Page 18 of The Phoenix (Spy Girl 6)
“It’s a stunning mansion in the seventh arrondissement with a garden overlooking the Champ de Mars.”
“Yeah, but can I see the Eiffel Tower?” I tease.
“Panoramic views actually.”
“Um, speaking of your properties, I have something I need to tell you.”
“Does it have to do with the three people staying at my DC estate?”
“Yes. Did they arrive safely?” I ask.
“They did. Who are they?”
“I don’t want to disappoint you, and I fear that you will be angry with me. I lied to you about one of my missions. Of course, I didn’t know it was you I was lying to when I lied. Like, if that helps any.”
Ares sucks in his breath, his brilliant mind having already figured it out. “Are you telling me that man is The Priest?”
“Yes. The boy is his son, Chauncey,” I confirm. “And the woman is the nanny.”
“Why didn’t you kill him? He shot your mother in front of you!” Ares yells through the phone.
“The scene was set exactly as I had imagined. I was prepared to seek my revenge. I had him down on his knees in his living room, and I told him who I was. He sincerely apologized, but I knew even before then, if I hadn’t already pulled the trigger, I wasn’t going to.
“Then, things flipped on me. His scared young son was behind me with a gun in his hand. I would have died before I allowed his child to see what I had seen.”
“They say revenge doesn’t change anything,” Ares says somberly.
“It certainly wouldn’t have in this case. The Priest was a hired gun. If not him, someone else would have taken the hit. The end result would have been the same. Mom would have been dead.”
“I can see your reasoning on that, but—”
“We heard the sound of helicopters getting closer. The Priest asked me to take his son and keep him safe. After I told you that he was dead, I called Intrepid for help. He drove us to Zurich. Chauncey had a key to a safety deposit box there, just like I did. When we accessed our vaults, a team of mercenaries arrived. We managed to escape due to some safe passage deal Mom had bought. It was quite the adventure,” I say. “Intrepid smuggled us into London and got an MI5 agent set up as the boy’s nanny. Lorenzo allowed them to stay at his house there, and the boy started school. We weren’t sure if his father had survived the blast or not until we read of John Hillford’s death. Hillford had ordered the hit on Mom, double-crossed The Priest, and caused his wife’s death. The Priest killed Hillford in retribution for all of us.”
“I see,” Ares says in a slightly irritated tone.
“The Priest and I aren’t all that different, Dad,” I say. “We’ve killed people because we were told to.”
“You just called me Dad,” Ares says softly.
“Are you disappointed in me?” I ask, tears filling my eyes.
“Quite the opposite, sweetheart. Your character impresses me more with each day I know you. I understand why you wouldn’t want his son to witness what you had.”
“Thank you. Any news on the general?”
“Not yet. Enjoy your dinner. And good night.”
I eat my food, drink my champagne, and fall into bed, exhausted.
MISSION:DAY FIVE
I’m woken up at the crack of dawn by Ari.
“We need to talk about my wedding,” he says, plopping down on my bed.
“Do you really think now’s the—”
“Absolutely. What better time, if we don’t have much time left?” he replies, shutting me up. “Can you please be excited for us?”
“I am thrilled for you. It’s just that the Olympians arrive today. The opening ceremonies take place in less than seventy-two hours. It’s going to start, Ari, and I’m scared.”
“You? Scared? Of what?”
“That I won’t be able to stop it.”
“I told you that we’d do it together.”
“How are we going to do that when you’re off on your honeymoon?”
“We will be honeymooning in Montrovia, here at the villa, until the Olympics are over. I’m not just going to abandon you and our mission. And, if Lorenzo, the king of Montrovia, can manage to come to the wedding, surely, you can. Allie said you still haven’t given her an answer as to if you’ll be her maid of honor. She’s freaking out a little. The wedding is tomorrow.”
I pick up my phone and call Allie, feeling bad. I am excited for them. It’s just—no. He’s right. Who knows what this week might bring? Might as well live it up while we can.
When Allie answers, I say, “I hear the wedding of the century is coming up soon, and your maid of honor has yet to RSVP.”
She giggles, and I can picture her sitting there, blushing. “Oh my gosh! Do you really think it will be the wedding of the century? I mean, it might be. My agent heard about it and contacted Vogue. And guess what. They are coming to my wedding!”
“Allie! That’s incredible.”
“It will be more incredible if you are there,” she says seriously.
“I wouldn’t miss it for anything. As a matter of fact,” I say, just realizing I have one maid-of-honor duty that I’ve totally failed on, “I’m flying there around lunch. You need a proper hen party.”
“My friends and family are arriving today. We planned to just go to dinner, but that sounds like more fun,” she says. “Is Ari celebrating tonight?”
I hit Mute on the phone. “You having a stag party?”
“Yep,” he says with a grin. “Lorenzo said he’s taking care of everything.”
I go back to Allie. “He is. Tonight.”
“Oh, this is so exciting. I can’t believe we’re getting married tomorrow!”
“Me either,” I say. “I’ll see you soon!”
I hang up, realizing I now have to plan a party in a few hours and travel to—
“Where is the wedding?” I ask Ari, realizing I don’t even know.
“France. Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. We have hotel suites booked, and the wedding will take place on the grounds of a historic villa.”
“How did you get it all set up so fast?”
“One of the perks of being the son of a billionaire, I guess,” Ari states. “Dr. Kate hooked us up with this celebrity wedding planner. I guess she’s done a lot of over-the-top events, and for an exorbitant amount, she was willing to plan our dream wedding. She’s been in France pretty much since we hired her, prepping everything.”
“Do you have her number? Maybe she can help me with this hen party I’m supposed to throw today that I have yet to make a single arrangement for.”
Ari chuckles. “Actually, Dr. Kate is expecting your call.”
“You knew you’d talk me into it, huh?”
“I hoped. Huntley, have you ever done anything spontaneous in your life?”
“Yes, of course.”
“I never have until recently,” he says. “I was raised to follow rules. To set goals for my life and achieve them. The path of my life was planned in advance for me to reach maximum potential. The first spontaneous thing I did was jump on the motorcycle to rescue you. I know my injuries weren’t serious, but as I was crashing, for a brief moment, I thought I might die. And all I could think was that I’d have one regret—not telling Allie how I felt about her. As I did, the second spontaneous thing tumbled out of my mouth when I asked her to marry me. I didn’t even have a ring! But I do know that, if the world as we know it is going to end, I want to be by her side when it does.”
“That’s really sweet,” I reply, shooing him out of my room and calling Dr. Kate.
She answers with, “A hen party, huh? I have to say, this is not something I thought I would be planning as part of my job. But I’ve already been in contact with the hotel and the wedding planner.” She tells me the schedule for tonight.
“That sounds like a really nice evening. Thank you for planning it, Kate.”
“You’re welcome. I took the initiative to have the villa’s staff pack for you. Just get ready and get on the plane.”
“Will you be there? At the wedding?”
“Of course. It’s part of my mission,” she says before ending the call.
Daniel barges in my room like he owns the place while I’m getting ready. “I’m heading over to the Olympic Village,” he says. “Today is check-in and our first on-site practices. Do you want to come help me get settled?”
“Why don’t you sit down?” I reply instead. I need to inform him of a few things.
“What’s wrong?”
“I know your plan. You and Lizzie are not allowed to hook up at the Olympic Village. People would talk like crazy if she were there.” He starts to say something, but I hold up my hand. “No arguments on this, Daniel,” I say, flashing the engagement ring he gave me in his direction. “You owe me. But, because I’m a nice person, I will arrange for you to meet Lizzie here in private. But only here. Nothing in public. If anyone asks where you are going, you can answer honestly. That you are going to visit me.”
“There’s no need for that,” Daniel counters. “Lizzie is going to announce today that she’s ending their engagement.”
I shake my head. “No, she’s not, Daniel.”
“But she—”
“You know things are complicated in Montrovia. You need to focus on winning, and she needs to continue the charade until the Olympics are over. We have it all worked out. She will leave the castle via a secret tunnel. Ellis will pick her up in a car with deeply tinted windows, and she will not get out of that car until she’s in the garage, and the door is shut. If you text her, please change her name in your phone to something people will think is me.”
He gives me a defiant look. I imagine he was impossible to deal with as a child. Adorable and determined.
