Mia.
Chastain had his phone pressed to his ear as he stormed out and slammed the door behind him.
I slid off the bed and staggered toward the door, but my legs failed me. I slumped to my knees and fell forward, crashing to the floor.
I fought another wave of dizziness. When my vision cleared I lifted my head and saw the tracker underneath the bed, where it had skidded during my fight with Chastain.
I would use it to find Mia.
Taking a deep breath, I willed my body to obey and attempted to rise up.
A shoe suddenly stomped on my hand, causing me to cry out in agony.
Chastain loomed above me with the phone still pressed to his ear. “Did you fuck her?”
“No!”
He knelt and extracted the tracker from my palm, and then blackness filled the space around me.
Eventually I became aware of fingers gently stroking my hair. The sound of a familiar female voice carried like a lost prayer. “Oh, dear God, what did he do?”
“We’re here now, Cam.” That sounded a lot like Richard Booth. “Can you sit up?”
I opened my eyes, trying hard to focus and figure out if my friends were really here.
“We came right away,” said Scarlet.
I shoved myself up, taking in Scarlet’s pretty features, her silk dress and her wavy brunette hair.
Richard’s blond locks were ruffled to match his debonair style, and he wore a tuxedo like he’d been invited to enjoy himself. There was a bloodstain on his cuff. I assumed it was mine.
“Come on, buddy.” Richard helped me to the edge of the bed. “Get him some water, Scarlet.”
My tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth. “Shay?”
“He’s in the ballroom looking for her.”
“I have to help him.”
“You need to rest for a bit,” said Richard. “You’re bleeding.”
I felt for the dampness on my scalp. When I examined my hand I saw the blood. “Can you find me another tuxedo? I need shoes, too.”
Scarlet held a glass to my lips. “Let us handle this.”
I pushed the water away and tried to stand up.
Eventually, after I’d growled one too many times at them, they gave me what I asked for. From somewhere, Richard stole a black tuxedo that fit well enough, despite it being for a slightly bigger man. He also found a pair of shoes I could wear. At least I’d not draw unwanted attention.
Back at the party, with Scarlet and Richard by my side, I looked around for Chastain, worried that he would set his men on us. Still, the place was packed with mingling guests who had spilled out into the garden.
Standing on the short wall, I stared across the mist-covered water toward the woodlands, remembering how I’d failed to reach Mia. As soon as they brought her back, I’d grab her and I’d kill any man who tried to stop me.
I turned to Richard and Scarlet. “Thank you for being here.”
“As soon as Shay called to say Mia was missing,” said Richard, “we jumped on the corporate jet. Scarlet had our flight diverted here.”
“I have to help her,” I said.
Richard was staring at the river, his face contorted in horror.
Scarlet tugged on my jacket. “That boat’s coming in way too fast.”
I let out a shaky breath. “It’s headed right for us.”
“SLOW IT DOWN!” SHOUTED SOMEONE.
I cut the power but the boat still shot toward the wall.
“Hard left!” a man yelled.
I yanked the wheel left, turning the boat sharply, but was still too close to stop in time. People jumped out of the way. The right side of the boat scraped along the wall, causing sparks to fly. The floor of the boat shuddered as shards of wood flew around me. I fell onto my hands and knees to cope with the quaking as the boat threatened to break apart.
Behind me came the thud of someone boarding, and then footfalls closed in fast. I braced for an assault.
A hand rested on the back of my head. “Remind me never to let you drive my Bugatti.”
“Cameron?” My eyes sprang open. I turned to face him and flung my arms around his neck. “I came back for you.” I gasped at the sight of his split lip and dark bruises.
He beamed at me as his hand cupped my cheek and moved over my jaw. I realized he was checking me for injuries.
“I’m fine.” I kissed the palm of his hand.
Cameron glanced to his left. “We have to go. Can you stand?” He helped me to my feet and I saw Shay at the helm of another yacht pulling up to our left. He gestured for us to hurry.
Scarlet and Richard were on there, too, and they helped us climb aboard.
We flung ourselves onto the leather seats at the back as Shay revved the throttle. We sped away from the chateau, and I didn’t dare look back to see if anyone was following. I couldn’t bear the thought of Chastain catching us.
Richard knelt at my feet, examining my ankle bracelet. “We have to get this off.”
“Check for a toolkit,” Shay called back.
Nuzzling against Cameron for warmth, I couldn’t imagine ever being away from him again. He removed his black tuxedo jacket and wrapped it around my shoulders. The scent of cigars wafted over me and I realized it wasn’t his.
“Thank you.” I cupped his face with my hands, hardly believing this was really happening. I was out of there…I was finally out.
He reached for my hand and kissed my wrist, his expression fraught.
Richard found a wire cutter and used it to slice through the tracking device on my ankle. He threw it overboard into the river.
I turned my gaze to Scarlet and Richard—too overwhelmed to find the words I needed to express my gratitude. They’d risked so much.
The yacht cruised quickly up the Seine, and we stared at the sparkling lights coming from all of the modern and historic landmarks.
We left the yacht tethered to a dock and grabbed a taxi to Charles de Gaulle Airport, where a private jet was waiting.
It was only when the plane’s wheels lifted off the ground that I allowed myself to relax a little. I lay down on the bed in the private cabin, feeling the distance growing between myself and Hillenbrand.
Richard opened the door. “Hey, how are you?”
Staring past him, I looked for Cameron. “I’m okay.”
“I brought you a nightcap.” He carried in a tumbler of golden liquor.
“Cameron’s idea?”
“Maybe.” He handed it to me. “Hungry?”
“No, thank you.” I’d missed Richard and that bad boy sweetness.
He sat beside me and patted the mattress. “Looks like you get all the perks.”
“You can sleep here, too, if you like.”
“I’m joking.”
I let my head crash back on the pillow. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“Missed you too, pumpkin.”
That made me smile. “So much has happened. I’m working in marketing—”
“I heard you’re doing great.”
“Cameron thinks it’s safer for me to be near him…” My eyes filled with tears.
“Mia.” He took my hand in his.
I sprang up and rested my cheek on his shoulder, trying to hold back the tears. “You’re getting married?”
“Yes.”
“I’m happy for you.”
“Me too.”
“When?”
“December. Andrea loves Christmas trees so she wants that as the setting. You and Cam are invited, of course.”
“Everyone’s settling down.”
“Just as it should be.”
I pulled back to look at him. “I shouldn’t have gotten in Helete’s car.”
“Don’t. Everything is fine now.”
“I’ll never forgive myself.” My gaze roamed toward the door. “I never asked you how Winston is doing.”
“Silly mutt still misses you.”
“No, he doesn’t.”
“He does. He’s always
sniffing around the garden looking for the treats you used to hide for him.”
“It was a good time between us wasn’t it?”
“The best, Mia.”
“I’ll always care for you, Richard.”
“Mia—” He looked sincere. “You saved my life. You know that, don’t you? You came to me at a time when all felt lost. I’ll always be grateful for that. Now it’s my turn to look out for you.”
“I’ll always be here for you and Andrea.”
He looked at me as though I were fragile. “No matter what happened to you…no matter what was done, Cameron will always love you to the end of the world and back.”
“You want to know if Chastain raped me?” My voice sounded faint.
“Did he?” he asked softly.
My gaze shot to Cameron in the doorway, pain reflected in his gaze.
Richard rose and gave Cameron a look of sympathy. He left us alone at last.
Cameron came in and shut the door behind him. “Are you tired?”
“A little.”
He looked concerned as he came closer. “I’m going to have a forensic team waiting when we land. So it’s best I don’t touch you.”
“Richard touched me.”
He gestured to the drink. “Take a sip.”
I reached for the glass and swallowed some of the liquor. It burned my throat, but warmed my body and soothed my mind.
“Mia, do you feel up to talking?”
I nodded.
“I love you. I love you like I’ve never loved anyone.”
“He didn’t touch me, Cameron.”
“It makes no difference to me.”
“How’s Henry?”
“Devastated.”
“Don’t blame him.”
“I’m so sorry this happened.” He flinched as he said it. “I vowed to keep you safe.”
“I can look after myself.”
“I’m proud of you, but still…”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course you can.”
I mulled over how to say it. “You and Danton…?”
The look on his face revealed the truth.
I sat up straighter. “Were you…?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It was a long time ago.”
“Who else knows?”
He shrugged. “Scarlet. Richard.”
“Shay?”
He gave me a wary nod.
I wiped away a tear. “But…you didn’t tell me.”
“His death was…I don’t talk about it because it’s…painful.”
“Because you were with him when he died?”
His smile was sad. “I’ve never been with any other man.”
“Other than Shay?”
“Were you on the other side of that glass, Mia?”
I swallowed hard. “You love him, too?”
“What happened in that dungeon was a ruse. Turns out it was used against us. It’s you I love, not Shay.” He stepped closer. “Let me hold you.”
“No one will touch me again. Cancel the forensic team. I don’t want them near me.”
“Mia—”
“I mean it.”
Ask him…ask him about her.
I studied his face, trying to read him and work through the fog of uncertainty and mistruths.
“Can I ask you something else?”
“Anything.”
“When you were at The Dionysus Club, did you meet a submissive there?”
He perked up. “Yes. You know about her?”
I forced myself to swallow the lump in my throat.
“I tried to do the right thing.” He shook his head. “That club was one big mistake.”
“Even that girl?”
“I wanted to help her.”
“Like you helped me?”
He fixed his gaze on me. “Nothing happened between us, Mia. You believe me, right?”
Yet he’d set me up with a new career at Marcella’s.
Galina had filled in the last piece of the puzzle. Cameron had been at The Dionysus Club to be with her, his new passion.
I wanted off this plane and away from all this agony. “I’m going to sleep now.”
He stepped forward as though coming to hug me.
I lay down again. “I need to sleep.”
“Right. You need to rest.”
My chest ached as though my heart had fractured.
It’s time to let him go.
“I think it’s for the best, Cameron…”
“Say it. Anything, Mia, and I’ll make it happen.”
“I don’t want to marry you.”
“We can wait.”
“No.” I pulled the blanket up over me. “I think we should break up.”
“Mia?”
“You know more than anyone the importance of giving a person space after something like this.”
“Of course.”
“And respecting their wishes. Not making their recovery harder.”
“Don’t end us, Mia,” he whispered. “Not like this.”
I turned my back to him and pretended to fall asleep.
SEEING MIA SO SHAKEN AND full of pain was an agony I couldn’t bear. As I closed the door to her cabin, it took all my willpower not to go back in there. Doing so would have been the single most selfish act I’d ever committed.
Henry was right…I didn’t deserve her.
I returned to my seat and rejoined Richard, Scarlet, and Shay, who had cracked open a bottle of Nicolas Potel.
I finally allowed myself to eat, though I merely picked at my steak—the hollandaise sauce was too rich and my guilt too full to manage much else. My body ached from head to toe from the fight with Chastain, but my pride was hurt worse. I’d lost the most important person in my life, who I’d risked everything to save.
Scarlet and Richard did their best to comfort me. We talked into the night. I’d missed them and this was a strange reunion. The fact that they’d interrupted their lives and sprang into action to fly to France and enter Hillenbrand proved our friendship was enduring.
Mia will come round…
And what then? The danger for her would never be over as long as she was associated with me. I chose to stare out the oval window, wondering how the hell I was going to find the strength to do what was right for everyone.
It was mid-morning when we landed at JFK. A car was waiting for us on the runway.
I insisted that Scarlet and Richard return to L.A., and arranged for the jet to be refueled and for a fresh pilot to be commissioned to get them home. Our goodbye was an emotional one because I owed them the kind of debt that could never be repaid.
Shay, Mia, and I were all too jetlagged to make much conversation in the SUV as we drove through the streets of New York. Mia rested her head on my shoulder, dozing off. I eased my arm around her and stroked her hair, savoring this closeness that I knew would soon end.
We arrived at the penthouse just after midday and Henry was at the front door ready to greet us.
Mia ran into his arms and hugged him. He wore the expression of a man who didn’t believe he deserved her affection. As we moved into the living room, Mia seemed more concerned for him than herself.
When she excused herself to go catch up on some much needed sleep, Shay, Henry, and I sat quietly in the living room, wallowing in our guilt and going over what we could have done differently.
“Can I come stay with you?” I broke the silence, holding Henry’s stare.
“Of course.” He swapped a wary glance with Shay. “We need someone to stay here, though.”
Leaning back on the couch, I felt a twinge of jealousy as the obviousness of this statement rippled through me. “Maybe one of your staff?” I looked at Shay.
“I’ll stay,” he said, then realized his mistake and offered an alternative. “I’ll have a female officer stay.”
I pushed myself up. “I’m gonna hit the sack. I’ll head in to work t
omorrow.”
I stopped halfway down the hall, debating whether sleeping with Mia was a good idea. Of course I knew it was futile, but the thought of sleeping in our guestroom left me feeling bitter.
Henry followed me. “Are you gonna to tell me what happened?” He gestured at my bruised face.
Caressing my jaw, I mulled over what was safe to share. “I walked into a wall.”
“You’re an annoying bastard.”
“Lately, you’ve leaned toward being an asshole yourself.”
He sighed. “How’s Mia?”
“Shaken, understandably. She needs to talk it through with a specialist. I’ll set up an appointment.”
“What did they do to her?” he whispered.
I led him farther down the hallway and into the bedroom that I would be using now. Up until this point it had been reserved for our guests, and Mia had enjoyed decorating it so those who stayed would feel welcome. The soft colors she’d chosen made it feel cozy. Everything in here reminded me of her.
“It doesn’t appear that anyone assaulted her.” I said, letting out a relieved breath.
“Did she talk much?”
“Briefly.”
“Maybe she’s holding back?”
“Can we talk about this tomorrow?”
“Maybe we should take her to the hospital? Get her examined and have forensic specialists take—”
“She refused.”
“Are you going to prosecute?” He gave me a hard look. “Cameron, this was a kidnapping.”
“Shay is going to take it from here.” I shrugged. “Talk to him.”
“I’m talking to you.”
Looking past him, I saw Mia standing in the doorway.
I gave her a comforting smile. “Hey, you okay? Can I get you something?”
She stepped inside. “I’m fine. To me, it seemed like the women wanted to be there. I recognized some of them…politicians and other VIPs. I think it best if we put this behind us.”
I reached out to her.
Mia raised her hand to keep some distance between us. “I’m going to stay in the marketing department.”
“We’ll talk about it tomorrow, sweetheart,” I said.
“No need.” She returned to our bedroom and shut the door.
No, it’s not ours anymore.
My world shifted off its axis.
“What happened in Hillenbrand?” asked Henry.
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