“What’s bad luck?”
“You following me here is a big waste of your time. I just escorted my fiancée to her sister’s wedding on Ichor-Delta and now we are searching for a wedding and honeymoon venue for our own nuptials.”Plus, I won’t let you take Victor. No matter what.
“A wedding on Ossuary Valerian? That’s odd, isn’t it?”
Raphael shrugged. “We like the unusual. Don’t we, Francine?”
“That’s right. My sister Lucy used to tell me all kinds of spooky stories about this old space station built on an ancient asteroid. I’ve always wanted to come here and to do something special. A wedding seemed perfect.”
Elda snorted. “Where are you going on your honeymoon, Lava Rock World?”
“No,” Raphael said. “The Gothic Ice Floe Planet.” He looked at Francine and winked.
She immediately perked up. “Really? That was supposed to be a surprise, wasn’t it?”
“Yep.”
His lovely and very smart fiancée turned to Elda and said, “And you had to ruin it.”
“Me? I didn’t ruin anything.” Elda looked put out.
“Sure you did. You had to make fun of our special day by being a pest until Raphael told you what we were doing. I think you should leave.” Francine pursed her lips and looked genuinely unhappy.
Elda made a face. “I’m sorry if I ruined anything, but I’m looking for a big bounty.”
“Oh, and you think we have some big bounty here? For crying out loud, we’ve only been here for five minutes. And we’re trying to be alone, if you get my drift.” Francine threw her hands up in total exasperation.
“I’m happy to leave. Just as soon as I take a look around this house.” Elda’s gaze went to the staircase leading to the second floor. “What’s upstairs?”
Raphael was about to say, “Nothing,” but before he could speak, Francine marched to the bottom step, crossed her arms and practically dared Elda to try and get past her.
“You arenotinvited upstairs.” Francine extended an arm and pointed to the door. “Please leave.”
“There’s nothing up there anyway,” Raphael offered.
Elda tilted her head to one side. Raphael knew what that meant. She was about to go into battle mode and mow Francine down in order to search the empty upstairs bedrooms.
“Elda,” he warned. “Do not touch Francine.”
“I won’t,” she said, moving swiftly across the foyer. “I can squeeze by.”
Elda was at a dead run by the time she got to the base of the staircase. Francine dodged to the right for the block, but Elda had fast reflexes. She feinted right, darted left and went past Francine easily, not even touching her as she bounded up the stairs two at a time. Her laugh of triumph sounded as she reached the top stair and disappeared into the first bedroom. She stomped out of that room’s en suite and entered the second bedroom and attached bathroom. They heard every step she took.
Raphael winked at Francine, who grinned and winked back.
He counted on Elda wanting to search the master bedroom once she’d scoured the second floor. Victor had surely heard them at the door and returned to his hidey-hole below the floorboards. A hatch led into a hidden basement that wasn’t on the house’s registered plans and not connected to the unfinished basement.
Victor had always said he’d never be caught dead in the former home of one of his Campion ancestors because of all the ghost stories associated with the place.
That is, until he came of age and learned the secret of the place. The hidden cellar under the master bedroom was a weapons room when the house was built, serving as an escape route if the enemy breached the building.
Raphael walked quickly and quietly to the master bedroom and peeked inside. Someone had placed a rug over the hatch. When Victor disappeared, he had left one corner folded up.
Raphael fixed the rug and rejoined Francine at the base of the staircase. “I love you,” he said in a voice meant for her ears alone.
“I love you, too.”
He lowered his mouth to hers, intending only a brief peck, but she licked his bottom lip and he couldn’t resist a deeper, more thorough and downright passionate kiss.
