Episode 72
Episode 72
We Didn’t See it Coming
MADAM ALANA
“Emily, dear, do not touch the artifacts,” I warned and watched as she pulled her hand away from a painting.
“It looks so real,” she breathed.
“ Oui . And it continues to look that way because it is untouched.” I looped my arm with hers and led her through the next room in the Palace of Versailles.
Christo followed closely behind us, enraptured by the art before him. Every time we came here, he spent long minutes with each painting as though seeing each artist’s process through their eyes and not his own. I adored watching him take in art. His admiration, awe, and often astonishment in another creator’s work was magical to behold.
“I’m getting kinda hungry, Auntie Alana.”
I patted her hand. “I have one of those power bars Aurelie handed me, in my purse. Let’s take a walk in the garden while Christo soaks up more of the paintings, oui ?”
Emily grinned. “Awesome. I mean oui, Tante Alana.”
“ Très bien, chérie . Your French is coming along quite nicely.”
The girl’s cheeks heated under my praise as she smiled beautifully.
I turned to Christo who was staring intently at a painting of one of the princesses who had lived here centuries ago.
“ Mon coeur , Emily and I are going to the gardens for some fresh air. Can you meet up with us when you’ve completed your assessment of this room?” I had to be specific of my needs with Christophe in this environment, otherwise I’d lose him to the art.
He blinked several times and then looked at me with a smile. It seemed he was already mesmerized.
“ Désolé. Qu’as-tu dit ?” I’m sorry, what did you say?
I chuckled and went to him, lifting my head until he dipped his and placed a tiny peck on my lips.
“Emily and I are going out to the gardens. She needs a snack, and I need fresh air,” I repeated. “Meet us when you’re done viewing this room, oui ?”
He smiled, cupped my face, and traced my cheekbone with his thumb. He looked at me with such adoration my heart nearly stopped. “There is nothing more magnificent in this room, in this entire castle, than my wife.”
I kissed him gently, cupping his face as I did so. “ Je t’aime . See you soon,” I whispered against his lips.
I let my fingers trace his face as I backed away.
“You guys are sooooooo romantic,” Emily gushed as I took her elbow once more.
“One day, chérie , you will find a love like mine and Christo’s.”
“You think so?”
“Of course. You are beautiful, intelligent and know your own mind.”
“You think all that about me?”
I turned to face her. “You are more than worthy of deep, life-altering love. When you are older and it is your time, it will find you like your Uncle Christophe found me. I am certain of it.”
She nodded but didn’t say anything more until we made it to the lush green gardens. Tourists lined each path taking photos and posing for family pictures. The sun was shining, and the sky was so blue it was rather blinding in its glory.
“Do you think that my mom and dad were a bad match and that’s why they didn’t work out?” Emily asked, nibbling on her thumbnail.
I removed her hand from her mouth and tsked. “Don’t bite your nails. It’s a nasty habit and not becoming of the lady you are growing up to be.”
She frowned and then put her hands together in front of her, fidgeting.
“From an outsider’s perspective, your mother and father’s love burned very bright, very fast. And often those things burn out quickly. Unfortunately for them, that is what I believe happened. However, both would absolutely agree that you were their reward for the love they once shared. And I know your father doesn’t regret a single moment of your lives together.” I reached out and took her hand. “Does that make sense, chérie ?”
“Yeah, I guess so. But, what about Maia?”
“I think he and Maia found one another exactly when they were meant to. You being a part of this new unit you three are building makes that love stronger. You’re choosing to be a family. Like your love for me and Uncle Christo. We are not your blood, but that doesn’t make us any less family, nor our love for one another less, does it?”
She shook her head emphatically. “No. I’ve never known anything but love from you and Uncle Christo my whole life. More than I get from my mom.” She looked down and scuffed the toe of her shoe on the concrete.
I looped my arm around her shoulders and tucked her to my side. “Your mother is a complicated woman, whose priorities aren’t where they should be. Alas, I know her well, which means I also know that she loves you very much, in her own way.”
“Yeah, but do you think it’s weird that I’m already feeling so close to Maia after only a short time? I mean, she’s so cool and nice. And she seems to like me. Really like me. I even texted her and Dad, and she responded with pics of them smiling and saying they missed me.”
I smiled and ran my fingers through her long blond hair. It was as soft as spun silk.
“I believe there is enough love to go around. Love is never a bad thing. And you’re allowed to feel whatever it is you feel for Maia. She’s a wonderful woman who’s eager to be a part of your family. How about we focus more on enjoying each other’s company and less on who may or may not be mad about you loving someone who deserves your affection, hmmm?”
“You mean, Mom,” she sighed. The weight this young woman was carrying broke my heart. She didn’t deserve to be worried about hurting her mother’s feelings because she liked her father’s fiancée.
“I mean your mom. Portia is…well, she’s Portia. Let your father deal with any concerns she may have about Maia, and you just be you. Okay, love?”
“Thanks Auntie Alana. I mean, merci !”
We both laughed as my phone rang. I pulled it and the brightly packaged energy bar from my purse. I handed the snack to her and noted the caller ID said Diego Salazar . My heart started to beat rapidly as I pressed the button to take his call.
“ Hola, Se?or Salazar ,” I answered.
“Mrs. Toussaint, I have some bad news. Are you in a safe place?” he asked instantly.
“I am, oui .”
“I’ve confirmed the person that requested our services on Maia Field has been incarcerated. She is not a concern for the time being.”
Relief plowed through the center of my chest, and I put my hand over my heart. “That’s wonderful news.”
“No, it’s not. She is just one cog in the much larger wheel of what is taking place. During my investigation, I tracked down that her boss was the one that threatened you. He never gets his hands dirty, but for some reason, he did so with you. That alone is concerning. And he is unaccounted for.”
“This is the man that you were most concerned about. The one that is more powerful than even you?”
“ Sí ,” he growled, sounding like he was chewing on rocks. It was obvious Diego had a deep distaste for whomever this individual was.
“What does all this mean?”
If the man that threatened me did so himself, it meant that he had a personal vendetta and would continue the threats until he got whatever he wanted from me. My hands started to tremble.
“What’s the matter, Auntie?” Emily asked, concern in her tone.
I lifted my hand and waved, giving her a fake smile before turning around and pressing the phone closer to my ear.
“Diego, what does this mean?” I asked again.
“Information about his last known location came from my men, who followed him to the airport. My team was able to secure the destination where his private plane landed a few hours ago. That’s the reason for my call.” His voice sounded angry and harried.
“And?” I croaked.
“The plane landed in Paris, France. You need to get somewhere safe, immediately. Are you protected?”
My mouth went dry, and a shiver of fear ran up my spine.
“I…we…hadn’t seen any trouble the past few days.” My mind was a blur of activity as my gaze traced over every stranger close to us, looking for a possible threat. “We left our bodyguards in the car to relax. We’re touring the Palace of Versailles.”
“ ?Dios mío! Get the fuck outta there immediately, se?ora . I’m going to send you the directions to a safe house.”
“Okay, oui. Merci, Se?or Salazar.”
“Don’t thank me yet. You’re marked for death, Alana. Now get to the safe house and call me when you arrive.”
“I will,” I said and hung up, then grabbed Emily’s hand.
“What’s happening?” Emily’s bottom lip trembled.
“We have to go now, my darling. Stick close to me. I’ll explain when we get in the car.”
Emily clung to my hand as we walked as fast as we could. We met up with Christophe in the same room we’d left him in.
He saw my face and reached out to hold onto my arms. “What’s wrong?”
“Salazar called and said the person that threatened me is in Paris. He landed a few hours ago.” I lifted my phone to show him the text message. “He sent us directions to a safe house,” I practically sobbed, but choked it back in order to be strong for Emily. I didn’t want to frighten her any more than she already was.
“Let’s go.” Christophe took my free hand, and the three of us left the palace as fast as we felt appropriate, without causing too much attention.
Christophe had his phone to his ear as we walked to the exit where we’d planned to meet our guards.
“They’re not fucking answering,” he barked, fear coating his words.
I squeezed his hand as we kept going. When we reached the exit, we could see the two blacked-out SUV’s parked side by side a couple rows in.
“Come on! Run!” Christo instructed, and Emily and I did as he said.
When we got to the SUV’s, Christophe flung one of the doors open and a body fell to the ground, blood from his slit throat soaking his white shirt.
Emily screamed, and I wrapped my arms around her and tucked her to my chest to hide the gruesome sight.
Christophe ran around to the other side of the car and pulled open that door. I could see through the windows that he’d found the same.
I watched in horror as he ran to the other SUV. I shifted Emily and made her walk backward away from the carnage as I kept her face tucked to my chest so she wouldn’t see.
“Fuck!” Christophe roared.
And then suddenly we heard a screeching of tires as a different blacked-out SUV careened toward us.
The guards must have called for help. Thank goodness. My shoulders fell in relief, as I saw Christophe’s head shake and his eyes bulge in fear.
I looked at him as he suddenly screamed, “Alana! No! Run!”
But I was too late. The SUV peeled to a halt in front of me and Emily. Two men in masks poured out both the side doors.
“No, no, no!” I cried as Emily screamed. One of them yanked her brutally out of my arms. Another came up behind me and locked his massive arms around my body, forcing my arms to my sides, putting me in a human vise grip so tight I screamed at the top of my lungs. “Let her go!”
Muted gunshots were fired in Christophe’s direction, and I screamed bloody murder as I watched him duck behind one of the other SUVs. They shoved Emily into the car kicking and hollering. I went willingly at that point. “I’ll go, just don’t hurt her,” I yelled and got into the car. Emily immediately clung to me as she shook like a leaf and sobbed.
“Go, go, go!” one of the men yelled as he hammered at the leather seat in front of him. He then slammed the car door, shoving us into the middle seat, wedged between two masked men.
The tires screeched as they shot forward racing through the parking lot. I turned the best I could to see out the back window. Christo stood up from where he’d been crouching, his hand clutching his arm where blood poured down the sleeve of his shirt. He’d been shot, but he seemed to be okay…for now.
The masked man in the front passenger seat turned around to face us, gun pointed right at my head. “Shut up, stay calm, or you’re both dead.”