Raiden (The Kent Brothers #2) - A.M. Hargrove Page 0,64
our extraction. He’s sending the jet because he doesn’t want us on commercial.”
That was a relief. “How long will it take to get here?”
“Don’t know. He has to get two teams of pilots and crew since it’ll be a turnaround. He’s also contacting someone he knows here to get us safely out of Paris.”
It was nearly midnight when the phone finally rang. Gem pretty much yelled when she answered.
“What took you so long?”
Their conversation lasted about fifteen minutes, but we had our instructions. A man named Jean-Paul would be here in an hour to take us to a house in Beauvais where we would wait until the plane landed at the airport there.
“Do you know this Jean-Paul?”
“Yeah, we’ve met a few times in the past.”
“Good. At least we’ll know if he’s the real man then.”
“That’s why Drex chose him.”
We packed our things and ditched the disguises.
“He’ll call us when he gets here. We’re to meet him in the back.”
The call came as expected and we snuck out the back entrance. No one was around except for the car Jean-Paul described. He rolled down the window and said, “Hurry, get in.”
We threw our things in the back seat and jumped in. He drove off in a hurry.
“I didn’t want anyone to see you leaving. Now get down and stay down.” He kept his eye on the rearview mirror, watching to see if anyone followed.
It was a while before he allowed us to sit up. “I think we are safe now.”
The trip took about an hour, and we pulled into a long driveway.
“Is this your home?” Gemini asked.
“Lord no. I live in Paris. This is a safe house we use. We will stay here until your Drex calls and tells us the plane is here. The airport is only a fifteen-minute drive from here.”
“Thank you for the rescue, Jean-Paul,” I said.
“At your service, mademoiselle.” He had a twinkle in his eye and I got the impression he was flirting with me.
The house was adorable, so much so, it made me want to come back and stay for a while. “This is lovely.”
“Yes, it’s quite, um, cozy, as you Americans would say.”
“Exactly,” I agreed.
“The bedrooms are up the stairs if you wish to sleep. I will stay up to make sure you are safe.”
Gemini walked the entire place, checking things out. Then she said, “I can’t sleep. Not after the night we had. I’ll stay up with you.”
“Make that three of us. I’ll sleep on the plane.”
“How about some coffee then?” he asked.
“That sounds great,” I answered.
The three of us went into the kitchen, and I watched him make the coffee. The house had an espresso machine, so the coffee was fabulous. “I need to get one of these. After this trip, regular coffee won’t do anymore.”
“Ah, you’ve gotten spoiled, then.”
And I had. I’d always loved coffee, but this was amazing. We talked for hours, and when dawn approached, he took us outside in the back and we watched the sun rise. It was spectacular.
Jean-Paul cooked us a huge breakfast that included omelets, croissants, and fruit. Then I conked out on the sofa. Exhaustion finally had caught up with me.
Gemini awakened me. “I have great news. Our ride is here.”
Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I asked, “What time is it?”
“Three in the afternoon.”
“Three? I slept that long?”
“You sure did. Get up lazy, we’re going to the airport.”
“Can I brush my teeth first?”
Gemini held out my toothbrush and toothpaste. “You know me so well, roomie.” I stood up and hugged her. “I don’t know what I would’ve done without you these past weeks. Thank you.”
“Back at you. You’ve been the best. Now go brush before our ride leaves without us.”
I saluted her and said, “Yes, ma’am.”
Jean-Paul was diligent, I gave him that. All the way to the airport, his eyes darted everywhere. He made me nervous.
“Everything okay, Jean-Paul?”
“So far so good.”
We drove around to the back where the entrance for private planes were. We showed our passports, and they waved us through. I saw the Wolfe Investigations jet sitting there, with the door open and steps down, waiting for us. Jean-Paul pulled up and stopped. We got out and both of us hugged and thanked him.
“My pleasure, ladies.” Grabbing our bags, we climbed aboard.
I was getting ready to sit when I heard a voice say, “No hug for me?”
I turned to see Raiden standing there, and I ran to him, almost knocking him down.