Chapter Twenty-Seven Ella
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Ella
We have a choice of half a dozen cabins on Barry’s sprawling lake property. Without hesitation, we head straight for the one closest to the water.
As we step inside, an icy chill greets us. Rhia immediately takes over, her organizational mind kicking into gear.
“Right, El, you put the groceries away,” she says as we drop the bags of food we bought in the village onto the kitchen counter. “Claudette, you and I will get kindling and wood to start a fire.”
Without waiting for a response, she marches back outside in full taskmaster mode.
Claudette glances at me, amused. “I’m guessing that’s normal for her?”
“Completely,” I say. “Any trip with Rhia comes with a checklist, an itinerary, and printed backups. Just in case.”
“Claude?” Rhia calls from outside. “Are you coming?”
Claudette grins and follows her, boots thumping across the wooden floor.
Before long, the cabin has transformed. A fire crackles in the large stone fireplace, heat slowly chasing away the cold, and we’re curled up in front of it with steaming mugs of hot chocolate after devouring Mo’s burgers.
If it were summer, we’d be unwinding on the deck overlooking the water. Instead, we watch from inside as the lake lies perfectly still, a dark mirror reflecting trees and clouds so clearly it’s hard to tell where the sky ends and the water begins.
The cabin itself is spacious and airy, with a bathroom tucked discreetly to one side. A queen-sized bed fills one corner and will be Rhia’s and my spot for the night, while Claudette claims the sofa without complaint.
“How do you travel with fake passports?” I ask Rhia as we watch the dancing flames.
It might be knowledge that comes in handy one day. After all, I have two fake ones too.
“My computer bag has a hidden compartment,” she says. “It’s lined with some high-tech fabric that makes anything inside undetectable. I totally feel like a badass spy.”
Hmm, I won’t have one of those unless I steal Rhia’s bag.
“Lex is rubbing off on you since you discovered his real job,” I tease. “I noticed it already in Switzerland.”
“Yeah. It’s kind of cool the things I’ve got access to now.”
She rolls onto her back for a moment, then springs to her feet and heads to the kitchen.
“Want to roast some marshmallows, girls?” she calls. “I spotted a bag in the groceries.”
“That would be my doing,” Claudette says, making me jump.
“I thought you were asleep. Your eyes were closed, and you were snoring.”
“Yeah, I do that.” She is completely unapologetic. I love that about her.
“There’s other candy too, if you feel like it.”
Of course there is. Claudette has a sweet tooth. She never travels without a stash, especially back when we were on the road with Cat in the RV.
“So that’s a yes to the marshmallows?” Rhia asks.
“Sure,” I say, hugging a pillow closer.
Rhia heads outside to find sticks, and I watch Claudette as her eyes drift closed again.
I smile, feeling more content than I have in a long while.
When Rhia returns, she’s shivering in her boots.
“Holy cow, it’s cold outside.”
She feeds more logs into the fire, sparks flying as she nudges them into place.
“We don’t need more heat in here,” I say, fanning my shirt away from my chest. I’ve been getting hotter and hotter.
“What?” Rhia wraps herself in a blanket. “You’ve always been a cold frog. I guess you’re an incubator now. You’d be running warmer.”
I chuckle. Only my best friend would compare me to an incubator.
“It’s perfect in here,” I say. “If anything, it’s a little too warm.”
I open the bag of marshmallows, spear a couple onto the sticks, and hold them over the fire.
“Do we have more hot chocolate?” Rhia asks, while Claudette resumes her soft snoring beside us.
“No, but there’s a pot of hot tea.”
“Perfect. Can you pour me a cup? I need to warm up from the inside.”
As I hand it to her, our fingers brush. She frowns, then sets the cup down and grabs my hand.
“Jeez, El. How can you feel hot when your fingers are freezing?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. It’s been like this for a while. My feet are usually cold too. I figured it’s a pregnancy thing.”
Right on cue, little bursts of heat ripple through me.
Damn hormones.
And I still have months of this to look forward to.
I pat my belly.
Peanut, you’re really wreaking havoc with my body.
Rhia watches me, smiling.
“I want to be there when she’s born,” she says, resting her head on my shoulder.
“I want that too.” I bury my nose in her hair, the apple scent of her shampoo comfortingly familiar.
My hand keeps rubbing my belly, images of Peanut’s daddy bombarding my mind.
“I still love Tiero,” I whisper. “I don’t want to, but I do.”
Rhia covers my hand with hers, her warmth seeping into my cold fingers.
“Your love for him won’t disappear overnight just because you can’t live in his world. It might never. He’ll always have a place in your heart, especially because of Peanut.”
She puffs out her cheeks before exhaling slowly.
“But she deserves better than being born into a life of violence and greed. You and Peanut would always be in danger.”
It’s why I’m so determined to build a life far away from him, no matter how much it hurts.
“What if Tiero ever finds out?” My voice trembles despite my efforts to steady it. “What do I do then? He might kill me for hiding his child. Or take her back to Sicily.”
A shudder runs through Rhia, and I feel it against me.
“He could never kill you,” she says. “He loves you. I know he does.”
But she doesn’t sound convinced. Not really.
“He’s probably killed people for lesser offenses,” I murmur, exhaustion settling deep in my bones. “It’s such a mess.”
“Yeah,” Rhia says quietly. “And I don’t see it changing anytime soon. Not unless Tiero is dead. And even then, if word gets out that there’s an heir, you may never be safe.”
I lift my face from her hair and press my palms to my temples, massaging away the dull ache forming there.
“This is giving me a headache,” I say. “Let’s talk about something uplifting.”
“Knox is doing well,” Rhia says after a moment. “Though he’s a little forlorn without you.”
“That’s not uplifting.” I nudge her side. “God knows if I’ll ever see my Highland bull again. At this point, I can’t imagine how I’d even return to Ireland.”
“Sorry. That wasn’t helpful.” She gives my hand an apologetic squeeze.
“I wonder what happened to the three puppies Tiero gave me,” I say as I sit up straighter and spear a marshmallow onto the stick Rhia brought inside.
I loved Oreo, Milk and Brownie. It’s a good thing I didn’t get to spend long with them, or I would have become completely attached.
Hopefully Mariella takes good care of them. Though she was meant to get married. She might already be. The thought makes me sad. I hate that she never had a choice in her own future.
“Oh, there is something I haven’t told you yet.” I glance at Rhia, and the sparkle is back in her eyes. “Remember that hotel project I had to leave Sicily early for?”
“You know that was a setup by Gualtiero, right?” I say, holding the marshmallow over the fire. “He didn’t want to share me, so he had someone reach out to your company and lure you away.”
“I figured that out after we talked in Lucerne,” she says, settling her marshmallow next to mine. “Sneaky bastard. It almost made me question whether I wanted to work with Lawrence Smith.”
“Rhia, you might as well profit from this mess. Charge him double. He’ll pay it.”
“I did,” she says with a grin. “I’m designing marketing campaigns for six of his boutique hotels. And guess which Scottish one is in his portfolio.”
My eyes widen. “Don’t tell me it’s the haunted castle.”
“The very one,” she confirms. “And it gets better. Remember that group of Italians we saw while we were there?”
“Oh, shut up.” My pulse kicks. “You’re not telling me that was Tiero.”
Wouldn’t I have felt him? Every time he’s near, my body goes haywire.
“Not Tiero,” she says. “Mateo.”
“Get out of here. Are you serious? What was he doing there?”
“De Marco Property is one of Lawrence Smith’s financiers. Mateo was checking things out. Turns out Lex was there to keep an eye on another guy in their party. Some sketchy English property tycoon.”
My mouth falls open. “Wow. That’s insane.”
“Right?”
That’s when Claudette lets out an enormous, snorting snore. Rhia and I look at each other and burst out laughing.
Still giggling, I lean closer to the fire to pull out our marshmallows. Another wave of heat spikes through me, and I close my eyes, tipping my head back with a groan.
Will this never end today? I guess being so close to the fire doesn’t help.
Unless…
All the blood drains from my face, dread pooling low in my abdomen.
Oh no.
Oh no no no no no.
I squeeze my eyes shut, as if bracing against pain.
Alarm bells go off in my head, nausea rolling through me.
Rhia’s shriek makes my eyes fly open.
“What?” I ask, already panicking.
“I just saw a man walk past the window,” she whispers. “And he looked a lot like Lex.”
Lex?
Oh, thank God.
The dread recedes just enough for me to think again.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure,” she hisses. “I think I’d recognize my own boyfriend.”
“How does he know you’re here?”
“Beats me. He’s meant to be in the Colombian jungle.”
“You know you’re going to be in trouble.”
She grins at me. “I hope so. I like his punishments.”
“Eww.” I grimace. If Claudette were awake, she’d demand details.
“Then why isn’t he knocking?” I ask. “Or just marching in?”
We exchange puzzled looks.
Jumping up, we race for the front door. Rhia gets there first and yanks it open.
“Oh shit,” she mutters when she sees what’s in front of us.
Yes. Oh shit.