“I feel like I’ve stepped through a portal into another realm,” she says, blinking in the bright light that’s in such stark contrast to the dim lighting outside. “I half expect a witch or a magician to emerge to take us to our rooms. Old-world history meets modern-day luxury?” she asks in a low voice.
“You could say that.”
My family bought Le Marquise, tucked deep in the fifth arrondissement of Paris, after my father’s passing. It’s charming and comfortable but built like a fortress.
She’ll join me in a private suite.
It’s clean in here and ready for guests, though Cosette and I will be the only ones. We keep it stocked with emergency food supplies, fresh water, and toiletries.
“We’ll be in the penthouse,” I say to staff.
“Yes, sir.” They take our bags and I take her hand. The elevator will take us to the top floor, built for a solid view of the Louvre.
I issue commands as we walk to the elevator, delegating. “Call Philippe. I want a conference call in an hour. Make sure he knows where I am and that all security personnel have us locked down.” After Le Luxe was infiltrated, we put in security measures unlike anything we’d ever done before. We spent millions of dollars vetting our staff and putting into place a secret network of people and places that would provide safety.
It isn’t just me, Thayer, and Fabien anymore. We could handle ourselves and always have. Between our informants and security, and our own talents when it comes to wielding a weapon—the most important being the lack of a conscience that gives us the added luxury of being able to pull the trigger—we’re almost fucking untouchable. When you don’t fear death, you’re untouchable.
But we have our mother who’d no sooner pull the trigger of a gun than live in an underground submarine. And now… children. Babies.Dependents.
Our safety matters.
“Cars,” Victor, one of my staff, mutters. “What kind of fucking cars do we need?”
I give him a list.
Perrine joins him, her hair tucked into a neat bun at the nape of her neck, her eyes glowing with excitement. She loves weapons the way some women love shoes. “Weapons, sir?”
Cosette stares and blinks as if I’ve just transported her into a magical kingdom where fairies and wizards live.
“Where are we?” she whispers.
“It’s called Le Marquise.”
“Whoa. I thought Le Luxe was something else. I mean, it’s the height of luxury, but seriously, Lyam. This is… this isstunning.And it’s so hidden. Like, you’d need to be in an airplane or helicopter just to see it.” She pauses. “Wait?—”
I nod. “We’ve thought about that, too.”
Fabien was the one that chose militaristic security measures to guard against anyone ever seeing us.
“It’s like we’re hidden in a world between worlds,” she replies.
I check my phone and grunt in reply. She always was a romantic at heart and sees the charm in every little thing.
“Can I get you anything to eat, Mr. Gerard?”
I look to Cosette. “Are you hungry?”
“Famished,” she says, her hand on her belly. “I swear I ate a good breakfast and now?—”
“You’re pregnant.” I turn to Victor. “She’s pregnant. Make sure everything prepared for her is suitable for a pregnant woman. We’re going upstairs to regroup, and I’ll be down in an hour for the meeting. We’ll be here for a while, so I want to make sure we’re ready.” I scratch my jaw. Cosette stares. “We’ve got the doctor visits arranged. I want to be sure she has all the food she needs, proper hydration, her vitamins, and the remedies she needs for nausea. Finally, I want my brothers to know I’m here, but no one else.” I harden my voice. “Is that clear?No one.”
“Clear. Consider it done.”
We walk to the elevator as my staff hustles to make sure everything around us is done the way I asked. They know who I am and what I expect. I reward those who obey and punish thosewho don’t. Every member of my staff is loyal, dependable, and bulletproof.
I push the elevator button. It dings, ready for us.
“They justobeyyou,” she whispers, shaking her head. “Why? How? Even at Le Luxe, things were more like… peers. There was a different vibe. Here, though…”
