Julian is on his feet instantly. “How close?”
“Close enough to make a point,” Lucien replies. “Not close enough to cross the line.”
“What line?” I ask.
Lucien looks at me. “This land is protected. They won’t violate the historic agreement, not yet. It would cost them public goodwill.”
“But,” I swallow, “they can wait us out.”
“Yes,” Lucien says gently. “They can cut off supplies like food and other necessities.”
Julian’s fists clench. “How long?”
Lucien shrugs. “As long as it takes.”
The jungle hums, indifferent. I look between the two men and feel something cold settle in my chest.
Julian turns to Lucien. “You didn’t mention this possibility.”
Lucien arches a brow. “You didn’t ask.”
“How do they know we’re here?” Julian asks.
“They don’t know who’s here,” Lucien replies. “Just that a foreign woman’s visiting me and they want her to go with them.”
I inhale slowly. “So what happens now?”
Lucien’s gaze lingers on me thoughtfully. “I’m sorry, my dear. As lovely as it is to have you in my house, I fear you must leave for your own safety.”
Julian shoots him a glare. “Careful with the flirting.”
Lucien smiles. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were jealous.”
Julian grunts in reply, but my mind races too fast for me to pay proper attention to their word dueling. I need to reach April, now, before Lucien and his staff are punished because of me. But I also don’t want to risk blowing Julian’s cover. I don’t think Jay and Nick would do so on purpose, but them cracking Julian’s encryption might make him vulnerable to other parties.
“Can I use Lucien’s phone?” I ask Julian.
He meets my gaze, something unreadable flickering there. Then he nods once.
Lucien watches our interaction. “Shouldn’t you ask me, my dear?”
Julian turns toward him. “Iris knows people who work with extractions. Private contractors.”
Our host studies me for a moment. “You become more interesting the longer I know you.” He claps his hands, and one of the young men who served us dinner last night appears. Lucien says something in San Isidran, and the staff member disappears and then shortly returns with a satellite phone, which he hands to me.
I dial April’s number, and her voice is sharp when she answers. “I only answer unknown numbers right now because I’m worried about my best friend, so you better not be trying to sell me something because I will go off on your ass if you are.”
I laugh, but tears also trickle down my cheeks. “April, it’s Iris. I’m okay.” Her squeal is so loud I have to hold the phone away from my ear.
“What the fuck, Iris? Why haven’t you contacted us. We’ve been worried sick since we heard about the coup.”
“I’m sorry,” I say. “I got rid of my phone so I couldn’t be tracked by the rebels and it took me a while to find a safe way to get in touch.”
“Tell me everything,” my best friend, my only family, demands. But then there’s a muffled scuffle with words I can’t make out, and then Nick is on the line. “Iris,” he says. “Why the fuck are you calling from Lucien Moreau’s house?”
I look at our host and then at Julian, who’s also staring at him. “You know Lucien?” I ask Nick.
“Put that shady fucker on the phone right now,” Nick demands.
