Page 27 of The Society (Spy Girl 3)
"That you're a good man."
"But you knocked me out anyway?" he says with a laugh. "That wasn't very nice."
"There was no time to explain," I reply.
"Let's go downstairs and have another drink," he offers, "while we wait for your brother, the doctor, and that hot Dr. Kate to get here."
"I don't need a doctor."
"Well, you're getting one anyway. You have a massive bruise on your ribs, your cheek is swollen, your pupils are dilated, and you look like you rolled down a flight of stairs. You have bruises and contusions everywhere--and most likely, a concussion."
"I did actually. Roll down a flight of stairs. Got pushed. The good news is, the money man shot the guy who pushed me."
Intrepid pours us each a drink and sits on the couch next to me. "I want you to take a few days off. Heal up. It will take some time to go through the man's computer and phone. We need to verify what he told you was true before we decide on our next move."
"Does that mean I get to go back to Lorenzo's tonight?"
"If the doctor gives you the all-clear, then yes."
We sit together in silence, coming down from the adrenaline rush of earlier.
But we aren't alone for long. Pretty soon, the team arrives.
Ari and some doctor fuss over me while Intrepid flirts with Dr. Kate.
I get a thumbs-up from the doctor along with a baggie full of pain pills. When I start to protest, he says, "Trust me, tomorrow, you'll be glad you have them."
Ari drives me from the safe house to Lorenzo's. He doesn't say much. We've already said enough.
"I don't want you going on missions like that without me again," he says. "I was a wreck the whole time."
"That's why you can't go with me. We care too much about each other." I look into my brother's eyes. I can see that he is upset, so I decide to change the subject. "I didn't get a chance to tell you, but I spoke to the dean of my school this morning. He confirmed that we are Kelley Bond's and Ares Von Allister's children."
"We've talked enough," he says, studying my face. "You need to get some rest. And maybe some counseling."
"I'll be fine, Ari."
"I know," he says, patting my hand.
By the time we get there, it's late. Chauncey is asleep, but Lorenzo is waiting up for me. I realize he's been worried sick, and I should have thought to call him to let him know that I was okay.
"You are hurt," is the first thing he says.
"Just a few bruises. I'll be fine."
He and my brother exchange a look.
"She was checked out by a doctor," Ari tells him. "He says she'll probably be sore tomorrow. We've had a long day. I think it's best if we all retire."
"Of course," Lorenzo says, ringing for the butler. "I'll have you taken to your room straightaway."
After Ari gives me a good-night kiss on the cheek, Lorenzo leads me into his bedroom where we both sit on the bed.
"Tell me what happened."
"If it's okay, can we talk about it tomorrow?" I close my eyes and sigh, not wanting to relive it all again.
He studies my face and then nods in understanding. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Physically, yes, but this mission was rough emotionally."
"Maybe some sweets would help," he says with a slightly forced grin. "Chauncey helped make brownies after school today."
"I didn't have any dinner," I admit.
"Why don't I run a bath for you and have something made for you to eat?"
"I think I'd rather lie in bed with you," I say pathetically.
He makes a quick call to the kitchen then pulls me into a hug and holds me for a really long time.
MISSION:COMPLETE
"Morning, darling," Lorenzo says, waking me up with kisses that flutter across the back of my shoulder.
"Mmm," I say, not really awake yet.
"If you are feeling up to it, I'd like to leave for Montrovia first thing this morning. I thought we could drop Chauncey off at school on the way."
"Need more sleep," I say, covering my head with a pillow. Even with Lorenzo's ultra-soft sheets and decadently fluffy pillow top mattress, my whole body hurts.
He slides the covers down to my waist. Normally, when I sleep in the same bed with him, I wear shorts and a tank top. I never wear anything too sexy because I don't want to tempt him. Although that's probably stupid on my part. I know he wants to sleep with me but, for now at least, he seems content with just having me close by. He's okay with the fact that we haven't gone beyond second base.
Which is really crazy when I think about it. He's twenty-three years old. He has a past. And I don't think any girl has ever made him wait.
I'm not doing it on purpose. It's not because of my religion. Not because I'm a virgin. It's certainly not because of my personal beliefs. At Blackwood, they ingrained in us that sex was just physical pleasure. That there shouldn't be any emotional connection.
With Lorenzo, I can't stop my feelings. I know that being intimate with him in that way would be my undoing. It's the only barrier I have left.
It's incredible to think of how much I have changed since I left Blackwood. I went from being ruled simply by instinct, fear, and primal rules of engagement to wanting things I never thought were in the cards for me.
I assumed my life would go a certain way. I would work against the bad guys until one of them killed me. I'd get my name on a wall somewhere that no one would ever see. And no one would cry over the fact that I was gone. I was completely expendable.
Now, I'm going against my training. I'm forming relationships, caring, trusting--and even loving.
Lorenzo's fingers float across my collarbone, and he kisses the back of my neck. "You can sleep on the jet."
"That's true. And I probably should. When we get to Montrovia, I have so much to do."
"You mean, we have so much to do. After what happened at the bank in Zurich, there's no way you're going alone."
"I was goi
ng to have Ari come with me," I say, rolling over to face him. When I land on my bruised rib, I take in a sharp breath as the pain hits me.
"You're hurting."
"I'll be okay. Nothing a few days of taking it easy won't fix."
"When you are feeling up to it, I will be accompanying you to the bank along with your brother. This takes priority over everything else. Not only do we need to find out what is in the lockbox, but we also need to get the list of places your passports were stamped with and cross-reference those with the photos from the locket. With everything you went through, I forgot to tell you, but Ari believes they have a viable DNA sample from Ares Von Allister. Don't have any idea where he got that from. Hopefully, they didn't have to dig the poor man up."
"They didn't. They found a sample on some earplugs in his shooting range. I didn't get a chance to ask you, but were you invited to join The Society? Ari and Daniel had interviews."
"I am a legacy, so I didn't have to go through the interview process. I've already been accepted as a member."
"Do you think The Society is sinister?"
He shakes his head and looks at me funny. "Why would you think that?"
"Because they don't let women in, which means they must be up to no good," I tease.
"My father was a member, as was his father before him, and his grandfather before him. Our family has been a part of it since the Renaissance. I can assure you, it is simply a networking club for the wealthy and powerful of the world."
"Malcolm Prescott told me the group likes to gently guide the world without resorting to politics. Isn't that sort of, I don't know, illegal maybe?"
"I believe any group that wants only peace for the world is good to be a part of. And it never hurts to know the right people if you do need help. At just the last meeting, we were discussing the world hunger crisis and how to solve it."
"Did you come up with a solution? Like maybe funneling some of the money spent on wars to feed the people?"
"We discussed more than that--ways to reduce the greenhouse effects, our effects on the environment, eating less meat, more environmentally friendly forms of energy, vaccines, contraception, and the general health of the world. The best thing about it is that there are people in the group who have the ability to make things happen, to bring about change for the betterment of all mankind."
