Page 34 of The Dauntless (Spy Girl 5)
“That’s crazy, Lorenzo. You could lose it. That ring should be in the vault!”
He slips the ring from Daniel off my finger, sets it on the coffee table, and replaces it with the Arcadian ring.
A ring never looked so perfect on anyone’s finger in all of history. And I know without a doubt that it was meant to be mine.
But …
“I still love you,” he says abruptly.
“I still love you,” I reply.
“That settles it.”
“Settles what?”
He doesn’t reply, just picks me up off the sofa and carries me into his bedroom.
MISSION:DAY THIRTEEN
“You’re the only real thing I have in my life,” I tell Lorenzo when he wakes me up by kissing my neck before the sun is up.
His kisses start out light, loving, and playful but quickly turn more serious—like they did last night.
I suppose maybe I should feel guilty, but I don’t. My marriage to him, whether legal or not, should trump his arranged engagement. And it helps, knowing that Lizzie isn’t in love with him.
Lorenzo has ignited a passion in me that can’t be described, and in tender moments like these, I don’t care at all about the rest of the world. I only care about us.
Lorenzo is more. He brings more joy and beauty to my life. More love. More happiness.
But with that, sadly, seems to come more trouble, more danger, more pain, and more heartbreak.
“Last night, I considered hauling you back to Montrovia and forcing you to tell the world of our love,” he says sweetly.
“Lorenzo, I really don’t care what the world thinks.”
“Neither do I, and it’s why you are currently luxuriating in my arms and not on the plane.” He chuckles. “Thank you for staying with me last night. Just holding you in my arms makes me feel like anything is possible, that we’ll somehow get through this.”
“Like the bombing in Berlin,” I say.
“I’m not following.”
“How did Dupree know you and I would survive the culling? It’s your phones. The Society won’t kill off their own, so if you get a message regarding a situation in Montrovia, we’ll know it’s starting.”
“That means, we won’t be able to stop it,” Lorenzo counters.
He’s running his tongue across my collarbone, which makes it difficult to think straight.
“But maybe that’s another way to look at it. It’s one thing to randomly kill a bunch of people, but if you’re going to go to all this trouble to create the perfect world, you wouldn’t want to be left with random survivors. You’d want your family and friends with you.”
“That means, whatever they cause to happen, Society members have to be able to survive it,” he adds, working his way up my neck.
“And since they preach retreating to your vaults, maybe that can help us work backward to figure out their plan.”
He runs his hand across my forehead and sighs. “Maybe we’d have less problems in the world if we just let it happen.”
“Lorenzo, nearly all of your country could be wiped out!”
“Yeah, and we’re not that big to begin with,” he says with a laugh. “I’m sorry. That was horrible of me to even think. Sometimes, I just want to be selfish.”
“Me, too. If I could go back home with you, I would. Oh, and I owe you a bunch of money.”
“Whatever for?” he asks, rolling over and snuggling me into his chest.
“Well, I think my trial period on the jet is about over. I want it.”
He reaches over and grabs my clutch off the nightstand. He digs around inside and pulls out a twenty-pound note. “Done.”
“I’d say that’s not exactly fair to the Casino. Then, there’s the issue of the Montrovian villa. I think you purchased it from Ares’s estate somehow.”
“Are you saying I bought you something you’d already owned?”
“Technically, it would be jointly owned by my brother and me, but yes. You need a refund.”
“I’d buy you anything in the world.” He leans down, kissing my forehead.
“And I only want you.”
“Ah, the simple pleasures in life,” he says, slipping his hand under the covers. “Let’s rejoice in them.”
We’re woken later by the sound of knocking.
“Lorenzo! Lorenzo!” I hear Chauncey yell. “Cookie told me you’re here! Come have breakfast with me! Why is your door locked?”
His cute little knocks are replaced with louder bangs.
“Guess it’s time for us to get up.” He glances at the clock, noting it’s only seven as he gets out of bed and pulls on his robe. “I’ll go out there. You can come out when you’re ready for the board meeting.”
I hurry through my makeup routine and then consider what to do with my hair. I’m thankful it still looks good from last night. Just a simple brush through, a little balm, and a big barrette to hold back my long bangs, and I’m ready to get dressed.
I slip on the beautiful and professional-looking St. John tweed knit suit that Dr. Kate chose for me to wear today. It is perfectly appropriate and respectable, but when I put it on, it just doesn’t feel like me. I wander through the wardrobe I have here, my hand stopping on a simple red Valentino dress with a jewel neckline and bell sleeves.
It’s perfect. Simple and classic, but the sleeves give it a youthful flair.
I pair it with black peep-toe Louboutins with its signature red sole and an Olympia Le-Tan clutch, the front of it featuring the board space in the Monopoly game where you pass go and collect your salary. It’s kind of fitting since, most of my time spent as a Von Allister, I’ve felt like I’ve been playing with Monopoly money.
I sneak into the kitchen where Lorenzo and Chauncey are sitting at the breakfast bar, both of their backs to me, and I give them each a peck on the neck.
“Huntley!” Chauncey yells as he practically knocks over his chair to give me a hug. “I’ve missed you!”
“I’ve missed you, too.” Tears spring to my eyes for no apparent reason other than I love this kid, and I feel bad for having to leave him here.
“I have so much to tell you,” he says. “Do you want some Pamcakes?”
“Do you mean pancakes?”
“No, silly. I found out that Cookie’s real name is Pam. When she makes pancakes, we call them Pamcakes.” He holds his stomach as he breaks out in laughter, finding it hilarious.
That causes Lorenzo to start laughing, too. For a brief, fleeting moment, I can almost picture it—me with a family.
I shake off the thought.
“I’d love some,” I finally say. “Tell me about school.”
“We’re officially on summer break. Nanny spoke to Lorenzo about maybe taking me to Disneyland in Paris. Doesn’t that sound like so much fun? I’ve never been there before! And all my school chums are going on holiday with their families.”
“He was also invited to go with one of his friends to the French Riviera.” He turns to the boy. “Chauncey, I told you I needed to discuss it with Huntley before you got too excited.”
“I know!” he says, flinging his fork into the air, causing syrup to fly. “That’s why we’re talking about it now! What do you think, Huntley? Can I go? Please? I promise I’ll be good.”
“I know you will be, but we need to check the calendar.”
“Oh! I have the dates written down,” he says, flying out of the kitchen and up the stairs to his room.
“I want him reunited with his father at the Von Allister home in the District of Columbia during the Olympics.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want them anywhere near whatever is going to happen in Montrovia.”
Chauncey comes racing back into the room and thrusts a piece of paper in my direction. “Can I go?”
“I’m afraid not,” I say after reading the dates. “But you do get to go somewhere.”
“Where?”
“I think you and Nanny should go to D
isney World in Florida! It’s way bigger than the one in Paris. And they have Universal Studios where you can meet all the superheroes.”
His little eyes get big. “Really? I can meet them? Like, in real life?”
“Yes.”
“I’m in!” he yells happily. “Can I go to the beach, too?”
“You can for a few days, and then you will be going to Washington DC. It’s where the American president lives and where my house is. I thought it would be fun for you to stay there. It has a huge yard with its own pool, an indoor basketball court, bowling, and your very own private movie theater.”
“Whoa!” he says. “My very own movie theater?”
