Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 78825 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78825 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
I shake my head and get to my feet, discarding the blanket. “Girls, girls, please. You are way overreacting. If he’s the owner of this place, he’s not going to do something ridiculous after he just literally saved me.”
Gwen looks at me, blinks, then nods to Joëlle. “Call them.”
“Uh, no.” I march to the door and shake my head at them. I didn’t come this far and save this much money only to cast it all away. No way. “I’m here for a reason, and I won’t let some big, scary man chase me away. Not happening.”
Cosette sighs. “She’s right. It doesn’t matter anyway. Now that he’s seen her, she couldn’t hide if she tried. He’d find her.”
I ignore the way my spine tingles and shake my head again.
“I’ve got my first free evening in weeks, girls. I’m going to enjoy myself. Good night.”
“Nicolette—”
I shut the door behind me.
CHAPTER THREE
Fabien
“You got any leads?” I ask Thayer. I’m pacing my office, my mind racing. Who would threaten us and why?
“No.”
I curse under my breath.
I need Nicolette, and I need her now.
“Tell me if you hear anything.”
“Of course.”
We disconnect the call.
I have no intention of following anyone’s orders to me, but I will find who’s behind this. I will rescue my brother. And I will kill those who threatened us.
Nicolette.
I will pay her amply for her… services… I will buy her.
Buxom and beautiful, and damn near almost raped under my very own roof.
If I hadn’t already killed the son of a bitch that tried to assault her, I’d do it now. I doubt I made him suffer enough. He cried and begged for mercy before I ended him, but I should have made him bleed more.
I should have made him look in my eyes when I snuffed out his life. I should have made him feel the same fear she felt when he had her snatched in his grip and cowering beneath him. If I didn’t think it’d terrify her, I’d have held him by the neck and made him apologize to her before I put a bullet through his head.
And I’ll do the same to whoever’s touched my brother.
How anyone could think I’d allow an asshole to get away with a thing like that baffles me.
Maybe I’ve grown too soft. Too lenient. Maybe I need it broadcast that I made an example of him.
I sit in my office and glance at the surveillance cameras. Though I give the women who work for me privacy, every other inch of this place is under close observation. We need a better system than the call button I’ve installed in their bedrooms.
What if she hadn’t reached it in time? What if he’d stopped her?
My mind races.
What will it do to my mother if we don’t recover Lyam?
I don’t realize I’m on my feet and clenching my fists until the palms of my hands hurt. I look down, unclench my fists and stare in surprise at the red half-moon marks on my palms from my fingernails.
Nicolette.
I’ve got cameras on her at all times. I’ve already decided she’s mine. I told Gwen not to allow her with any other clients because I wanted no one else to ever touch her again, and instead, I walked in on this.
I stab my fingers through my hair and breathe in through my nostrils, so I don’t break something.
Again.
I stalk to the surveillance footage of our community room and scan it, looking for any other man that might be suspicious. I pick up the phone.
“Yes, Monsieur?”
“Gwen, please clear Nicolette’s calendar for the next week.” We don’t book out further than a week, so that’s all we’ll need. “I want to give her some time to recover from what happened.”
“Yes, sir. And I’m so sorry I didn’t get your earlier message.”
I draw in a breath. “How did you miss it?”
“I didn’t have notifications on.” I can hear the wince in her voice.
“See it doesn’t happen again.” She’s goddamn lucky she isn’t mine.
“Yes, of course. It’s very kind of you to give Nicolette some time off.”
“I’m discussing increased surveillance with my management immediately, and we’d like to bring you into our discussion.”
“I’d like that.”
“I’ll be in touch.”
No one but me and Thayer know about Lyam, and we’ll keep it that way.
We disconnect the call, and I dial Louis. It’s possible that the attack here had something to do with Lyam’s abduction.
“Boss?”
“I want to run background checks on every man that walks in here.”
“We tried that once, but because so many of them are tourists—”
“Do it. If I have to fucking explain myself, I’ll find someone else who can do it without questioning me.”
A pause, and then Louis replies, “Yes, sir. On it. I can have it in place by—”
“Tomorrow.”
Another pause. “It’ll be done.”
“Thank you. I’d also like you to put me in touch with Jean-Pierre.”