by Rene Webb
“I’ve missed you, too,” I tell her. Having let my tea cool for several moments, I take a tentative sip.
I enjoy my snack while Aunt Kitty makes our reservations on one side of me, and Finn works away on his phone on my other side.
“We have so much to catch up on,” she says excitedly as she puts her phone down and outlines the adventure we'll have together in London. “First, we’ll need to go shopping and get you some clothes and shoes that fit. And then we can—”
“We're not going to London on a vacation,” Finn interrupts, looking up from his phone. “But to stay as far away from the fucker as possible.”
“There’s no reason we can’t enjoy ourselves,” Aunt Kitty argues back.
“You really don’t mind shopping with us, do you?” I ask, turning to Finn, placing my hand on his knee and leaning into him.
Wrapping his arm around my waist, he pulls me tight against his body. Kissing my temple, he declares, “I’m not letting you go anywhere without me.”
The phone in Finn’s hand buzzes. Glancing down at the screen, I see the name “Derek Lion - Pride Security” flashing. My heart jumps, and my mind is barraged with questions as to why the private security company Finn hired is calling him.
“This is Xavier Finch,” Finn answers the call formally, as his body stiffens against mine, and his free hand grabs the one on his knee, entwining our fingers tightly.
Chapter Two
~ Finn ~
My heart pounds an anxious tattoo as I answer the call from Derek Lion. My mind races, wondering why the owner of the company is calling me personally. I send a silent prayer to a God I’m not convinced exists that my sister Riley is safe. Not only do I love her for herself, but for as long as I can remember, it’s also been drilled into me by my mother and the grandparents who raised me that it is my job to care for and protect my little sister. In most cases, Riley is defenseless. It would kill me if I was in any way the cause of her pain.
Gripping Lily’s hand tightly, I feel her lending me her incredible strength. What allowed her to survive nineteen days of being imprisoned in a Hong Kong brothel—and come out able to still smile and giggle—I’ll never understand.
Derek Lion's voice fills my ear. “Mr. Finch, I just got off the phone with Mr. Gregor, and he alerted us to the developments there in Paris. I’m calling to make sure that you and Miss MacKay have been able to secure a flight out of the country.”
“We have,” I tell him. “We’re booked on a flight to London in an hour and a half. Peter Stein’s mother, Katherine, is with us.”
“Where are you now?”
The question has the hairs on the back of my neck prickling.
“We’re waiting to board in the airline’s executive lounge.” I attempt to keep my voice neutral so as not to alert Lily to the nervousness I’m feeling.
“We were able to quickly ascertain that James Mayer is in Paris and is most likely who you saw outside of the apartment.”
Fuck!
Mayer is here, and he wants Lily. He wants to control her, her money, and the company that should be rightfully hers. We were coming back from our first date, lunch at the Eiffel Tower, when we arrived at Kitty’s apartment to see two men lurking outside. I quickly had the cab take us here to the airport.
“What?” I growl.
“So, the sooner you leave, the better.” Mr. Lion tells me something I already know. “I would head to your gate now. The first-class lounge is the first place Mayer and his associates would look. Lose yourself in the crowd as much as possible. I don’t believe they know you’re at the airport, but I don’t want to take any chances.”
“We had planned to stay in London; Lily is hoping to be able to collect her things and make arrangements with her school. Would that be safe? Or should we come home?”
Letting go of Lily’s hand, I stand and motion for Lily and Kitty to grab their belongings as Mr. Lion continues in my ear. “Staying out of the U.S. is a good idea at the moment. We are going to continue to track Mayer’s movements, but before Miss MacKay does anything in London, let me get a lock on his co-conspirator’s location.”
“What’s going on?” Lily asks nervously, grabbing my free arm. I lean down and press a kiss to her head, attempting to reassure us both.
“Leave me a message if there are any other developments.”
“Developments?” Kitty asks, putting a comforting hand on Lily’s back and standing protectively close.
“I’ll call you personally,” Mr. Lion assures me. “And I am sending one of my best operatives to London as backup.”
“Thank you.” I tell him.
“I would trust Johnson with my own family’s safety. If anything happens or you see Mayer, dial the control room, and they'll be able to respond right away. I’ll text you that number now,” Mr. Lion says, his words filling me with relief.
“And my sister?”
My stomach twists at the thought that my sister living alone in DC could be a target. Mayer could easily use her to get back at me for thwarting his plans for Lily.
“The operative we have on Miss Finch has reported in that she arrived to work safely and has not left the building. When Mr. Gregor arrives, I’ll connect with him, in case he needs assistance while he’s in town.”
“Thank you,” I exhale.
No sooner than I end the call, does Lily ask, tightening her hold on my arm, “What’s going on?”
“Mayer is here in Paris, and Mr. Lion is sending his best agent to meet us in London,” I tell them calmly. “Grab your shit; we need to head to the gate and lose ourselves in the crowd.”
Lily and Kitty, having already grabbed their purses, both turn and pick up their coffee cups and remaining food.
With my arm wrapped firmly around Lily’s waist, we quickly make our way out of the VIP lounge and into the buzzing airport.
“What else did he say?” Kitty asks, walking next to me and Lily.
“He thought it was a smart idea not to head home yet, but Lily should keep a low profile in London until they’ve tracked down Mayer’s co-conspirator.”
“Fucking Janice,” Lily mutters vehemently.
“Don’t worry, princess, we’re not going to let anything happen to you.”
“Do you think he’s here?” Lily’s voice is small and cracks slightly. “In the airport?”
“No,” I tell her firmly, making an effort to infuse confidence into my voice. “Even if he discovered you are in Paris, he didn’t see us and couldn’t have known that we headed straight here.”
“It’s just better to be safe than sorry, sweetie,” Kitty adds, turning and giving her a maternal smile.
“What about Riley?” Lily asks anxiously, and my heart warms at her obvious concern for my sister.
“Don’t worry, she’s safe.”
“Good.” Lily stands up straighter, and I can tell her nervousness has ebbed—if only slightly.
Reaching the gate, we find three empty chairs off to the side. Lily is restless as we sit on the painfully hard plastic chairs. I watch as she scans the crowd warily. I lean over and, with the armrest between us, wrap my arm awkwardly around her shoulders. Running my hand along her arm, I kiss her temple. Lily leans into me, and I feel her body relax.
The stewardess announces that the flight will board shortly. The three of us have first class tickets, so we will be boarding first. I attempt to reign in my jitteriness. I don’t want Lily to be more nervous than she already is.
Lily grips my hand tightly as the plane ascends. Turning my head, I lean over and press a kiss to her temple, breathing in her sweetness. She sighs and rests her head against my shoulder as the plane continues to climb into the air. We are leaving Paris—and hopefully, leaving Mayer in the dust.
He knows too much about Lily’s life and family and will have guessed that she would seek the help of her Aunt Kitty, especially if he suspects that it was Peter who discovered her whereabouts, but I’m confident that, with every resource at our
disposal, we can keep Lily safe. I may have wanted to strangle my best friend at first, but there’s no question he loves his cousin and was trying to protect her as best as he thought possible. Peter’s entanglement with the FBI is not something I was aware of, and I wonder what’s really going on within MacKay International.
“When will this all be over?” Lily asks so quietly over the sound of the engine that I almost don’t hear her.
The truth is, I don’t know, but I can’t tell her that. Lily’s relying on me to have the answers, to calm her fears, and to protect her. So, instead, I tell her vaguely, “Once Mayer’s been dealt with.”
“Yes, but how long will that take?” She persists, lifting her head off my shoulder and turning to face me. “What does him being dealt with even mean?”
“It means he’ll be arrested, and hopefully something, unfortunate, will happen to him in prison,” I growl, tightening my hold onto her hand.
“So, I just have to wait?” She sounds slightly defeated. Tired.
“Yes,” I tell her honestly before encouraging her. “But the start is you getting your life and identity back while we’re in London.”
“I wonder if any of my stuff is still in my room,” she mutters, dropping her head onto my shoulder once again. “Not that I have my key.”
“We’ll figure it all out when we get there.” I kiss her forehead gently and tighten my hold on her hand, giving her some of my strength.
Lily tilts her head back. Her moss-colored eyes are soft as she says thickly, “Thank you.”
Resting my head onto hers, I close my eyes and hope that once this is all over, I can keep this amazing woman I found. She needs me now, but will she even want me once her life is her own again? I’ll just have to show her that she will. “You don’t have to thank me, princess; I love you.”
At my words, Lily burrows herself into my side as much as she can with the armrest between us. I let her actions speak for the words she hasn’t yet said to me, but I’d be lying if it didn’t sting.
Once the plane is at cruising altitude, I shift in my seat and dig out my phone from my pocket. Turning it back on, I connect it to the plane's WiFi. I groan as I see my inbox explode before my eyes with messages. Several urgent business emails, a written update from Pride Security on all their findings, and a long-winded demand from Riley to know what’s going on.
“I’m going to sit next to Auntie,” Lily tells me, unbuckling her seatbelt.
Looking up from the screen, I give her a stern look. “Don't let her talk you into doing anything crazy when we arrive.”
Lily leans over and, giving me an all too quick kiss, chuckles while she responds, “Then it's a good thing you’re with us.” She’s standing up and moving away before I have a chance to grab hold and enjoy the taste of her lips.
The first-class cabin is lightly scattered with passengers, and I watch as Lily plops down into the empty seat next to her aunt. Kitty quickly tucks her e-reader away and turns her full attention to Lily. They immediately start giggling away. I love seeing Lily so happy and truly relaxed. You can tell, at least right now, that she feels completely safe. Watching them together, it’s clear how much it means to each that they have the other back.
I go back to the dozen unread emails on my phone, opening the one from Pride Security. It begins by outlining the credentials of the agent that will meet us in London and goes on to give a lot of the information and facts that I had already been briefed on, but it also goes into a detailed account of the events that led up to Lily’s kidnapping. The money that exchanged hands and when. It is made clear that Tiffany, the woman who pretended to befriend Lily, was hired several weeks prior to the start of the semester. My grip tightens on the phone as I read, “This would’ve given her ample time to learn everything she needed into conning her mark.”
Her mark. Lily.
The email goes on to assure me they have located her in Boston, which means that Lily is not in immediate danger from her. I feel myself sink further into my chair, knowing that I am not putting Lily at risk by agreeing to stop in London. They will continue to monitor the woman for the time being. She could be the key to prosecuting Mayer on kidnapping charges, and they don’t want her disappearing before the FBI decides to act. The company had also gone ahead and changed all of Lily’s passwords—to !96lyMC?—so that the woman could no longer access her accounts.
Soon the stewardess is coming around again, offering drinks and snacks. I order a coffee and sip it as I awkwardly type out an email to Trevor on the tiny screen of my phone, wishing I hadn’t left my computer in my suitcase. Frustratingly, my fingers keep spelling words wrong, and autocorrect keeps making a jumbled mess of what I’m actually trying to convey. Trevor should be flying over the Atlantic by now. As my assistant, I need him to deal with several company matters asap, while he’s in the air.
I’m relieved that he very willingly went to ensure Riley’s safety. I don’t truly believe that Mayer would go after her—or even has the resources to now that the FBI has frozen most of his accounts, but I’m not taking any chances where my sister’s safety is concerned. I would never forgive myself if something happened to her. Nor would our family.
Pressing send, I toss the phone onto the empty seat beside me and lean back into my seat. The flight to London is only about an hour and a half, so it’s not worth trying to get any more work done on my damn phone. Turning my head, I watch Lily chattering away with Kitty.
I grin as I watch the two women. It’s clear that they’re catching up on all they’d missed in each other’s lives over the past several years. Anyone looking over at them would think they are mother and daughter, enjoying a holiday together.
My chest tightens with emotion.
In such a short period of time, Lily has become one of the most important people in my life, and I’m not sure what to do with the feelings she invokes. Possession. Love. Fear. I push aside the twinge of pain and worry about her rejecting my proposal earlier. Begrudgingly, I’ll admit, Kitty was right; Lily is overwhelmed right now and shouldn’t be making a life-changing decision.
Someday, I’ll ask her, and Lily will happily say yes. All I need to do is find a way to convince her that she needs me not just now but forever.
My arsenal will be everything I’ve learned so far about my princess, along with what Peter has told me over the years. Pleasure. Orgasms. This seems like a good place to start. Showing Lily that no one will or can give her pleasure as I can.
I had planned on dragging her off into the bathroom, but this flight isn’t nearly long enough. That particular first for both of us will have to be later. But I need to devise a plan for tonight. Once we land, I’ll call and have an order delivered to the hotel from Coco De Mar, an upmarket sex shop in London that Peter and I discovered in college. I’m not sure Lily is ready yet to go shopping with me there, but I promised her pleasure if she became mine. And I intend to deliver.
Chapter Three
~ Lily ~
“The first thing we need to do tomorrow is get you some new shoes,” Aunt Kitty announces on the ride to the hotel. “You can’t be walking around in ones that don’t fit correctly.”
I left Hong Kong wearing only flip flops and borrowed a pair of sneakers from Aunt Kitty in Paris that are a half size too big for me.
“She needs a new phone first,” Finn interjects from my other side as he rests his large hand possessively on my bare knee, his fingertips teasingly stroking my skin. A thrill of warmth runs through me at his touch. Linking my arm with Finn’s, I rest my head onto his shoulder and lean into him.
Since we’ve landed, I have felt a conflicting mixture of both giddy and anxious. I am now safely squashed between two people who I know love me as we make our way through London’s rush hour traffic in our hired town car. I am excited at the prospect of getting my life back, but I haven’t forgotten that I’m still in danger. How could I?
“You can buy her a phone while we shoe shop,” Aunt Kitty declares ex
citedly.
“There’s no fucking way I am letting you two out on your own,” Finn growls, turning his scowl onto Aunt Kitty. “Not until the agent Mr. Lion is sending arrives.”
“When will he be here?” I ask.
“Early tomorrow morning.”
“Well, Finn, I hope you don’t mind shoe shopping after.” Aunt Kitty teases.
Finn’s answer is an exasperated sigh.
“Where should we go first?” I ask her.
“There are some cute shops we can walk to from the hotel,” Aunt Kitty explains.
“Kitty,” Finn groans, throwing his head back dramatically. I laugh, loving this playful side of Finn.
None of my previous vacations to the city with my father were for shopping; we would hit the historical sites and have proper English teas. We might buy souvenirs of our trip, but we didn't go to high-end boutiques. As a student, I did some shopping but was too busy studying and enjoying the nightlife.
During the flight, Aunt Kitty and I hadn’t discussed what we’d do once we landed in London. We spent the time catching up on each other’s lives that we missed over the years and reminiscing about my father. It had been wonderful to talk with someone who loved him as much as I did. Despite how painful it could be at times, I found myself laughing and smiling at all of our shared memories. How adventurous and fun-loving he was. There were several moments when it felt as if I was losing him all over again, reliving the pain, but all Aunt Kitty had to do was squeeze my hand, and I knew she understood. I realize now she is the one person I should’ve shared my grief with when my father died, not my mother. Aunt Kitty loved him as much as I did, and, although unspoken, I know in my heart she still mourns him, too.
She told me stories about her life in Vermont with Mark, the animals they have adopted, and the interior design projects she’s been working on. Historical sites, a B&B, and the well-known Pinetree Inn. And the cast of characters that inhabit her new home of Pinetree, Vermont. I am excited to visit and see it all for myself once my current drama has ended. Aunt Kitty wanted to know all about my degree and the design classes I was taking. Showing more interest in studies than anyone else in my family, including Peter.