“We?” I ask, my stomach bottoming out. “Bea, I promise you, I am not cooperating with our father. I think what he wants to do is awful. If you are in love with Heli, then I can think of no other person in the world more suited for you.”
I now remember why the cafe sounds so familiar. Adrian had mentioned it last night because that’s where his son, Heli, ended up once he was dismissed from our kitchens.
The silence on the line makes my head spin out in about a million directions.
“Bea?”
“Do you mean it?Don’t lie to me.”
I stare at my mobile before putting it back to my ear. “Of course I mean it. Obviously, you overheard my conversation with Father, but I was just getting him to talk so we would know his plans and could all get out of this. I swear, I just want to grab you and Gael and get the hell out of here. Unless you want to stay.”
“Oh,” she responds, her voice thin. “So, you were acting for Father, not Gael?”
“I’m definitely not acting when it comes to Gael. I’m head over heels for him, Bea, and I need to find him so that I can clear this up with him.”
The silence on the line is killing me. “Beatrice?”
“I don’t know, Tolly. But he was there with me. He overheard you say that bringing him was a mistake. He overheard you negotiating a deal with Father about marrying Clara. Honestly, he’s probably trying to go home.”
“Oh, God.”
With everything Gael’s been through, I can’t even imagine what he must think of me. I want to vomit.
“Do you want me to text him?”
“You have his number?” I ask, incredulous.
“Yes. We exchanged numbers.”
“See if he’ll tell you where he is.Please.”
“Fine. But I promise you, if I discover that this is one of Father’s machinations, you and I will never speak again.”
“I wouldn’t want to speak to me after that either.”
We hang up and I hit the button for Adrian’s phone number. “Tolly?”
“Adrian, I can’t find Gael. I don’t know what to do.”
“I’ve got a tag on the Range Rover. I can look it up if you’d like.”
“Please.”
He calls a few minutes later.
“The Range Rover is parked at the airport.”
Christ. I was a good deal more convincing than I’d realized.
“Call the airport, have them ready my plane.”
“Consider it done. Take care of that man, or I’ll send Dimitra after you,” he says with zero humour.
“I’ll deserve her wrath if I can’t make this right.”
Entering the library, I shut the door and sit down at the reading desk, staring at my phone. I know what I need to do, yet I find the prospect slightly terrifying. With a fortifying breath, I ring the one person, aside from Gael, I’d never want to disappoint.
Ant picks up on the first ring. “What the fuck do you want, pendejo?”
