‘It’s not nothing!’
Tears come to my eyes and Sauvage takes out his silk pocket square, handing it to me to wipe my eyes.
‘No tears, ma petite fleur. Tell Sauvage why he is graced with your company?’
‘I wanted to let you know that the club is finished being renovated,’ I sniffle.
‘You are leaving, then.’ His lips downturn slightly.
I nod. ‘I wanted to thank you. For everything you’ve done for me. You didn’t have to. Without your support, I would probably be Joe Banderville’s wife by now.’
He waves a flippant hand. ‘You know you can stay in the penthouse for as long as you wish.’
I nod. ‘But I do want to go back. I like it there, and my lab is set up, so I’ll still make Envy. You don’t need to worry about that.’
He tuts. ‘I know you well enough, chéri, to trust you. If you want to leave, that is your decision. And of course, you can return whenever you wish. You have only to darken my door.’
‘I’ll have a shipment of Envy for you by the end of the week,’ I explain, ‘but there are also a few hundred pills in the safe downstairs.’
Sauvage inclines his head. ‘Be safe, chéri. And if you need Pierre Sauvage’s help, you need only ask.’
He takes hold of my shoulders in a gentle grip.
‘I will not say goodbye,’ he says. ‘Only au revoirto the seeing again.’
He kisses both my cheeks, then turns me around and gently pushes me toward the door.
I go down to the basement, my eyes misty, to find the guys by the entrance to the tunnel system.
‘Are you okay?’ Mav asks.
I nod. ‘I’ll just miss Sauvage. That, and I’ve gotten comfortable here. I’ll be fine.’
He gives me a hug, and takes my hand, leading me into the darkness. I shiver. I’ve been in the passages since the club was bombed, but I don’t think I’ll ever feelsafein them.
The guys take out flashlights and lead me quickly through the first cavernous, concrete spaces that go to the underground network under Richmond. We walk for about thirty minutes in the dark before we get to a fork in the passage, and Shade takes the left one confidently.
‘Not too much longer,’ he says over his shoulder brightly.
We get to a new-looking door with a black card reader on it a little while later. Shade swipes a keycard over it, and I hear it unlock loudly. The sound echoes through the passage.
The door swings outward, and I find myself in a well-lit corridor that I recognize from when they showed it to me the other day. I breathe a sigh of relief as I step into the light, following Mav as he leads me to the bedroom where we put our belongings away.
I sit on the bed, attempting to relax. As I lie back to look at the ceiling, I gasp at the painting that’s secured there. It looks like the one from the lawyer’s office, but the canvas is massive.
‘Oh!’ I exclaim, my eyes flying to Shade who’s standing by the door, watching me with his hands stuffed into his jeans and a smile playingon his lips.
‘It’s from all of us. Happy Valentine’s Day,’ he says a bit meekly.
I frown at him. ‘You didn’t have to get me anything.’
He gives me a look.
‘Silly,’ he murmurs. ‘Sorry it’s late. We found the artist and bought it from her directly, but she had to ship it from Rome. Do you like it?’
I nod, a large smile creasing my face as I look back up at it.
‘I love it,’ I say, pulling Mav down with me so he can look at it too.
