Someone knocks on the door.
“Who is it?” If Fabien could punch someone in the throat with his voice, he just did it.
Jesus, these men run hot.
“It’s me, Gwen!”
I give her credit for not withering.
“Come in,” he snaps.
I stand, my cold tea forgotten, as my friends enter the room — Gwen, accompanied by Cosette.
“Nicolette!” We meet each other halfway and I give Cosette a huge hug.
Fabien walks over to us. It’s hard to believe that only minutes ago, he was about to commit murder with his bare hands. “Cosette. How are you?” He reaches for her arm and touches her so gently my throat gets all tight.
He doesn’t want you. He doesn’t care for you. You’re nothing but a hire to him.
“I’m good, Monsieur,” she says quietly. “Thank you so much for all you did.”
Gwen clears her throat. “Monsieur, I need to talk with you.”
“Privately?”
“I… believe so?” She looks to Thayer and Lyam as if she doesn’t know who they are.
Fabien nods, brushes Cosette’s arm as he passes, then joins Gwen for a whispered conversation. I look to Thayer, who only stares back in stony silence, and Lyam, who cocks his head to the side.
“And who are you?”
How do I introduce myself? WhoamI?
“Nicolette.” It’s all I tell him.
“Pleased to meet you, Nicolette,” Lyam says. Ah, so he’s the family charmer. “And you… work here?”
“She’s with Fabien,” Thayer snaps.
Lyam rolls his eyes. “Obviously.”
Yeah, I’m not getting in the middle of this testosterone war.
“Not for long,” I tell them, at the exact moment Fabien joins us with Gwen. He pretends as if I’m not even here as he looks at his brothers. If he heard what I just said, he has no reaction at all.
“Gwen, to her credit, did some research,” he begins. “Lyam, we have to catch you up, but it’s pertinent to what’s happened. You met Nicolette?”
“I did.”
“The night we met, she was assaulted by one of our patrons.”
Lyam blinks in surprise. “You were here? On the premises?”
Fabien nods.
“Shit,” Lyam mutters under his breath. “Bold as hell then. And you found out and did what any of us would do.”
Fabien cuts his eyes at Gwen and Cosette, but nods. “Yes. Gwen did some research. We thought he was only a regular old patron, no one of note. A tourist here on business. But the information was easy to find. On further reflection? It wastooeasy to find.”
