Chapter 53
MAEVE
We flew private thanks to the Kings.
Again.
I was exhausted by the time we got off the plane, and I was relieved to pile into the waiting care and make our way to the hotel.
“Tired, killer?” Remy put his arm around me in the back seat of the black Land Rover that had been waiting on the tarmac.
I burrowed closer to him, breathing in the scent of his skin, the solid feel of his body next to mine. “And hungry.”
We’d been in the air for over eight hours and I even though the plane was super luxe I was eager to shower, change into comfortable clothes, and stuff my face with hot food.
“We’ll get you fed as soon as we get to the hotel,” Poe said.
Bram was quiet from the front seat next to the driver. He’d been that way since I told him about the modeling agency that was tied to Ethan Todd and I was pretty sure it was because he was trying not to destroy the living room — or the plane or anything else — again.
Especially after we traced the ownership of the modeling agency to a holding company in Switzerland.
I’d warned Olivia, told her it was a scam without telling her it was connected to Ethan Todd. But his message was clear: I’m still out here.
No matter how we cut it, that was true, and we weren’t going to have any real peace until it wasn’t. When all the other pieces fell into place it only made sense to make a move.
Were we sure we had it right? That Ethan Todd would be waiting when the Butchers rolled up to take him out?
Well… no. But we had to start somewhere unless we planned to sit on our asses while Todd fucked with us.
And none of us were built for that.
I dozed off on the way, comfortable and warm, and when I startled awake we were pulling to a stop in front of a beautiful old-world hotel, its white stucco facade rising only a few stories high.
We got out of the car, handed our bags to the bellhop, and went to check in.
The hotel was luxurious but surprisingly cozy, comprised of two buildings with two floors each in a sprawling complex that was more wide than tall.
We made our way through the lobby under vaulted ceilings lit by huge chandeliers, and twenty minutes later we were walking to our suite in the adjacent building.
Bram used the key card to open the door and we stepped into an expansive living area decorated in a minimalist style with gray sofas, brass-and-glass cocktail tables, and an assortment of wicker furnishings.
There was also a balcony, the glass doors closed to the elements.
“This is nice.” I dropped my bag.
Remy moved into the room, then face planted.
“What the…”
I looked down and saw that he’d tripped over one of the black duffel bags that littered the floor.
“Those weren’t supposed to be there,” he said, getting to his feet.
“They definitely were.” Poe nudged aside the one Remy had tripped over.
“Not in the middle of the fucking floor.” Remy’s ego had obviously taken a bigger bruising than his body.
“Nobody else tripped over them,” Bram pointed out.
There were six bags, and even though they were zipped shut I knew they contained an assortment of Kevlar, weaponry, and other equipment to get the Butchers into the luxurious house where Ethan Todd was exiled.
“Rafe wasn’t kidding when he said they were going to send over a few things,” I said.
Remy crouched to open one of the bags, then shook his head. “Where do these fuckers get all this shit?”
“I’m going to take a shower.” I headed for the bedroom, a sleek spacious room with a big bed and more doors leading to another balcony.
I was glad that the Butchers didn’t follow. They always seemed know when I needed some time to decompress alone, and even though I knew I would have been horny for them in ten seconds flat if they’d joined me in the shower, I really did want some time to regroup.
We were in the place we always seemed to be in together, the place between the last big thing that had happened and the next big thing. Tomorrow night the Butchers would try — again — to take out Ethan Todd.
Would they get him this time? Would our hunt for him finally end?
And what did that mean? What would my life even look like without it?
It will look good, M. It will look peaceful.
I hoped June was right.