“It took a call to the cops ahead of our journey to close the road and set up a detour.”
“What excuse did you give?”
“None. The chief of police owes me a favor, and his word is gold. Francesco was stuck on one side of the closed road, leaving us free to move around him, and there was nothing he could do about that.”
“So, what you are saying is we could have saved this road trip and would be safely at home right now.”
I inject annoyance into my tone where there really isn’t any. I’ve loved every minute of our trip so far, but Eddie doesn’t need to know that.
“We couldn’t guarantee it would work out. This way, Francesco believes you made it home and won’t be searching for you at every airport. Word is he’s pissed though and turned his attention to the next prize on the list.”
“Any news of them?”
I’m curious as to how my brothers are faring, but Eddie’s dull husky whisper gives nothing away.
“There is no communication allowed between operations. Your father’s orders are to protect any information from leaking to our enemies.”
I’m not surprised by that because my father works on the premise that the fewer people who know our business, the more chance it has of succeeding.
Eddie adds.“But no news is good news, I suppose.”
“You got that right.”
A movement in the corner alerts me that I’m no longer alone, and my mouth dries when Rose hesitates in the doorway, a vision of beauty.
I wave her in and say roughly, “You have our itinerary. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Eddie cuts the call, and I’m assured he will have all the arrangements in place when we land in Denver, and I smile as Rose says nervously, “I’m sorry, I didn’t want to interrupt your call.”
“There is no need to be sorry.”
It hasn’t escaped my attention that Rose is looking particularly stunning tonight. Her blonde hair has been washed and for once hangs long down her back. As always, her face is devoid of makeup, and she is wearing a black dress that hangs respectably below her knees.
“I hope this is okay. I picked it up at the store yesterday thinking it would be okay for any occasion.”
“You thought right. You look amazing.”
She blushes, and once again my heart reminds me it’s still in there, and with a sigh, I stand, deciding that cozy chats must wait before I do something I regret.
It strikes me how ridiculous this is because my job is toseduce Rose and marry her, making certain she’s pregnant with my child before her younger sister reaches twenty-five.
I was told that Rose is currently twenty-three years old, which gives us a lot of time, so the only urgency we have is that somebody doesn’t get there before me, or she decides to return to the convent.
She is the billion-dollar prize, and it will be a long few years unless I can get her to agree to becoming my wife—willingly. That is my main priority because forcing her into a situation she would be unhappy with isn’t sitting well with me.
With a deep inward sigh, I force a smile on my face and stand.
“Come. Let’s see what Madrid has for us.”
I hesitate before offering her my hand because self-torture isn’t something I’m used to.
Her small smile is different, and I notice the light doesn’t reach her eyes as usual, so I can’t help asking, “Is anything wrong?”
“Of course not.”
Her bright smile appears forced, and I’m instantly on alert.
“You don’t fool me, baby. What’s bothering you?”
