Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 75968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
“But you know I would intervene for you, sweetheart.” Did I want to solve problems for my woman’s ex-husband? No. But I would do anything for her if she asked. I loved her unconditionally, would put my life on the line for the man she’d loved before me if that’s what she wanted.
Her eyes flicked away and stayed that way. “I’ll always care for Adrien. I wish nothing but the best for him. But you warned him multiple times, and he chose to disregard your advice. I’d appreciate if you told him what’s coming…if he doesn’t already know…so he can leave the country or something. But I don’t want you involved in this in any other way. I can accept Adrien’s death because he brought it on himself, but I could never accept yours for any reason or circumstance.” When she found the courage to look at me again, she met my gaze and focused on me.
I would go to war for this woman, but it meant the world to me that she didn’t ask me to. It probably wasn’t easy to desert the man she’d promised to love for a lifetime, but she did to prioritize me. “I’ll let him know.”
My driver was taking me to my next stop when I called Adrien.
It rang and rang.
The Aristocrats would probably consider a phone call an intervention, but Fleur had asked me to, and it was a small enough ask.
He finally answered. “How is she?” He always asked about her first, and he did such a good job of acting like he cared for her I almost believed he did. I should feel sorry for him, even though he’d fucked around on her a dozen times.
“She’s my responsibility, not yours, so stop asking.”
“I just want to know if she’s okay.”
“She’s great. Went to a wedding with me last weekend, baked a cake this afternoon, and now she’s dead asleep in my big-ass bed. What else do you want to know?”
Adrien didn’t push back. “What do you want, Bastien?”
“I don’t want anything. But I spoke to Marcus and the Aristocrats yesterday, and they want your head on a fucking platter. They told me not to intervene, but Fleur asked me to warn you. And what my woman says goes. So, consider yourself warned.”
“I didn’t kill Oscar.”
“They don’t care, Adrien. He would still be alive right now if you’d just given in to their demands.”
“Why do I have to change my business model just because they think they own all of French heritage?”
“It’s pretty rich of you to condemn their ideologies when you’re a thief who steals art history from your own people.”
“I’m Italian, not French.”
“And I think that pisses them off even more, asshole.”
He sighed his frustration into the phone.
“You’ve got two options. Give them what they want and disappear. They won’t hunt you long if they have what they want. They’ll give up after a couple weeks. Or hit them before they hit you. But that would be the stupid choice, because you don’t have the manpower, and I’m not helping you with this.”
“I didn’t ask for your help, Bastien.”
“You’re right. Because if you did, you wouldn’t be in this position in the first place, like a dumbass.”
Adrien stayed quiet.
I waited for him to say he was going to run for it, but he didn’t. I should just hang up and leave him to his problems, but I stayed on the phone out of some ridiculous obligation to the woman who didn’t love him anymore. “Adrien.”
“What?”
“Jesus Christ, why are you so fucking stubborn?”
“Because it’s bullshit. They think they own everything because of some pure bloodline. It’s insanity.”
“I think they’re a bunch of weirdos too, but they’re powerful and well-connected weirdos who won’t hesitate to feed your body to the cannibals in the caverns, alright? It is what it is. You have enough money to retire, start over somewhere on a beach with a warm pussy on your lap. Do not get yourself killed over this.”
“You don’t understand—”
“Adrien. I need to make this abundantly fucking clear—I will not come for you. Fleur will not ask me to come for you. You’re on your own.”
He was quiet over the line.
I’d done my best to make him see reason, to value his life over his pride, and I couldn’t do much more. “Good luck, Adrien.”
10
FLEUR
I got into the back of the SUV, and the driver took me away from the gates. I was in a black dress and heels with my buttoned-up coat on top. Bastien had asked me to meet him and the boys because they’d decided to go out for a couple of drinks.
I assumed they drank all the time and wasn’t sure why Bastien would even want me there, but he didn’t ask if I wanted to go—just told me it was happening.