Nicolette’s eyes widen. “About what?”
“Who we are. What we do.”
Nicolette looks at Fabien. He shrugs. “Go on.”
Nicolette smiles. “You guys are a badass crime ring. No one fucks with you. You’re friends with the Rossis. You help their Italian wine business as a front, and God knows what you do behind the scenes. Fabien’s like the C.E.O., Thayer’s the scary one who kicks ass, and Lyam’s the smart one who knows all about operations and computers and shit like that.”
Lyam’s eyebrows rise. “That’s a little more than I thought you’d know.” He turns to me. “You follow?”
I nod. “Of course.”
“I have networks I run. Servers,” Lyam continues. “I’ve got spies and accomplices from here to the States, throughout Southern Asia, and in multiple cities throughout the world. If I want to flag someone or something, it’s done. So as soon as you became an eyewitness, I put out feelers. Someone saw you. That someone asked around, looking for answers. Your waitress at a nearby restaurant pulled your tab, where you signed your real name and used a credit card tied to your real address.”
Fabien curses.
“It was only a matter of time,” Thayer says placidly. I look at him in surprise. His grip tightens on me. “We knew they’d find her. She’s too difficult to hide. She doesn’t blend in like other girls.”
He runs his hand down the length of my thigh, out of the sight of the others.
“You act like you expected this,” Nicolette says, her tone hard.
“I did,” Thayer responds. “Why do you think I brought her to a place where I was most feared?”
The Savage. They call him The Savage.
My heart beats rapidly.
It’s time I found out why.
“Where you’ve got the most control,” Lyam says as if he understands this perfectly. “Of course. So rumor has it she’s been traced back to us.”
What has he done?
“Is Maman safe?” Fabien asks.
“Yes.” Thayer’s voice rumbles behind me. “I’ve had her moved and tripled her guard. No one will touch her.”
I feel the wall of his chest at my back, the tightness of his arms around me. Thayer’s a fortress no matter the threat.
“It looks like they circled Paris first, but the second trip, they took Cousin Milo with them. They interrogated and beat him and dropped him back on our doorstep. He won’t tell me what he’s confessed.”
Oh my God. One person dead, another in hiding, and a third beaten because of me? Where will this stop?
Fabien nods. “I’m not worried. They took him because he’s an easy target, but even he doesn’t know where you are. We’ve done well not to disclose the information on your whereabouts.”
Thayer nods. “Only members know about us.”
I turn to them. “What about the new hires, though? Were they all members?”
Lyam nods. “Yes.”
The doubts I had before resurface now that I know those women, the ones who applied for the job ofwilling servants,are already members here.
“Well, how do you know that the members don’t talk, though?” I mean, that part seems obvious, I would think.
“They sign nondisclosure agreements when they join,” Thayer says. “And failure to abide by the agreement brings…” he pauses. “Serious consequences.”
So they rely on the Gerard family name to ensure safety and anonymity. I make the logical conclusion that fear of Thayer has a lot to do with this.
