“Scarlett…she is more clever than she seems. She speaks numerous languages, her parents are rich, and she will stop at nothing to save the Dragon. Perhaps I should have killed her when I had the chance. It would have been easy. She was nearing an infection her body could not heal on its own.”
Oh, how deep the treachery went—Lothario and his shenanigans, Giovi and his cause, Nemours and his interests, the new French leader and his rise to power, Enzo and the traitor Livio, and these two along with Colette.
“Nemours would have found and killed you,Rouge,” Fabre said, rubbing his hand over the doctor’s breasts. “He asked one thing. That she be saved. After the Dragon is dead, there will be nothing stopping him from having thesouris. Then one of us can whisk ourSucreto safety. With thesourisin his care, ours will be nothing but another dancer to him.”
Souris. Mouse.Me.I wondered for a second if it was my ears that gave this impression? My hair did a wonderful job of covering them up, but they were extroverted, a little bigger than they should’ve been. I swatted at the temptation to touch my ears, to fold them back.
“Are you certain the three of us cannot make this work?” Fabre was referring to himself, the doctor, and Collette. He sounded almost…wistful. My skin seized, like a hundred cockroaches were whispering sweet things to me, if cockroaches could whisper. His voice was at odds with his true nature.
“I wonder if the Dragon will cry out when I remove his heart?” Benedetta said, ignoring him, the same wistfulness caressing her words. “Or will he be stoic to the end?”
Fabre barked out a laugh. “He is a toughconnard.”
“Do not laugh,” Benedetta said, her tone suddenly serious. “This is the truth. He has the power of his father and grandfather. Be mindful if you get too close. He has taken more ears off than I care to count. I advised Giovi to chain him up. He did not take my advice until the fourth man lost an ear. I suspected Giovi would kill him quickly, but I believe he is being stubborn, dragging out the time to haunt the Dragon and thefamiglia.”
“Giovi,” Fabre spit out. “No grave would be deep enough for that sinner.”
Benedetta yawned loudly, getting up to stretch. “I want this done! I hate bloodying myself. Even this red suit will be no match for the blood. He told me tomorrow, and then changed his mind at the last minute. I was on my way to apartito. When I heard you and ourSweetwould be here, I felt it was worth my time. But. Giovi better have provided decent cover for me this time. Last time I ruined a Versace!”
On that note, our boat slowed, and another loomed into view.
* * *
Fabre cursed as another man boarded our boat. “What is Nemours doing?” he hissed at Benedetta. “Why is he wanting to see her before I bring her to the yacht?”
“Perhaps because of Garner, he is taking extra precautions.” She almost mused. “You!” She snapped at me in English.
I didn’t answer. I hoped the man who boarded the boat would come and get me before she could make me turn and face her. The new man who had boarded was a snatch away from the door when Fabre explained to her that I didn’t speak English, only French.
By the time she had the chance to replace “You” with “Toi,” the man entered the cabin, calling for me to follow him.
Ignoring both of their low but fierce murmurs, and to avoid meeting Benedetta’s eye, I gave my hand to the man and allowed him to help me from one boat to another after we stepped outside. Judging by the feelings behind me, the threesome was a secret, and of course, so was my identity, and the fact that Collette had disobeyed Nemours by sending me in her place. So neither Fabre nor Benedetta made a move to stop me or attempt to talk to me before Nemours did. It would attract too much attention.
Fabre and Benedetta were attempting to save Colette from Nemours, that was clear, and with me as his new hobby, they felt this could be done. Since we were so close to Nemours, neither one was willing to risk the chance of something going wrong. Not only would I be held responsible, but the other three involved too.
The new boat belonged to Nemours, because once we stepped on, the man announced thatthe dancer is here to see Olivier. The yacht was docked across from us; so close yet so far away.
A shout from inside of the cabin made me to turn and look. Nemours paced back and forth, clearly pissed about something, while another man stood close, fiddling with buttons on a dashboard.
At the sight of Nemours, a rush of blood surged to my face, while my heart went cold.
Not able to move a foot further, I concentrated on the yacht, drawing strength from it. A heartbeat louder than the one in my chest drummed. It pulled and pulled until I almost couldn’t stand it. Brando was on that boat. He was so close that I could swim to him.
Nemours noticed our arrival and flew out of the door, running a hand through his hair. He was beside himself, so nervous that I could almost taste the bitterness of his fear. He pointed a finger at Fabre, then at Benedetta, and ordered them both off the boat. Fabre was to make sure the new French leader was content with the arrangement. Benedetta was to check in with Giovi.
Both Fabre and Benedetta stalled until a vein in the rat’s head bulged. “Is there a fucking problem with my mouth? Does it not work anymore? Or have the two of you switched to a language from another planet?Aller!”
At this, both of them were escorted off, another man driving them across to the yacht. I didn’t miss Benedetta’s narrowed eyes as her tender took off.
Once they were gone, that left me, Nemours, and the other man in the cabin.
What the hell did Nemours want with me? Colette assured me it was Fabre who escorted her, no one else. But so much was riding on this night. Nemours had to please the new French leader, and he had to make sure Benedetta was on the boat and ready to kill the man who would ruin her party outfit with his blood. If all went straight, Nemours would be in good with the new French leader, and my husband would be dead, leaving him a wider opportunity to have me.
I wondered if Nemours remembered that Brando had three brothers? To say that the Fausti family had our backs would have been overshooting it, especially given Lothario’s behavior, but Brando’s brothers were formidable. And without the French’s backing, Nemours was in a similar boat in regards to the power he held.
I decided in that moment, judging by the crazed eyes and constant twitching, that Nemours had become delusional. Was he on drugs? Likely. Would that save me? If he was too nervous to really notice my face? Possibly. Then a snarky voice piped in.Don’t bet on it.
Nemours snatched my arm, almost dragging me into the cabin. The other man was in the room, still fiddling with the control panel. He paid us no attention, though, going about his business as though we didn’t exist. Nemours snapped at the man in French to leave us. The man shrugged and continued on.
