by Lucy Rains
“Lewis,” Alex said between his pretzel bites.
“Lewis?” I asked. “Alex Lewis?”
“Gavin Lewis, Pierce Lewis, Kyson Lewis,” Alex responded.
“It was just easiest for us to all have the same one,” Gavin answered.
I nodded slowly, “Why Lewis?”
Alex exchanged glances with Pierce, “We got the idea from that movie, the one where the guy in WWII crashed, floats in a raft, taken behind enemy lines in Japan.”
“Tortured, beaten.” Kyson adds. “Survives despite all odds.”
“His first name was Louis,” explained Pierce. “But we tweaked the spelling.”
I considered their inspiration behind their choice, finding it sadly appropriate. I had not endured the same brutality as they had, but I was feeling connected to my own past through my last name. “I think I'd like to change my last name.”
The guys all lifted their eyes to look at me.
I nodded, firm in the idea. “I don’t want to be a Parker anymore. I don’t know what I would choose though."
“You want to take our last name?” Alex asked with a smile. He tossed his empty container into a nearby garbage can with perfect aim.
The heated pleasure that came from all of the guys filled my body, and caught me completely off guard. I put my hand on the arm rest to steady myself from swaying. This idea pleased them immensely.
“I don’t know,” I whispered. “Maybe?”
“Is that your way of asking me to marry you?” Alex joked.
The idea was too much to consider in that moment. I didn’t know what I wanted. There were so many unknowns, so many questions. I knew I was young, naive. But everything within my inner being desired to be with the guys everyday for the rest of my life. Only, I didn’t know if the guys would want the same.
A hand came down on top of mine. “Think about it,” Pierce said calmly. “We’ll support whatever you want to do.”
Chapter 13
We boarded our plane and after a brief stop in London, made it to Paris without any complications.
We stood in the middle of the airport, standing still in the midst of chaos. People scurried around us, coffee cups in hand, suitcases being pulled in the other. Men on business phones, mothers pushing strollers, teenagers laughing and yelling. Multiple languages flowed all around us, as people went around with their busy lives.
The guys and I stood in a circle formation, shoulder to shoulder. There was an unspoken hesitancy in all of us. My heart beat at a rapid pace, my feet shifting side to side.
“No turning back,” I said in a quiet voice. Final. Resolute.
“We stay together, always,” said Kyson. His hands gripped his backpack, his forearms straining.
“We reserve the right to bail at anytime,” Alex added.
Pierce nodded, looking to Gavin for any input from him. His face was hard as stone while his emotions conflicted between fear and hope. “Nobody touches Jade,” he almost growled.
Kyson’s lip curled at this, baring his top teeth, a soft hiss escaping his mouth. “Damn straight.”
“You guys wanted this,” I reminded them. “You were pushing for this, remember?”
“Yeah, well,” Alex shrugged, “doesn’t mean we like the idea of anyone else coming within 5 feet of you.”
Pierce let out a heavy sigh, “I need to pick up our weapons.”
Alex laced his fingers through mine, leading me along with him.
As we exited the terminals, I gripped tighter onto his hand, using him as my anchor. Alex pressed a kiss to my temple, feeling my anxieties in his own mind and trying to comfort me.
“We’ll be okay, Babezilla,” he whispered.
As we rounded the corner to head to the escalators, my eyes met familiar blue ones. Ones that wrinkled in the corners when he smiled, with heavy lids that drooped slightly.
“Charles,” I announced softly, my steps slowing. Pierce gave a nod in his direction, but continued down the walkway towards the baggage claim carousels.
Charles looked the same as he always did, in a well tailored suit, with gleaming shoes. His silver hair was trimmed short and he stood as if at attention, ready for a command.
He smiled as we came closer, his eyes warming at the sight of me. “Miss Jade,” he nodded.
I smiled, unsure of myself around Charles. Our relationship was different now, created on different circumstances. Circumstances I couldn’t help but partially blame Charles for.
Charles had known so much more than I had ever realized. About my mother, about me, about the guys...Memories of that night in the old empty house, having him show up in my mother’s office with a gun in his hand, saying things that I never would have imagined, sparked a tiny fire of resentment in my belly. How different my life might have been, had I known what he knew. If I had been able to confide in someone, have a person to talk to about what I was going through. Especially after the incident in the woods.
He looked at me now, with obvious joy in his eyes at the sight of me, and I allowed my heart to soften. A bit of that resentment melted as I felt his concern and happiness. I couldn’t forget that he cared for me in a kind and loving way, more than my mother ever had.
“Hi Charles,” I said, giving him a quick hug and stepping back beside Alex. Gavin and Kyson stood back a little, constantly looking over the crowds of people.
“Are you feeling alright? Are you eating?” His words were rushed and he blinked quickly.
I nodded, “I’m doing fine, and yes, I’ve been eating.”
He looked to Alex for confirmation of my answers. I expected him to back me up but Alex didn’t show any sign of agreeing with me.
Charles led us out to his large silver SUV and we made our way into the mess of traffic lining the streets. Pierce sat in the front with Charles, Alex and Gavin were by my side, while Kyson sat in the back.
“You can just take us to a nearby hotel,” Pierce said. “We can unload our things there and meet up with you in an hour.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Charles replied. “Mr. Bruno has plenty of space.”
I raised an eyebrow, glancing at Gavin. “For five extra adults?” I asked.
“I would prefer not to sleep on the floor,” Alex grumbled.
“No one will have to sleep on the floor, Mister Alex.”
Alex grunted, “Just Alex is fine, Mister Charles.”
“We can try it out for tonight,” Pierce jumped in. “Then look into a nearby place to stay if needed.”
“Where is Mr. Bruno’s office?” I asked.
“His office is his home. Or his home is his office,” Charles answered. “However you want to look at it.”
“How the hell does he have enough space for all of this?” Pierce asked. “Last I checked, Paris apartments weren’t spacious.”
A small smile tugged at Charles mouth. “Mr. Bruno has established himself in a very accommodating unit.”
“He must have a pretty substantial cash flow coming in,” Gavin mumbled.
“Indeed, Mr. Bruno has helped many clients, all over the world.”
I glanced at Gavin, then back out the front windshield, “How does he know about us?” I asked, completely bewildered.
Charles glanced at me in the rear view mirror, then back to the road in front of him. “That, is a long story. But the short version is that he was doing what he was hired to do.”
That answer turned in my mind, which only created a hundred more questions. Someone wanted him to find us? Find out about us? To care enough to send someone like Charles to watch over me? My head was spinning and we weren’t even at Matteo’s home yet.
“Why was he in the states two weeks ago?” Pierce asked. “When Zraa hired us to take him out?”
“He was meeting with clients to go over information he had acquired.”
“Didn’t Zraa hire him to find information, and he ended up not sharing what he found?” I asked, racking my brain back to that night. “That was why we were supposed to assas
sinate him?”
“Mr. Bruno had shared the necessary information with Zraa and its superiors. But they did not believe that Mr. Bruno should continue living, knowing what he did."
“What did Zraa hire Matteo to find?” Gavin asked.
Another glance from Charles. A pause. “Zraa was acting on behalf of Dr. Parker and Dr. Petrov. They were looking for a person.”
Alex shifted next to me, turning around to look at Kyson and then me. I realized then that he was hearing many things that we weren’t. All the things that Charles wasn’t saying.
“How are we going to help Jade?” Alex asked, almost breathless. “How can make her better?”
Charles fingers tightened around the steering wheel, his body going still. I felt his mood sour. There was a touch of fear at the edges of his mind.
“What?” I asked, the word slipping out of my mouth. “What is it?”
“We’ll discuss all necessary details at Mr. Bruno's home.” Charles lips pinched together and my eyes widened. I had never seen him like this before. Nervous. Anxious.
We rode the rest of the way in silence. The farther we drove, the deeper we wove into the middle of Paris, the more beautiful the sights became, and the thicker the traffic became. Parks were everywhere, surrounded by towering historical buildings, etched with detail. Had we been there for any other reason, my face would have been pressed up against the glass. But the reasons behind my first visit to Paris would forever haunt me.
We parked in a parking garage, then followed Charles to an elevator, where an operator stood inside, ready to push the button for us. I looked at him curiously, his thick body and icy eyes. He was obviously hired for more of a security aspect than pushing elevator buttons.
“Thank you, Jules,” Charles greeted as he walked by.
Jules locked his hands behind his back, staring at the five of us in the silver reflection of the elevator door. “Of course, Charles. Will your friends be with us long?”
“A few days, yes. Please let the front desk know.”
“Bien sur,” Jules responded pleasantly.
I glanced at Jules one more time before forcing my eyes forward and willing my breathing to calm. The motion of the elevator pulling us upward into the top of the building was bringing instant queasiness to my stomach. I leaned on Kyson who stood behind me and his hand went to my waist.
When a chime signaled our arrival and the elevators opened, Jules parting words were a French version of ‘Have a good day.’ Charles responded likewise and led us down a hallway, that had only a single door at the end of it.
Charles produced a keycard, swiped it over a panel and then pressed his thumb to an electronic digital pad. A red light flashed behind his flesh, illuminating his thumbnail to a soft pink glow. When several clicking noises filled the hallway, Charles stepped away from the panel and pushed the thick, heavy door open.
Pierce and Gavin stepped inside first, looking around the space we were entering. Trusting there was no deception, no trap. Alex would have felt a lie in Charle’s words at some point and had yet to feel anything out of place. So we all stepped in hesitantly to the granite tiled foyer, setting our bags down with a sigh.
“Where’s the fridge?” Alex asked.
My eyebrows came down, “Food? Seriously?”
“I’m hungry too,” Kyson added.
“I’ll see if Lettie can find some refreshments for you. And I will show you to your rooms.”
At his words, I felt a presence approaching. The mood was curious, light, unaggressive in every form. The muscles in my stomach loosened just a touch. The girl that rounded the corner of the hallway was chic with an air of youthfulness, helping me to understand the emotions that filled her. She was probably my age. Her height was several inches shorter than my own. She sported a blonde pixie cut, angled round wide brown eyes. Her black framed glasses perched on her nose only added to her cuteness. She was so cute that when unabashed delight filled her eyes at the sight of the guys I didn’t want to rip her head off. Mostly.
“Hi,” she said unsteadily, her voice light and friendly. I would have bet my flip flops that she had never been around this many beautiful men in one room.
“Lettie, our guests are hungry.”
Her eyes glanced at Charles and then back to Kyson. Then Pierce. “Oh! Okay.” She nodded, her soft french accent tinging her words. “I will go pull out some baguettes and jam.”
She scurried off and Charles showed us the two bed rooms we would be occupying. There were twins and couches, indeed enough to sleep six. My bag slid off my shoulder and I allowed myself to lay down on a bed.
“Wake me when we talk about important things,” I mumbled. A low growl came from someone, judging from the depth it must have been Pierce.
“She needs to eat,” Alex murmured.
“Mm fnn,” my words mushed out from the pillow pressing into my face. My eyes already beginning to droop.
From within the bedroom where we all were, we could hear the front door open with an accompanying triple chime alert. My eyes opened and I looked to Charles.
“Mr. Bruno is home.”
All four of my guys had a sudden energy spike and their emotions turned on high alert.
“Lets go talk to him,” Kyson urged, tapping my ankle.
Pierce helped me up and we all walked out to a sleek, contemporary sitting room. Matteo was talking into a phone in heated French, swaying and pacing. My advanced high school French education told me he was arguing with someone about tax rates on shipping to India.
He snapped his phone shut and spun around to look at us.
“My apologies,” he soothed in a thick french accent. “Some issues that needed to be dealt with.”
“Ca va,” I replied.
Matteo dropped his phone into his white shirt pocket and removed his dark blazer, passing it off to Charles. “You finally got here,” he unbuttoned his shirt sleeves. “What took you so long?”
His tone was chastising. I raised an eyebrow and looked at Pierce. Pierce folded his arms, “Some issues needed to be dealt with.”
Matteo gave a short chuckle, but I felt his emotions turn down with irritation. “You do not understand.”
“You’re right,” Gavin snapped. “That’s why we're here.”
Matteo frowned, “People are waiting on you. Lives depend on you. It was not expected for you to take a vacation on a beach.”
“First of all, that really isn’t any of your business,” I tried defending.
“This is all my business,” he chided. “Your lives have been my business for the last ten years.” He looked away from me and snapped, “Charles. Water, please.” Charles disappeared and Matteo continued. “You wanted a break, no? Time to ‘get away’?” He shook his head. “This is not a luxury you get to enjoy.”
Charles brought out two glasses of water, while Lettie carried two more. The sight of the crystal clear glasses filled with water immediately made me salivate. He handed one to Matteo and offered me the other. I managed enough control to not throw it back within seconds.
Pierce took one from Lettie and drained it quickly.
“You should have given us more information then,” Kyson said, turning down a glass of water. “If it was a matter of life and death, that would have been nice to know.”
Matteo dabbed at his mouth with a white handkerchief and then handed his glass back to Charles. “I should not have to,” he clipped. Holding up a hand, he said, “Enough about this. However, before we continue, I will need to see a demonstration.”
“Demonstration?” Kyson repeated.
Pierce shook his head, “We’re here for your help now. Answers, assistance.” Pierce and I looked at each other, our eyes locking.
“I understand,” Matteo said. “I do. But before I can offer any assistance, I need to see first hand your,” he lifted an eyebrow at me, then Pierce, “abilities.”
A hiss slipped from Kyson.
“Ah hell no,” Alex laughed.
&
nbsp; “We aren’t circus animals,” Gavin seethed.
I was about to tell Matteo where to go when I saw Pierce sway on his feet. I called out his name, reached out for his arm, but was too slow and his body slumped to the ground.
Chapter 14
The glass cup Pierce was holding dropped to the tile and shattered. The sound slammed the air out of my lungs and I couldn’t breathe. My vision filled with black circles and a dull pain throbbed in my temples. Pierce laid unmoving on the floor.
“Kyson!” Gavin barked.
Kyson was down by Pierce in seconds, pushing onto Pierce’s chest with his open palm. Gavin’s arms went around me and pulled me close into his own chest. I kept my eyes peeled open. Trying to fight the traumatic images that wanted to take over my mind.
“What happened?” Alex asked, kneeling down next to him.
Kyson was quiet for a few seconds, his eyes going up and down Pierce’s body. “The enzymes in his body are surrounded by toxins.” He placed his other hand over Pierce’s forehead. “They are suppressing the electrical activity in the cerebral cortex.”
Gavin dug his palm into my chest, pressing the anxiety out of me.
“What does that mean?” Alex growled.
“Poisoned,” Gavin answered from above my head.
My breathing slowed as Gavin pulled my own palm to his chest and my vision cleared. The glass...with water...the water had been poisoned. But only Pierce’s.
I glared at Matteo, imagining smashing his head backwards into the wall. Repetitively. Post traumatic stress was replaced with a desperate need for violence.
Pierce coughed and his eyes blinked quickly. There was an audible sigh in the room when he sat up. I could feel my pulse rate drop several beats with just the sight of him being conscious again.
Kyson patted him on the back and spoke a few words to him. Pierce nodded and brought himself to a stand.
“Very good,” Matteo said, “Charles clean up this mess.”
“Do you have a death wish?” Gavin barked.
Alex hissed. “It’s a good thing it wasn’t Jade that got that glass or you would be in ten pieces, spread across your living room, with red as your new accent color.”