Page 31 of The Echelon (Spy Girl 7)
“I don’t think so,” Ares replies. “Obviously, I need to find a few new board members, but Charlie is doing a good job as CEO, and I’d like to have more free time.”
“And where will you live?” Aleksandr asks.
Ares just smiles.
“Montrovia?”
“Yes. Aristotle and Allie have been looking at properties to make this their home base. Apparently, my son is going to be doing some modeling.”
“How’s that possible?” Malcolm jokes. “He looks just like you.”
Ares laughs with his friends, but then his eye catches on a beautiful woman across the room.
“Do you mind?” he asks them.
They both chuckle and nod in agreement.
Ares stands up and smooths out his tuxedo jacket. With confident strides, he moves toward her.
She’s finishing up a conversation, and he waits patiently until she turns to him.
“Grace,” he says, taking her hand in his. “I was not able to offer you my condolences over the loss of Gio.”
“And I was never able to offer you condolences over your own death,” she says to him.
“You look radiant.”
“Did your daughter tell you of my treachery?”
Ares narrows his eyes and shakes his head. “What are you talking about?”
Grace smiles and turns to look at her new daughter-in-law with appreciation. It doesn’t hurt that it’s obvious she makes her son extremely happy.
“Do you feel old, Ares?” she asks.
“Just the opposite, Grace. I hope this doesn’t sound disrespectful, but I always got the feeling that being a princess and then queen was—”
“Too much?” she asks, finishing his sentence.
Ares nods.
“Many girls have that fairy tale in their heads. Marry the handsome prince and live happily ever after. My life, by my own hand, has not been a fairy tale.”
“No one’s is, Grace.”
“Your daughter though is going to take it all in stride in a way I never could. She has your confidence. Both your children do. And Aristotle, the first time I saw him, it was as if we were all in our twenties again.”
“And, now, we’re family,” Ares says. “I think you need to dance, Grace.” He holds out his hand, and she takes it. “But, first, we’re going back over there. With our old friends.” He nods toward Malcolm and Aleksandr, whose wives have joined them. “It’s time we both started living again.”
When he starts to walk that way, Grace pulls him back. He turns around to look at her and sees her eyes filling with tears.
“Did I upset you?”
“Just the opposite actually. I feel like, what you just said, it’s something Gio would have told me. Even though I don’t miss him coming home, smelling of cigars and scotch from your poker nights, I do miss him. And I’ve missed you, Ares. While your little group stayed friends, there just wasn’t the same closeness without you. But you should know that I wasn’t always a good wife. I made some big mistakes.”
“I think Gio would have disagreed with you,” Ares says. “As far as your mistakes go, it’s all water under the bridge now. Montrovia has a new lease on life. And so should you.” He gives her a smirk. “When’s the last time you had a shot of good tequila?”
Grace laughs. For the first time in years, she really, truly, wholeheartedly laughs.
“Why, I’d say it was probably about six years ago, on the royal yacht during race week. And, if I recall, Ares, you were pouring.”
“Mi amore,” Lorenzo whispers in my ear.
The music has slowed down. It’s still dance music; after all, we have a world-renowned DJ mixing for the after-party. But this song features a beautiful voice singing about love.
Lorenzo pulls me closer, whispering more romantic thoughts, but he stops mid-sentence and says, “My mother is doing shots.”
I follow his gaze to see a group of the parents—the queen, my father, Malcolm and his wife, Aleksandr and his wife, and even the Bessemers. There are bottles of top-shelf tequila on the table in front of them, and they are holding glasses into the air, toasting, and then slamming back shots.
I can’t help but giggle.
“Should we go break it up?” Lorenzo says seriously. “And is your father flirting with my mother?”
I take in Ares’s body language. “Flirting maybe. But look at his arm, how it’s tossed over her shoulders. That’s what Peter does to me.”
“Meaning they are friends?”
“They always were, right?” I ask.
“Yes, they were. Although I do not remember them doing shots. What if my mother gets drunk?”
“She has four bodyguards around her at all times, Lorenzo,” I say with a laugh. “And my father will take care of her.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” he says, looking slightly distressed.
I take his cheeks in my hands and move his head so that he faces me. “You have your hands full with me,” I say, using my sexiest voice. “Let your mom have some fun.”
His hands slide down my backside. “Is it time to start our honeymoon yet?”
I lean in and give him a kiss, deepening it.
“This is more than just a wedding reception, Lorenzo. For all of us.”
“A fresh start,” he agrees.
“If that’s what they want.”
“Is that not what you want, my sweet?”
“At one point in our story, I thought we were over,” I tell him.
“When you gave me back the necklace.”
“Yes. But, even then, I never stopped loving you. You’ve always been my dream that wouldn’t die.”
“I thought, being as you were so adamant about Lizzie and myself continuing our charade, that you would know. You were angry with me that I didn’t trust you, but in that moment, you didn’t trust me either.”
“I guess, if we are keeping track, that makes us even.”
“If we are keeping track, my darling, I am still fully in your debt. As is my country.”
“My love for you is what drove me not to give up. So, we are even.” I raise an eyebrow at him. “Unless it is your desire to repay me in our bedroom.”
Lorenzo gives me an easy grin. “I am amenable to that. Can we please go now?”
I look around the room. While the ceremony and reception were small by Montrovian standards, the after-party is all about those closest to us. There’s no press, no pictures allowed, just the celebration of friendship.
“I was told by Dr. Kate that I’m supposed to change into my going-away outfit,” I tell him. “And, as we make our getaway, there are going to be sparklers and fireworks.”
“Yes, I know. The fireworks will go off as planned, just before dawn, but I’d like to watch them with you from a different location.”
“Oh, the turret would be a wonderful—”
“We’re leaving on our honeymoon now,” Lorenzo says.
“How will we—”
He puts his fingers to my lips. “Come, my beautiful bride, and you will see.”
The small ballroom opens to a terrace that overlooks the harbor, and we manage to sneak out without notice. We stop for a moment to take in the view of the lights and then work our way through the grounds, back to the main wing of the palace, and then into the war room.
“Our honeymoon is going to be here, at the palace?” I ask him. “Dr. Kate led me to believe that she had packed clothing for a trip.”
“Our destination is a secret.”
“Did you forget that I was trained to extract the truth, using many different means?”
Lorenzo raises an eyebrow at me and smirks. “While I would very much like to discover those means, I’m afraid we don’t have time.”
“It’s officially the start of our honeymoon. We have time for whatever we want,” I say in a sultry voice.
“Oh, my darling,” Lorenzo says, seemingly having second thoughts. “Why don’t you wag the spotted dog’s tail, and once w
e get to our destination, you can show me these special skills?”
I do as he asked and wag the dog’s tail, causing the secret passageway to the docks to open.
“This all feels so clandestine,” I say, wondering about his plan.
“It most certainly is. And for good reason. The press will be actively trying to discover the details of our honeymoon. And I, personally, would like complete privacy.”
He squeezes my hand as he leads me into the tunnel.
But I stop, realizing something. “It’s fitting really,” I say, “that we are in this tunnel tonight.”
“It’s where we first consummated our love,” Lorenzo says, pushing me against the wall and following it with a steamy kiss.
