughtless.
I loved it when she was sassy like this. The fire in her eyes was hot as hell.
“My mistake,” I said, leaning in to kiss her forehead. “You’ll have to tell me if you like it when you’re done.”
Belle narrowed her eyes. “Are you trying to avoid a fight? That’s a new one.”
“Are you saying I’m grouchy?”
“That’s one word for it.”
Her smile let me know she was teasing me.
“I love you.”
The words blurted out of my mouth before I could stop myself. Belle’s smile faded as shock took over her features. I didn’t take it to heart when she didn’t respond immediately. I knew I’d caught her off-guard. Hell, I’d caughtmyselfby surprise. But I meant it.
“Get some rest,” I said, squeezing her hand before I stood. “I’ll come get you for dinner later.”
I left our wing and headed for my office. I was dialing Maxwell’s number before I even sat down behind my desk. He picked up immediately.
I made sure I shut my door for privacy before I told him what I needed.
“There were two men at the Mountainside diner in town today, and they paid a little too much attention to Belle. I want you to see if you can track them down. I don’t have names, but I got a good look at them.”
I described both men. As I spoke, I picked up the piece of paper that Maxwell gave me three months ago and read it for the thousandth time, my blood boiling.
“They were probably just visitors to the town,” Maxwell said. “But I’ll continue to do some more digging.”
“Get back to me immediately if you discover anything.”
“Would you like to send another payment?”
“No. Offering these bastards more money probably won’t help.”
“Is there anything else you need?” Maxwell asked.
“I need to let you know I won’t be leaving the company as planned.”
There was a beat of silence.
