Page 57 of The Geek and the Sheikh

“On the Operation Rebirth files,” she quietly replied.

Sixteen

Junebug peered through the front windshield. They had left the highway several miles back using an obscure road that Junebug would have missed if she had been driving.

“Will you teach me how to drive?” she asked.

There had to be a trick to how he sorted all the visual information and saw what he needed to see when he needed to see it. This was like supernatural levels of skill—that apparently most people had.

“What? Ah, yeah… sure. I can teach you. It might be easier on an automatic. Stick-shifts can be a little tricky,” he said.

“It looks like fun,” she said. "But seriously, how does anyone ever find this place?”

Jameel laughed. “Hopefully, Allison and Bronislav’s other goons won’t.”

They were traveling down a very narrow, paved road. The scenery was magnificent. Thick strands of trees bordering each side gave the picturesque drive an almost medieval ambiance. Junebug was glad she wasn’t the one driving. There wasn’t much room for two cars to pass each other.

The road opened into a wide rolling valley dotted by small clusters of trees. The road widened slightly with short walls made of rocks lining each side. They passed over a narrow wood and stone bridge.

Junebug’s lips parted with delight as they passed quaint stone cottages that were hundreds of years old. Bright flowers added color to the weathered stone structures. They entered a quaint village that looked like it was straight out of a movie set. Jameel slowed to a crawl on the uneven pavement.

“Oh, look at that!”

Her eyes widened as they entered the main square. A round fountain with a bell-shaped top stood in the center. Jameel followed the turning circle, taking a right on the third street. A variety of shops lined the broad circle. There was a chocolate store with a window filled with chocolate creations too beautiful to eat.

“Welcome to Flavigny-sur-Ozerain,” he said with a grin.

“It’s beautiful. It looks like something out of a fairy tale.”

“Well, in a way it is. It is where they filmed the movie Chocolat,” he laughed. “The only reason I know anything about it is because of Gilbert.”

She twisted in her seat as they exited the village. A sigh of frustration and resentment slipped from her. There was so much she wanted to see and do. It was hard to do any of that when there were killers chasing them.

“I’ve never gone anywhere and now that I’m finally out, I’m still not able to,” she groaned.

“I promise you’ll get to see anything you want once Bronislav is taken care of,” he vowed.

She sighed and straightened in her seat. They traveled another kilometer before Jameel turned off the paved road and onto a dirt one. The road narrowed until they reached a set of heavy wrought-iron gates attached to a thick stone wall. Through the gates, Junebug could see a magnificent old chateau.

Jameel lowered his window and pressed the call button on the keypad. Junebug took the opportunity to study the chateau. Her first thought was that whoever lived there must either have a ton of help to keep it maintained or they spent their life cleaning. The place was almost as big as most hotels.

“Go away. I didn’t order anything.”

She muffled her giggle at the gruff greeting. Jameel rolled his eyes and shook his head. He pressed the button again.

“I told you to bloody hell go away!”

“Hi, Gilbert. It’s Jameel.”

“Jameel? Little Jameel who fixed my computer?”

“He’s not so little any more. Hi, Gilbert. I’m Junebug,” she called out with a grin.

“Junebug? Junebug? As in the beetle Junebug?” Gilbert responded.

“Yes.”

“Come in. Come in. I’ve never met a talking Junebug before,” Gilbert said.

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