There is an icy chill in the air, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was snowing by my birthday.
“Who’s that?” Rowan shouts as he cycles alongside me.
I frown, looking around and not seeing anyone. “Who do you mean?”
“I saw a girl in that window.” His bicycle wobbles as he points at a room on our left.
I reach out to steady his handlebars before he takes a tumble. “Are you sure?”
He vigorously nods his head. “She was staring at me.”
Huh. “Stop here for a sec,” I say, helping him down from his bike.
We walk over to the window, pressing our noses to the glass, peering inside. This is the west wing of the house. The side getting renovated. Though I don’t see any evidence of that as I examine the stunning living room inside. It’s a warm inviting room with a patterned rug, soft comfortable couches, colorful cushions, artwork on the walls, and a modern cream stone fireplace with a large shiny mirror hanging over it. The space is empty of life though, so if there was a girl there, she’s long gone.
“It was probably one of the staff,” I tell Rowan. “Come on. I’ll race you to the tree house.”
That night, I review the tutor files Natalia left for me, shooting Ben an email when I have it shortlisted to three applicants. He replies almost immediately, confirming he will arrange interviews for this Saturday. He is as anxious as I am that Rowan doesn’t miss out on classes for too long. After I shut my laptop down, I head to my studio to work on my new painting before retreating to bed alone. As I snuggle under the covers, stretching my hand across the bed to the cold empty space Ben usually occupies, I comfort myself with the knowledge he will be home tomorrow.
“Be careful,” I shout after Rowan as he climbs the ladder to the tree house the following day. The tree house is, hands down, his favorite part of the playground.
“Don’t worry,” Alesso says. “I’ll stay with him.” I smile as I watch him climb up behind Rowan into the large enclosed wooden structure. Rowan adores Alesso, and I’m tempted to suggest Frank and Alesso swap assignments. Don’t get me wrong, Frank is a nice guy, just a little more reserved and harder to get to know than Alessandro. It’s a moot point at the moment, anyway, considering Frank left for the city early yesterday. There was an emergency, and Ben needed him. I told him he should keep Frank in New York. The guys are just hanging around the house, bored out of their skulls most of the time. With the number of bodyguards on the grounds, having both Alesso and Frank watching us is excessive.
I decided to bring my easel and canvas outside today to paint. It’s not quite as cold as recent days, and this will probably be my last chance to paint outdoors for a while, if the weather forecasts are to be believed.
I’m lost in my painting, immersed in my own colorful world, so I don’t hear the footsteps approaching until the last few seconds.
My eyes pop wide as a gorgeous girl with long dark-blonde hair walks up to me. I put my paintbrush down, grabbing a wipe to scrub the dried paint off my hands. “Hello,” I say, regarding her warily as she comes to a stop beside me.
She stares at my painting. “Interesting,” she drawls, sounding like it’s anything but.
She sounds American, but there is a hint of an accent to her voice, and my guard goes up. I glance over at the tree house, wondering if I should call out for Alesso. He and Rowan must be lying on the bean bags, playing a game, as I don’t even see the tops of their heads.
“Do you work for Ben?” I ask, even as I note she’s not wearing the uniform the rest of the staff wear.
She barks out a derisory laugh. “Hardly.”
Alarm bells ring in my ears. Who the hell is this girl, and where did she come from? I wouldn’t put it past the Russians to use women to do their dirty work, and I’m immediately suspicious. I take a couple of steps back from her. “Who are you?” I ask in a sharper tone.
She twirls a lock of her hair as she fixes me with a smug smile. “Didn’t Bennett tell you?”
All the tiny hairs lift on the back of my neck. “Tell me what?”
She closes the space between us, lifting her chin and pinning me with a haughty expression. “I’m Anais. I’m Bennett’s fiancée.”
41
BEN
Something is wrong with Sierra, and I can’t figure out what it is or how it happened. We only spoke this morning on the phone, and everything seemed fine. Maybe I’ve gotten greedy, but I’d expected a much warmer welcome than the frosty one I received. Scrubbing a hand down my face, I sigh. Honestly, I could do without this shit. It’s been the week from hell, and I don’t need the additional stress. I’m reminded of one of the reasons why I’ve avoided relationships for most of my adult life.
Women are complex creatures, and I rarely have the patience to deal with them.
But this is Firefly.
I love her.
I adore her.
If she’s upset, I’m upset.
If something is wrong, I want to know what it is so I can fix it.
I long to pull her aside and demand to know what the issue is, but I don’t want to put a damper on Rowan’s little Halloween party. Sierra has gone to a huge amount of effort to make it special for him so he doesn’t miss trick or treating. She has transformed his playroom with long painted sheets of ghosts, skeletons, witches, and goblins. Fake cobwebs hang in streams across the ceilings, and she covered all the lights in the room with sheer red sheets, casting a bloody haze over the room. The side table holds bowls of candy, chips, and drinks.
Sierra is dressed like an angel, in a costume she made for herself, complete with white and silver wings stuck to her back. She’s a vision of innocence. One I wouldn’t mind corrupting. Rowan is wearing a store-bought Batman costume, and funnily enough, I picked up a devil costume from a place in the city on my way home today.
The angel and the devil. It really couldn’t be more apt. It wouldn’t be as funny if we had planned it, but we didn’t. My decision was a spur-of-the-moment thing.
Leo scowls at me, and I smirk at the sight of him in the too tight Thor costume. It was the only size they had left in the store, and I couldn’t resist. Every so often he adjusts the suit in the crotch area, muttering under his breath, and I can’t help laughing. Alessandro is some kind of ancient gladiator, resplendent with a fake sword and plastic headpiece, and he’s taking it in stride. Even Angelo entered into the spirit of things, dressing as Charlie Chaplin. Ruthie is a USO nurse. Most everyone is in good spirits, feeding off Rowan’s excitement.
Sierra is an amazing mother. Rowan is so blessed to have her as his mom, and I can’t wait to make her my wife. Whatever has happened, I won’t let it come between us. I’ll cut her some slack, even if I want to put her over my lap and spank her bare ass every time she glowers in my direction. I asked Alessandro what is going on when I first arrived and noticed her attitude, but he’s as in the dark as I am. That didn’t give me the warm fuzzies.
What the hell is going on with my most trusted solider? He seems distracted, and that concerns me. He should know if something happened. Perhaps I should have left Frank here and sent Alessandro to Philly instead.