Page 26 of Alex

Chapter Thirteen

Walkinginto the Louvre two hours later Evelyn felt eyes on her again. At first, she had shaken it off as residual emotion from a day full of surprises albeit good ones this time. Now, however, she wasn’t so sure as a chill ran down her spine. The contact had picked the location and she didn’t like that either, but Alex had seemed sure that they could trust this man based on a conversation with Jack.

She had spoken with Roz on the way there in the car and she had agreed that the man they were meeting was clean or as clean as anyone could be and reassured her that Lili was fine and holding her own. The one piece of information she had passed on that had proved enlightening was that they had heard rumblings about an auction that was being arranged on the dark web.

There was a lot of buzz about it but the big players were being screened before more information was given to any prospective buyers. At this point they didn’t know what was for sale just that it was highly lucrative for someone going by the name of The Countess.

Passing through security Evelyn turned to Alex and watched his confident stride, again admiring his handsome familiar face and yet wanting to keep looking at him like it was all new. She had shared the details of her call with Roz and he agreed with her that it was probably tied to her kill order from the Palace. They just had to figure out how and why.

Roz was going to work the auction angle and try and secure them an invite, and if not her then probably Pax.

“What do we know about this guy we’re meeting?” she asked as they moved around a group of school children on a trip.

“James Colchester is the seventeenth Duke of Crossley. His family have owned Crossley since it was gifted to his four or five times great grandfather by Elizabeth the first in fifteen-sixty. James Colchester is a barrister and legal counsel to HRH. We don’t know a lot about him other than he is wealthy beyond measure and he has a different woman on his arm at every event.”

“Wow. I think I’ve met him now you mention it. It was at a Gala at the Met. He was the sponsor.”

“Yeah, he’s a massive lover of the arts and contributes to charity regularly. He’s considered by his peers to be a cold and ruthless man but not a cruel one. If you’re in his circle, which is small, then they speak very highly of him. If you’re not, he won’t give you the time of day,” Alex said as they moved towards the Egyptian Antiquities department.

“A wise man. So why is he helping us?”

“Not sure but I guess we’re about to find out.”

Moving to a bench in front of The Mummy they sat and waited. Evelyn knew Blake, Reid, and Liam were inside too and it added a level of comfort as the itch in her neck began again. The thought of something happening here with all these people turned her stomach.

She looked left as she felt someone approach and saw a devastatingly handsome man walking towards them. He was wearing a custom suit in French Navy that was obviously designer, a white shirt, a burgundy paisley tie, and a burgundy handkerchief in his top left pocket. He stood around six-foot-four, had dark almost black hair swept back and slightly long at the collar, and an angular face with a sharp jawline and cheekbones that made her artist mind weep.

He also had a coldness about him that could possibly freeze the Sahara. His eyes locked on her and then flicked to Alex as he sat down beside him dismissing her. “I haven’t much time.”

His greeting was clipped, and Alex responded in kind. “We won’t take up much of it.”

“The information you need is here.” Colchester handed Alex a thumb drive. “My cousin is not a good man and I suspect if he’s involved you should act quickly. He’s prone to fits of temper and when that happens nobody is safe from it.”

“Why would he target me?” Evelyn intrigued by this man who was such a contradiction.

The man in question looked at her, his cold assessing blue eyes peering into her soul. “You took away his toy.” His reply was flat, and she couldn’t hear any emotion in his voice.

“His toy?” she asked equally as cold.

“Petra.” She could hear the irritation in his voice at having to explain himself.

“Wow,” she said for want of a better word and not knowing how to convey her fury that Petra had been lowered to the same level as a piece of plastic used to entertain children.

“Those are not my words, Ms Garcia,” he responded in a clipped tone.

“Why are you helping us?”

James Colchester angled his head to look at Alex then looked towards the Art on display as he responded to his question. “I do not want the name of the British Royal Family brought into disrepute by him or anyone else. It is my job to protect them and that is what I am doing by stopping an injustice.”

“You’re risking a lot to protect them.”

“Then you and I have something in common.” He stood and looked down at Alex before looking at Evelyn. “It seems both of us would do whatever it takes to protect those we love. I wish you luck.” With that final pronouncement he turned on his heel and walked away.

Alex waited for a few moments before standing and offering Evelyn his hand. “Let’s get out of here so we can see what we have.” Just as he finished speaking a commotion broke out near the entrance to the Mona Lisa exhibit.

Evelyn felt her body tense in preparation as Alex took her hand and dragged her in the opposite direction. Using his comms unit, he told Liam and Blake to check it out and Reid to meet them at the back with a car.

“Shouldn’t we see what’s happening?” she asked hearing a scream.