Big Ben (See No Evil Trilogy #1) - Nana Malone Page 0,73
his gaze levelly. “Everything. I am willing to lose everything just to make sure Bram pays.”
He stood and gave me a nod, then he stalked out.
So much for the secret approach. He knew, and he was ready for a fight.
Ben
I rubbed the back of my neck as I started to plan. “So, the whole plan to get to Downs is in jeopardy now?”
Bridge nodded. “Van Linsted’s trying to get to Downs first. Downs isn’t usually close and is notoriously cagey. Bram can’t exactly go all the way to Australia to see him because there’s been bad blood in those two families for years. And Downs rarely makes an appearance, so while he’s in Paris, this is his chance… and ours, too.”
East nodded. “I found an elusive art piece by Pierre Bonnard. Downs is crazy about his work, so I arranged for a viewing and auction. He’s definitely coming.”
I rubbed my jaw and tried not to let the frustration get to me. “It’s like we take one step forward and then two steps back. So I have to get to Downs, but somehow not let Van Linsted get to him?”
Bridge nodded. “Yup. That’s the crux of it. It’s a two-man job.”
East shrugged. “Can you take a date?”
“I don’t trust a date. But I guess Jessa is an option.”
East looked hopeful. “Maybe your cousin will let her come out?”
I laughed. “My cousin Roone is extremely protective of his wife.” Without seeming to recognize that Jessa, while a princess, was first and foremost a badass and could take care of herself. “But I just remembered, she’s on vacation. Working while they’re traveling, but still, on vacation. Last I checked they were in Thailand. There’s no way she’d get here quickly enough.”
Bridge rolled his shoulders. “Well, there is always your new employee.”
My brows snapped down. “Livy? No.”
“Oh, so she’s ‘Livy’ now? I kind of like the idea. She’s charming, certainly elegant enough. And, since she’s your new flatmate, you can ask her easily enough.” East went full Benedict Arnold.
“She’s not my new flatmate. We all agreed I need to keep her safe. That’s what I’m doing.”
Bridge grinned. “Yeah, right down the hall from where you sleep.”
“I’m not trying to bang her.”
My mates just laughed. They didn’t get it. I liked her. She was smart, funny, and had a vulnerable side that she showed to so very few people. Unfortunately, she’d shown it to me.
“Okay, fine. I can take her with me and explain the trip as being one for work.”
East nodded. “Okay, good. We’ll provide extra security. It’ll be discreet, just to make sure there’s no funny business. I don’t want you guys taking some wrong turn down a Parisian alley and not coming back to us.”
Unfortunately, he wasn’t entirely wrong about how things could go. “You make it sound like people are trying to kill me every day.” It was so funny because it was true.
Bridge just raised his brow. “Oh, someone can actually make jokes now.”
“Sorry, just trying to ease the tension. None of this is funny. But I’ll get it done. I’ll bring her with me.”
“If anything seems off at all, call it off.”
The hell I would. “I’ll make it happen.”
After our meeting, I found Liv in her office on a call. She gestured at me to have a seat. When she finished, she turned to me. “Hey, I was going to text you. What do you want for dinner? Sushi?”
We’d developed an easy routine over the last week. We ate together, and she forced me to watch television and play Scrabble. I had her work out with me in the mornings. Just like a real couple. Nope. Like friends. Because that’s what we were.
“That works. You doing all right?”
“With Jessa technically out of the office, I’m handling a lot of what she usually has on her plate. So it’s a learning curve, but I’ve got it.”
“About that. There are a couple of client meetings that I need to handle in Paris. Normally Jessa would come with me, but since she’s on vacation, would you like to come?”
She stared at me. “Paris?”
“Yup, Paris.”
“Now is not the time to play with me.”
“I shit you not, Paris. So, are you in or out?”
“When do we leave?”
“In a couple of days.”
She grinned so wide her dimple peeked out. Christ. I wanted to do everything in my power to make her that happy all the time.
“Thank you. You won’t be disappointed.”
“I don’t think I ever could be.”
“While we’re there, there’s an event. Black tie. I