She shook her head.“Sir, I—”
“Shhh.”Leaning closer, I planted a chaste kiss on her forehead.“A bank vault is a pretty unconventional place for a spanking, but if you keep defying me, you’ll leave me with no choice.”
She chuckled at my logic.“I think you’re obsessed, Sir.”
“I’m obsessed with you, little girl.”Kissing the side of her face, my caresses lowered to her neck.“You’re addictive.”
“Adam.”Her smile was weary.
“Don’tAdamme,” I admonished lightly, although I secretly loved the sound of my name on her lips.No one had ever breathed such passion into the syllables before.“I mean it.”
“I know, but that doesn’t mean I get to have half of what’s yours.”
“It’s only stuff, sweetheart.We need it right now to make us comfortable, but none of it will ever be more important than you.Now, come on.”I rose to my knees and urged her to her feet.“Take a look.”
“Okay, Sir.”She rubbed her eyes with the heel of her hand.“What are you hiding in there?”
“All the essentials.”I signaled to the open box as she edged closer.“Money, documentation...”
“Documents?”Her brow creased.“But, surely, your BTP documents will draw attention to who you were, and...”She hesitated.“Neither of us wants that at the moment.”
She was right.To the best of my knowledge, the International Criminal Court had never actually issued a warrant for my arrest, but I was sure its representatives would be interested in having a chat if an official at Immigration ever flagged my British passport.I wasn’t prepared to take any chances.
“Not British documents.”My lips stretched wide as I recalled how fortuitous my planning had been.
Years before I was in charge of Fortorus and had met Caroline, I’d put the necessary emergency documents away in Switzerland—far from Ian’s grubby hands for ajust in casescenario.I hadn’t seen how bad things were going to get in the country, but deep down, I must have realized the possibility of disaster was always there.Ian was in charge, after all; a man I’d increasingly lost respect for ever since we’d left the undergraduate debating room.He’d used the Christian Nationalist platform and collected as many unhinged right-wingers along the way as he could, and those men had become the founding fathers of his glorious new empire.
I’d gone along with his plans mostly for self-gain.It wasn’t heroic, but it was the truth.I’d incorrectly assumed I’d be able to control him, but in the end, I’d been wrong.He’d wanted to kill Caroline alongside millions of other women, and I just couldn’t condone his disturbed power trip anymore.
I’d sensed the danger in him long before he’d unfurled his final plans, though.That was why I’d taken the money out of the country and had thesparepassport created.Forging documentation when required wasn’t so hard to do.Not with money and the right contacts, and fortunately for me, I’d had both.I also benefited from my mother’s French citizenship, which meant I was eligible for a genuine French passport.I’d pursued the forgery, though, knowing anything official would have been accessible by other officials in Ian’s government.I wanted everything about my contingency plan to stay secret.My linguistic skills had only assisted my scheme, ensuring everything was kept well beyond Ian’s reach.
She peered into the box, her eyes widening.“Jesus, Adam.That’s a lot of money!”
I couldn’t help but grin at her accurate analysis.Itwasa lot—everything I’d managed to save for years prior to being Ian’s commander general, plus the regular amounts I’d managed to funnel out of the country electronically ever since.Working in the top brass of Ian’s party had meant an incredible salary, and all my living expenses being taken care of.For all my wicked deeds, I’d always been well-rewarded and able to take care of myself financially.
“We’ll need it, little girl.”I leaned against the counter.“We have a whole new life to set up somewhere, and to leave Switzerland through the usual channels, we’ll need passports.”
“I haven’t had a passport for years, Sir.”She nibbled her bottom lip.“Even before the shit hit the fan, I couldn’t afford to travel out of the country.”
Tension tangled in my stomach at the glimpse into her old life.I’d never even considered that her writing hadn’t made her a decent income, but perhaps that was another false assumption.Maybe she’d suffered long before the Edict changed all our lives, though nothing would have compared to what she’d endured at Fortorus.
“Well, you’ll have one now.”I was pleased to be able to reassure her.“I have embassy contacts who helped me.”
I reached into the box and pulled out the European passport that had been made for me.My mother’s French heritage had really paid dividends, and changing my name hadn’t been so difficult with the right contacts.
“You’re a European citizen?”Her face lit up as I passed her the document.
“I am now.”I watched as she flicked the passport open and scanned the photograph page.
“Adam Clement?”Her gaze darted back to me.
“It’s Clément,” I corrected, employing my best French accent.“My mother’s maiden name.”
“Wow.”She passed the passport back to me.“That’s great, Monsieur Clément, but I don’t have any European relatives.”
“Forgeries can be very authentic these days.”Dropping the document back into the box, I took her hand.“Once we have somewhere safe to stay here, I’ll get one made for you.Don’t worry.”
She nodded, but I could see the concern flickering in her gorgeous gaze.
