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Four days had passed since she’d gone to him and asked him to make love to her. Since that day, they’d made love numerous times. When they weren’t tearing each other’s clothes off, they were talking and discussing the case as if there had been no betrayal. They didn’t talk about the giant elephant that followed them wherever they went. Just because they’d developed this intimacy didn’t mean all their troubles had disappeared. Someone was still trying to annihilate her entire family. And Gideon had taken it upon himself to drug and kidnap her. So no, things were in no way settled, but while they were here, in an unspoken agreement, they didn’t discuss what might happen with them once this was over.
Each day, either Serena or Ash called in with new intel. So far, nothing earth-shattering had been discovered. They had uncovered secrets about each of their suspects that might be surprising, embarrassing, or even amusing, but none that indicated evidence of being a traitor or a murderer.
Eve talked with her father every day, too. His investigators were of the same opinion. No one looked guilty. No new suspects had been identified. And no remains had been found with the wreckage of Nicolas’s plane.
Alex was already back at work. She had talked to him once to express her condolences over the loss of Chloe. Eve knew they had no longer loved each other, but she was sure Alex had still been fond of her.
The sadness in his voice had made her hurt for him. She’d told him she wished she could be there to console him, but he’d assured her she was exactly where she needed to be. Both Alex and their father agreed that the attacks contained some kind of personal element aimed at Eve, and until they’d apprehended Bennett again, it was best for her to stay away.
She didn’t argue. It would do no good. But it was coming to the point that she and Gideon would have to talk about leaving the safe house. They couldn’t stay here forever. If something didn’t give soon, they would need to make something happen themselves.
She had an idea, but she wasn’t ready to present it yet. No one, especially Gideon, was going to like it.
“Want to take a walk?”
Eve had been sitting in the chair that had become her favorite spot. Gideon had watched her endlessly, knowing that at some point she was going to explode if something didn’t happen soon. He couldn’t blame her. He had believed that these bastards would be identified by now. So far, nothing had been uncovered on their suspects other than a bunch of mediocre secrets, none of which would lead a person to commit the acts that had taken place.
“Yes.” She smiled and stood. “Let me get my shoes.”
Guilt tugged at him. He’d returned her shoes to her days ago, and she had silently accepted them as if he hadn’t been keeping them from her. He knew she hadn’t forgotten or forgiven him. This time together was a bubble. They were shielded by their isolation, but the moment something developed, that bubble would burst. What would remain of them afterward was anyone’s guess.
She came back wearing her shoes and a light jacket. The weather had been mild for this time of year, and other than a few foraging raccoons and the occasional bear in the distance, they hadn’t encountered any problems on their walks.
The cottage was surrounded by woods on all sides, except for about a couple hundred yards of flat land behind the structure for a helicopter. The cottage belonged to a former actor friend of Aubrey Starr, who was married to Liam Stryker. OZ had purchased it about a year ago, but Gideon and Eve were the first ones to use it as a safe house. In the midst of the French Alps, it was the perfect hiding place.
Eve came to him, raised up on her toes, and kissed him softly. It was hard to get used to her showing affection so freely. Yes, she’d occasionally hugged him or kissed him on the cheek, but those had been acts of friendship. This went well beyond friendship. He wasn’t complaining. It was exactly what he’d always wanted. But each time she offered those caresses, he reminded himself they were blips in time. This wouldn’t last forever.
As if the universe had heard him, the satphone buzzed. Gideon pulled it from the pocket of his jeans and clicked answer.
“Gideon,” Serena said, “is Eve there with you?”
“Yes,” Eve answered. “I’m here.”
“Okay…I think I’ve found something.”
He met Eve’s eyes, saw she was frowning, and knew why. Serena was one of the most confident of people when it came to research. She knew her stuff and rarely doubted her findings. The hesitancy in her tone told them she wasn’t one hundred percent on board with what she had uncovered.
“What’d you find?” Eve asked.
“It’s on your uncle. I found an offshore account in the Caymans. It’s a fairly intricate and sophisticated setup, but it leads directly back to Jacques.”
“My uncle is a wealthy man. Not only from the family, but he’s wealthy in his own right, with properties and businesses all over the world. Could it be a tax shelter of some sort?”
“Yes, I can see that he’s well off, and his investments are quite diverse. But this account is not only tremendously large, but there are also multiple streams of income coming in.”
“Okay. Why is that unusual?”
“Because five of those streams are coming from companies from the list Iris Gates gave us on the Wren Project.”
“Aw, hell,” Gideon growled. “That is damn fishy.”
“I can’t believe he’d be involved,” Eve said. “He has nothing to gain.”
“I thought he would be next in line for the throne if everyone in your family were gone,” Serena said.
“He’s never wanted to be king. There’s no reason to think he’s changed his mind now.”
“Why do you say that?” Gideon asked. “I’ve never heard anyone say he’s not interested in ruling the country.”
