Giggling, I take the cover off my piping hot green tea, which has a hint of citrus and mint. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Me too.” Aunt Kitty reaches out a hand, squeezes mine gently, and says softly, “I’ve missed you, sweetie.”
“I’ve missed you, too,” I tell her. Having let my tea cool for several moments, I take a tentative sip.
I enjoy my snack while Aunt Kitty makes our reservations on one side of me, and Finn works away on his phone on my other side.
“We have so much to catch up on,” she says excitedly as she puts her phone down and outlines the adventure we'll have together in London. “First, we’ll need to go shopping and get you some clothes and shoes that fit. And then we can—”
“We're not going to London on a vacation,” Finn interrupts, looking up from his phone. “But to stay as far away from the fucker as possible.”
“There’s no reason we can’t enjoy ourselves,” Aunt Kitty argues back.
“You really don’t mind shopping with us, do you?” I ask, turning to Finn, placing my hand on his knee and leaning into him.
Wrapping his arm around my waist, he pulls me tight against his body. Kissing my temple, he declares, “I’m not letting you go anywhere without me.”
The phone in Finn’s hand buzzes. Glancing down at the screen, I see the name “Derek Lion - Pride Security” flashing. My heart jumps, and my mind is barraged with questions as to why the private security company Finn hired is calling him.
“This is Xavier Finch,” Finn answers the call formally, as his body stiffens against mine, and his free hand grabs the one on his knee, entwining our fingers tightly.
Chapter Two
~ Finn ~
My heart pounds an anxious tattoo as I answer the call from Derek Lion. My mind races, wondering why the owner of the company is calling me personally. I send a silent prayer to a God I’m not convinced exists that my sister Riley is safe. Not only do I love her for herself, but for as long as I can remember, it’s also been drilled into me by my mother and the grandparents who raised me that it is my job to care for and protect my little sister. In most cases, Riley is defenseless. It would kill me if I was in any way the cause of her pain.
Gripping Lily’s hand tightly, I feel her lending me her incredible strength. What allowed her to survive nineteen days of being imprisoned in a Hong Kong brothel—and come out able to still smile and giggle—I’ll never understand.
Derek Lion's voice fills my ear. “Mr. Finch, I just got off the phone with Mr. Gregor, and he alerted us to the developments there in Paris. I’m calling to make sure that you and Miss MacKay have been able to secure a flight out of the country.”
“We have,” I tell him. “We’re booked on a flight to London in an hour and a half. Peter Stein’s mother, Katherine, is with us.”
“Where are you now?”
The question has the hairs on the back of my neck prickling.
“We’re waiting to board in the airline’s executive lounge.” I attempt to keep my voice neutral so as not to alert Lily to the nervousness I’m feeling.
“We were able to quickly ascertain that James Mayer is in Paris and is most likely who you saw outside of the apartment.”
Fuck!
Mayer is here, and he wants Lily. He wants to control her, her money, and the company that should be rightfully hers. We were coming back from our first date, lunch at the Eiffel Tower, when we arrived at Kitty’s apartment to see two men lurking outside. I quickly had the cab take us here to the airport.
“What?” I growl.
“So, the sooner you leave, the better.” Mr. Lion tells me something I already know. “I would head to your gate now. The first-class lounge is the first place Mayer and his associates would look. Lose yourself in the crowd as much as possible. I don’t believe they know you’re at the airport, but I don’t want to take any chances.”
“We had planned to stay in London; Lily is hoping to be able to collect her things and make arrangements with her school. Would that be safe? Or should we come home?”
Letting go of Lily’s hand, I stand and motion for Lily and Kitty to grab their belongings as Mr. Lion continues in my ear. “Staying out of the U.S. is a good idea at the moment. We are going to continue to track Mayer’s movements, but before Miss MacKay does anything in London, let me get a lock on his co-conspirator’s location.”
“What’s going on?” Lily asks nervously, grabbing my free arm. I lean down and press a kiss to her head, attempting to reassure us both.
“Leave me a message if there are any other developments.”
“Developments?” Kitty asks, putting a comforting hand on Lily’s back and standing protectively close.
“I’ll call you personally,” Mr. Lion assures me. “And I am sending one of my best operatives to London as backup.”
“Thank you.” I tell him.
“I would trust Johnson with my own family’s safety. If anything happens or you see Mayer, dial the control room, and they'll be able to respond right away. I’ll text you that number now,” Mr. Lion says, his words filling me with relief.
“And my sister?”
My stomach twists at the thought that my sister living alone in DC could be a target. Mayer could easily use her to get back at me for thwarting his plans for Lily.
“The operative we have on Miss Finch has reported in that she arrived to work safely and has not left the building. When Mr. Gregor arrives, I’ll connect with him, in case he needs assistance while he’s in town.”
“Thank you,” I exhale.
No sooner than I end the call, does Lily ask, tightening her hold on my arm, “What’s going on?”
“Mayer is here in Paris, and Mr. Lion is sending his best agent to meet us in London,” I tell them calmly. “Grab your shit; we need to head to the gate and lose ourselves in the crowd.”
Lily and Kitty, having already grabbed their purses, both turn and pick up their coffee cups and remaining food.
With my arm wrapped firmly around Lily’s waist, we quickly make our way out of the VIP lounge and into the buzzing airport.
“What else did he say?” Kitty asks, walking next to me and Lily.
“He thought it was a smart idea not to head home yet, but Lily should keep a low profile in London until they’ve tracked down Mayer’s co-conspirator.”
“Fucking Janice,” Lily mutters vehemently.
“Don’t worry, princess, we’re not going to let anything happen to you.”
“Do you think he’s here?” Lily’s voice is small and cracks slightly. “In the airport?”
“No,” I tell her firmly, making an effort to infuse confidence into my voice. “Even if he discovered you are in Paris, he didn’t see us and couldn’t have known that we headed straight here.”
“It’s just better to be safe than sorry, sweetie,” Kitty adds, turning and giving her a maternal smile.
“What about Riley?” Lily asks anxiously, and my heart warms at her obvious concern for my sister.