Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Nicolette
I’m spinning everything in my head. We’re minutes out from landing in Corsica when the call comes in on Fabien’s phone.
I’m not sure what kind of witchery he did to be able to actually receive calls in the air, but he seems to be able to perform magic tricks, so I don’t question him.
Thayer looks at him sharply, as he relays the information.
“Suspects apprehended at the airport. Our plan worked.” I try to put this all together.
Someone wants to hurt him—or, maybe more accurately… us? I don’t know if I’m special enough to warrant the attention of anyone else, but stranger things have happened since Fabien came into my life.
The person, or people, or whatever, who want to hurt him potentially sabotaged our plane to Paris, then perhaps the same people sent an armored car to attack us on our way back. Interesting that they didn’t try anything at his family home.
Looks like his men have possibly caught the suspects… if that’s what they call them? This all feels so foreign to me.
I don’t want to think about what might happen next.
“Have you sent a team to Corsica?” Thayer asks.
Fabien gives him a withering look. “Of course I did. They’re prepared.”
“Why would they attack at the airport and not at your home?” I ask.
“Lots of reasons,” Fabien says. “They want to have plausible deniability if questioned. Easier getaway on a plane. Nothing as personal as a family home.” He rolls his eyes. “Dramatic effect.”
The ease with which he answers me is a bit unnerving. He didn’t have to think about it.
Whoever tried to kill us thinks just like him.
That knowledge makes me more than a little uneasy.
“We’ll be landing soon.” I don’t know if I imagine it, but he looks at Thayer as if he wishes he could make him disappear.
I wonder what he’d do to me if we were alone.
I am his, after all. Signed, sealed, and delivered. He’ll pay a good amount when all is said and done.
But I wonder… will it be worth it? Will I be damaged beyond repair? What will happen to us in the end?
In his eyes, I’m nothing more than a prostitute he hired. I’ve given myself away time and time again, so often that it feels sometimes as if I’ve left nothing for myself. Sometimes I wonder if the ends justify the means.
Maybe I’m not worthy of whatever I’ve imagined he feels for me.
“Nicolette.” The deep sound of his voice startles me. I give a start and look quickly to him.
Leaning over, he presses one of his warm, firm hands on my knee. “Relax. I’ve got this under control. Our bodyguards are stationed at all entrances to the airport, and my men will question those they were able to capture.”
“At the airports?”
“Yes.”
I shudder to think of what “questioning” would mean to a man like Fabien. If he killed the man who tried to hurt me—my mind comes to a screeching halt.
“Wait. Fabien. Do you know anything about the man you—” I look quickly over to Thayer.
“Go on,” Fabien says. “We don’t hide anything from each other.”
“The man who attacked me. The one that you killed. Do we know anything about who he was?”
Could it be that the attack on us was in some way reciprocity for that man’s life?
“We do. It was the first thing I had my men research. The information was easy for us to find. He was a recently divorced tourist here on business.”
“What business?”
“Tourism. He worked for a travel agency.”
“Alright. Scratch that, then.”
“We’ll find who did this, Nicolette.” He draws in a breath and blows it out. “This is what we do.”
I nod, though I don’t really understand at all.
I can at least go along with this. I have a job to do, and I can do it for the money he’s promised.
He wants the talisman, and I’m the means to that end.
He’s obsessed with the talisman, not me, and it’s ridiculous that I’ve allowed myself to—Oh, God, I realize with a sudden surge of emotion muddled with shame. I’ve allowed myself to fall for him.
I can’t do this. The absolute worst way for me to approach this is to develop actual feelings for the man who’s bought me. We all know this, every single one of us that work together knows this, that allowing emotion to have anything to do with sex will destroy us.
I have to stop myself before I reach the point of no return.
But the way he touches me…
The way he protects me. I may be a strong woman, one who’s made it this far on her own, but I’d be lying to myself if I believed for a minute that a small part of me doesn’t want to be worthy of the protection of a man like him.
The way he thinks, the way he talks, hell, the way the man walks…
“Prepare for landing, please,” our flight attendant tells us. We sit up straight, and I look out the window.
What will meet us when we land? Whoever it is that’s after us… did they have enough time to assemble another team or whatever the hell they call it when they found we weren’t actually landing where we said we were?
I pull myself out of my brain and focus on the present.
Here to do a job.
Being paid amply for it.
It’s a simple matter of following through.
A human can do anything for a few hours or days for that kind of money, I reason. Hell, I’ve done a lot worse for a lot less.
Not that I’m proud of it.
“Nicolette?”
I look over to find Fabien staring at me. “Yes?”
A look of concern washes over him. “Are you alright?”
I brush off his worry. “Yes, of course. I was just thinking about my sister. I haven’t talked to her today and we talk every day.”
“Why don’t you call her? You should have a signal by now, and if you don’t, you can use my phone.”
Now that he is bandaged up, he’s getting dressed again.
I look down at my phone. Yep. I’ve got a signal.
I dial Savannah. She doesn’t have class for another hour, and this is a good time of day to connect.
It rings and rings and finally goes to her voicemail.
How strange.
“Hey, it’s me. Call me when you get this.”
Frowning, I send a quick text.
Hey, honey. It’s me.
No response.
Maybe she went out with friends last night. She decided to sleep in, maybe… I can't give myself any more excuses and can't worry about this right now. She’s too far away from me to check in on her.
“Everything okay?” When I look over at Fabien, I get a lump in my throat. It’s been such a long time since I’ve had anyone who was as concerned for her as I am, it makes me a little wistful when he asks me.
“It’s fine,” I lie, ignoring the way my voice wobbles. “I just can’t get in touch with my sister, but I’m sure she’s… fine.” I look out the window so he doesn’t see the way sudden tears spring to my eyes.
Still, it's at the back of my mind and I can't help but worry.
Just a few more days, I tell myself. Just a few more days until Fabien and I finish our deal. I will have enough money to go see her.
To leave.
It’s getting harder to swallow the lump in my throat.
Wordlessly, Fabien reaches for my hand and gives it a squeeze.
“Landing in five minutes," the flight attendant tells us.
Breathe. I draw in a deep, cleansing breath, and let it out slowly.
“Want to try her again?”
I do, but it goes to her voicemail again.
“I'm sure everything is fine," I lie.
"Is she usually hard to get hold of in the morning?"
“No… Not at all. Usually this is one of the times of day that we check in with each other…”
When he frowns, it certainly doesn't help my worry.
I suddenly have a terrifying thought. "You don't think that whoever is after us…"
No. That would be the absolute worst possible outcome…
“I think it's extremely unlikely they even know who you are, much less would expend the energy or resources to go after your sister. In any event, I'm going to make sure she's okay. I have people in Boston.”
This. This right here, the way he just moves his magic wand like a magician to make sure that the people I care about are safe. This right here is enough for me. It shouldn't be. But I can't push a button and shut off my heart.
"We have to land safely. We have to get to La Maison without incident. I put as many security measures in place as possible, but we have to exercise caution. We have an ally not far from where your sister is.”
I open my mouth to argue then realize it’s pointless.
I need this. Savannah does too. I need to make sure my sister is okay.
Thayer looks over at me. "You asked for a gun in Paris. Do you know how to shoot?"
"I am a complete novice. I just didn't want to be unarmed and at your mercy."
Fabien smirks. “I’ll keep that one in mind.”
Thayer rolls his eyes. “God. Can you please do the foreplay thing when I’m not here?”
“You’re the one who decided to follow us. I had plans for this plane ride.”
“Oh, God.” Thayer grimaces.
We are about to leave. I will make sure we get back to this, that I take care of Savannah, that I make sure she's okay. But I'm no use to her if I'm dead, so it's time that I listen to Fabien.
Again.
Fabien curses under his breath. “That son of a bitch." He looks over at Thayer. “Did you already uphold our end of the bargain with Milo?”
"I did it as soon as you told me to. Why?"
"Just got a text from him. He says the powers that be have rearranged the time this evening.” He looks at his watch. "We have one hour, Nicolette."
Oh my God. One hour to get back to safety, check in with Savannah, and get in disguise.
As his slave.
No big deal. Right.
My heart beats a little faster at what needs to happen next.
I draw in a breath and let it out. I nod. "Let's do it."
The way Fabien’s eyes crinkle at me… A slow, wolfish grin spreads across his face. "You live for this, don't you?"
"For what?"
"The adrenaline rush. The excitement. The impossible."
I shrug a shoulder. “Maybe I do. Maybe I like the possibilities that lay ahead of us.”
Thayer grunts. "Here we go again.”
Does he think every single reaction is sexual?
With Fabien… maybe it is.
The plane’s wheels touch down.
My heart beats rapidly, as I’m vividly aware of the time, the stakes, what’s on the line.
“Hold my hand,” Fabien commands. “Whatever happens next, you do exactly what I say. Thayer and I will protect you, no matter what.”
Thayer nods. “He’s right.”