Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 70931 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 355(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70931 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 355(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
But we have our mother who’d no sooner pull the trigger of a gun than live in an underground submarine. And now… children. Babies. Dependents.
Our safety matters.
“Cars,” Victor, one of my staff, mutters. “What kind of fucking cars do we need?”
I give him a list.
Perrine joins him, her hair tucked into a neat bun at the nape of her neck, her eyes glowing with excitement. She loves weapons the way some women love shoes. “Weapons, sir?”
Cosette stares and blinks as if I’ve just transported her into a magical kingdom where fairies and wizards live.
“Where are we?” she whispers.
“It’s called Le Marquise.”
“Whoa. I thought Le Luxe was something else. I mean, it’s the height of luxury, but seriously, Lyam. This is… this is stunning. And it’s so hidden. Like, you’d need to be in an airplane or helicopter just to see it.” She pauses. “Wait—”
I nod. “We’ve thought about that, too.”
Fabien was the one that chose militaristic security measures to guard against anyone ever seeing us.
“It’s like we’re hidden in a world between worlds,” she replies.
I check my phone and grunt in reply. She always was a romantic at heart and sees the charm in every little thing.
“Can I get you anything to eat, Mr. Gerard?”
I look to Cosette. “Are you hungry?”
“Famished,” she says, her hand on her belly. “I swear I ate a good breakfast and now—”
“You’re pregnant.” I turn to Victor. “She’s pregnant. Make sure everything prepared for her is suitable for a pregnant woman. We’re going upstairs to regroup, and I’ll be down in an hour for the meeting. We’ll be here for a while, so I want to make sure we’re ready.” I scratch my jaw. Cosette stares. “We’ve got the doctor visits arranged. I want to be sure she has all the food she needs, proper hydration, her vitamins, and the remedies she needs for nausea. Finally, I want my brothers to know I’m here, but no one else.” I harden my voice. “Is that clear? No one.”
“Clear. Consider it done.”
We walk to the elevator as my staff hustles to make sure everything around us is done the way I asked. They know who I am and what I expect. I reward those who obey and punish those who don’t. Every member of my staff is loyal, dependable, and bulletproof.
I push the elevator button. It dings, ready for us.
“They just obey you,” she whispers, shaking her head. “Why? How? Even at Le Luxe, things were more like… peers. There was a different vibe. Here, though…”
“We only come here if we need top-notch security,” I explain. “We only come here if we’re in danger. So yeah, they do what I say.”
“Ahhhh. All of them?”
I give her a warning look. “Yeah, baby. All of them. There’s only one person who doesn’t. You know who that is?”
“Um,” she says with a sheepish little grin. “Me?”
“Very good. You get a gold star.”
I don’t tell her that it’s her refusal to obey me that initially intrigued me. I’d never met anyone who defied me so fearlessly as Cosette.
It really got to me. I had a hard time reconciling her willingness to serve in bed with her refusal to obey me outside of it.
I knew she’d pose a challenge, and I loved that.
I take her elbow to steady her as we step onto the elevator. She doesn’t need me to, but I can’t help but do it automatically.
She’s carrying my baby. This isn’t just us anymore. Her safety’s never been more important.
I know now why she did what she did. I know now that even though her actions were heinous and dangerous, she had good reason for doing what she did. I know now that my gut instinct about her when I first met her wasn’t off.
“Oh, wow. The elevator doesn’t make a sound. It just whirrs while you magically travel.”
I grunt in reply while I answer a text from Fabien and take Thayer’s voicemail.
Everyone’s safe.
Thayer wants to know what’s the status of our prisoner.
Thayer:
Have you found anything out?
Me:
Some, and I also understand her motives now
Thayer:
Don’t let that pretty face and her magical pussy sway you from what you have to do
Me:
Touché, brother. You underestimate me
Have I found anything out? You could say that.
When we enter the penthouse, Cosette goes from room to room, examining every little detail.
“Little rosebuds on the towel that were embroidered by hand. Wow. And matching soaps! Look, how adorable!”
“Did you say rose soaps?”
I put my phone down mid-reply to Fabien when she stands in the doorway holding something.
“Yes. Look how cute!” Small, rose-shaped soaps sit in the palm of her hand.
“Jesus,” I mutter. “Where did those come from? Someone who was outfitting this place must’ve taken them from home.” I shake my head.
“What do you mean?”
“I carved these. I learned how to carve things by hand by practicing on soap. My mother thought it was clever, so I guess she kept them or something.” I shrug. “I made these when I was a kid.”