Page 14 of Midnight Revelations

Lucrezia said she needed me, so here I was right beside her.

“I hate leaving you, Lucrezia. Try to re-organise your meetings and come with me.” I knew that tone of Lucas’ voice. He was used to always getting his own way, especially with his daughters.

“Don’t be silly, Papa. Francis is here with me. It will do you good to have me out of your hair for a few days.”

I smiled because Francis had been the one who called me when he was worried about her in London. He probably already knew I was standing in this bedroom right now. He loved Lucrezia like a daughter and wanted her to find a life for herself.

“Call me if you need anything,” Lucas said. “My phone is on twenty-four hours a day.”

“Papa! I am not a little girl anymore. Unless you want to join us for coffee and a debate about female menstrual problems, then you need to go before you miss your flight.”

He grumbled on his way out the door. She’d played a blinder—no man wanted to discuss anything to do with gynaecology. We were happy for our tongues, fingers, and dicks to play in that area, but none of us wanted to discuss anything other than sex, oral or otherwise.

Lucrezia entered the room a few minutes later. She leaned against the door and her full lips slowly lifted in a smile. “I guess we’re finally alone,” she said.

“Just you, me, and your security detail. How romantic,” I drawled.

She sauntered across the room, her hands rested on my sides and her chin leant on my chest. “I really needed you here with me. Thank you for reading between the lines of my messages.”

My own hands found their natural resting position on her hips. “Get dressed and pack a bag. I’m going to have a quick chat with Francis and then I’m taking you out for a proper date.”

The excitement in her eyes made my heart beat a little faster. We hadn’t had a conventional start to our relationship, but that didn’t mean that I shouldn’t try and give her all the things that she wanted now.

She threw her arms around me and stood on her tiptoes to press kisses to my lips. “Are we going to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower? Sit and eat pastries in a café? Wander along the river and watch the artists?”

“Nope.” I shook my head. “You’ll have to wait and see.”

I kissed the tip of her nose before releasing her and moving into the main body on the suite.

Francis glanced up from reading the paper. “I thought I heard your voice earlier. I turned the TV up so Lucas wouldn’t murder you in front of Lucy.”

I shrugged. “I got an SOS text and here I am.” I met his hard glare. “I’m trying my best, Francis. You know I don’t want her hurt.”

“Lucas leaving suddenly and a frantic message from Ivan this morning are starting to make sense,” he muttered, returning his attention to his paper.

“I have an apartment in Paris that I’m taking Lucrezia to and then I have a surprise planned for her for the next few days before we have to return to the real world again.”

His eyebrow rose. “You do know that I’m her security patrol.”

“Do you think anyone will get to her through me?” I queried.

He shook his head and set the paper down. “I wouldn’t like to challenge you. What are you planning for her?”

A smile lifted the corner of my lips and I showed him what I’d booked on my phone.

“You are either incredibly clever or very cunning. If she doesn’t already love you, then she will after this.” He barked out a laugh. “Men try to woo her with diamonds and estates and you…” His voice trailed off and he laughed again. “Clever bastard.”

Lucrezia had her bag packed and was waiting beside the bed in her room when I arrived back. “Is Francis okay with me going with you?”

Francis walked down the corridor. “Ash knows that if he hurts you that he has to deal with me before Lucas even finds out and disposes of the body. Call me if you need me.”

Lucrezia’s face split into a huge grin and she practically vibrated with excitement. “I’m in Paris!”

Yeah, I’d have to limit her exposure to caffeine today.

Francis lifted his hand in a wave as he moved toward his own room since I’d taken responsibility for the woman beside me.

“Sunglasses on,” I said. They were our number one defence against the prying eyes of our enemies and why we always wore large frames that obscured our faces.

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