Jules is worryingly quiet.His brutal schedule comes to a halt as the first true week of summer begins and on Alistair’s order, construction begins for freshwater pools.Mimi’s bad mood has mercifully ebbed and she doesn’t seem aware of what went down last night but they’re in the sunshine when she asks Lachlan, ‘Bad Man gone now?Daddy bang bang?’
Lachlan doesn’t know what else to say, so he says ‘Yeah, babygirl.’
She gives an approving smile and pats his shoulder.‘Good job.’
When he later tries to talk to Jules, the boy is locked up tight.Gives short, shallow answers and sticks close to Vasily, Roman and Savannah.
Lachlan is glad to see Jules with people his own age for once, although he has a dark suspicion about how similar Jules and Savannah look in certain lights.Ariadne and Alistair are obviously very close.
They have that revolting chemistry people of their stature often seem to develop.Desensitised, absent of boundaries, emotionally incestuous.Close-knit, closed doors, the rich only eat with the rich.
Vasily, the younger of the two Sorrenko boys, seems very curious about Lachlan and he often blushes when Lachlan meets his waiting gaze, something his older brother ruthlessly teases him about in their mother tongue, perhaps unaware Lachlan speaks it as per RB training.
Lachlan doesn’t care that Sorrenko’s youngest has a crush on him.
He just wants distance between now and the night the lightning hit.He wants the memory of Fenwick signingyou should let him dieto fade away.He wants every single thing Fenwick said that night gone, especially the part about thenightmares.Lachlan considers himself a pragmatic man at heart, but there are things picking away at his brain and he wants it to stop.
Trying to talk to Jules is a dead end.
Lachlan hardly blames him, but he trusts he’s talking to his new friends now that he’s granted a little free time to spend with them.Perhaps naively, Lachlan hopes Jules develops something with Roman, all while dreading something happening with Savannah for reasons he doesn’t want to think about.The bloodlines of old money are nothing Lachlan would ever want to look at under a microscope.
Meanwhile, the Estate is bathed in sunshine while the heat intensifies enormously.Mimi will let Blaire into herWendy Housenow which is a massive relief.If there’s one person Lachlan trusts, it’s Blaire Montbelliard, and much as he would give anything to spend his days in the shade with Mimi, he has a job to do here.
Fenwick, whatever else, ran the household efficiently, and is quickly missed when the new weight falls squarely onto Lachlan’s shoulders.Penhalyx doesn’t offer to field a replacement, nor does he ask Lachlan for his suggestion, he simply leaves Lachlan to take over.
It’s a huge, thankless task that Lachlan sorely wishes he could outsource, but he gets by in the first week and makes a few small adjustments while Penhalyx is distracted with his houseguests.
During that time, Lachlan takes a few hours to see his friend, Jolene Mercer.He hasn’t been to see her in person in well over a year and finds the place almost exactly as it was the last time he was here.It’s a treasure trove of useful technology within the shell of an abandoned warehouse situated in a satellite blind spot.
They never engage in small talk.
Jolene makes him a coffee,French roast,and he tells her what he needs, explains his ideas for streamlining the running of the household via technology.‘They’re solid upgrades but you need someone you can trust running them.Do you have anyone in mind?’
He does, but he’s so scared to put Blaire forward for it.
‘I was thinking if we organise it like this,Icould keep running things.’
‘You think Penhalyx would allow that?’she asks, head cocked.Sometimes, she reminds him of Blaire, though Jolene is street sharp where Blaire is soft.Lachlan really needs to go on a date and meet new women at some point.
They’re all starting to blur.
‘I don’t know, maybe.He keeps asking about you,’ he says, changing the subject.‘Wants to meet you.I’m not gonna bring you in though.’
She smiles with a distinctcat-likeenergy.‘I can handle myself.’
‘I’m thinking about upgrading the base systems again.’
‘Comms?’
‘Surveillance too.’
‘Specific ideas?’
‘Not yet but soon.’
‘I’m always here,’ she says.Long blood-red hair, delicate silver piercings and sharp chrome nails.Jolene Mercer is utterly gorgeous, but she’s far more valuable to him as a friend, so he’s never pushed for more.
‘Thanks.’
