Chapter Two
THE CANINE RITZ.
Zacharie had often heard Eden fondly describe her dogs’ dwelling place in such terms. He had thought it an exaggeration, but now he realized the name was quite apt.
The kennels sprawled across an entire wing of the Romano estate. Crystal chandeliers caught the morning light above the main play area, scattering rainbows across marble floors that typically graced mansions of humans, andnotfour-legged creatures. Porcelain feeding stations lined one wall, each engraved with a planet’s name in elegant script, while climate control panels blinked softly near the entrance. Next to it was a laminated directory listing the on-call staff: veterinarians, behaviorists, nutritionists, therapists, groomers, all available around the clock.
How completely expected of Calixte, who liked to have every possible contingency at his disposal.
And as for the newest addition to Paris’ poshest chateau for dogs...
Zacharie’s lips twitched as he stepped closer to the glass partition. The challenge room also had Calixte’s signature written all over it. Obstacle courses with adjustable heights. Scent-tracking puzzles built into the walls, small compartments that could be loaded with treats or objects to find. A mock search-and-rescue zone with tunnels, rubble piles, and hidden chambers designed to simulate disaster sites. In the corner, a digital leaderboard displayed rankings: Mars at the top, naturally. Venus close behind. Pluto’s name sat at the bottom, marked with a small paw icon and the note:Retired to twin duty.
Zacharie eventually found his friend in the garden, playing catch with all nine...ah, no.After a quick recount, Zacharie saw only eight dogs were present, with Pluto to be found wherever Eden was. That dog was a Mama’s boy to the core, and since last year, a proud and fiercely protective big brother to the twins.
“Merci d’être venu.” Thank you for coming.
Calixte’s voice carried across the lawn without him turning around. Retired his friend may be, Calixte had clearly still retained his legendary instincts.
Zacharie crossed his arms over his chest. “You didn’t give me much of a choice.”
Calixte only smiled as he threw the ball again, and Mars shot after it like a furry missile. “That is not quite true. I merely relayed the situation, and it was yourhonorthat did not give you a choice.”
“Just get to the point, Romano.”
Calixte finally turned. His dark eyes held that familiar glint, the one that meant he had already calculated every possible outcome of this conversation and found them all acceptable.
“We heard about an auction taking place. Ten girls. Rescues have been arranged for nine of them. New identities already prepared.”
“What’s the problem with the last one?”
“It was her own family that sold her.”
The words landed in the space between them.
Zacharie’s jaw tightened. An old, familiar coldness crept through him, the kind he had learned to wear like armor in the years after his own father had done the same. Handed him over to a rival gang like defective merchandise. The weakest son. The expendable one.
He had survived.
Escaped.
Clawed his way to the top of an empire built on legitimate wealth instead of blood money.
But some wounds never scarred over.
They just went quiet.
“What do you require of me?”
“I trust you to figure that out,mon ami.”
