Page 19 of Dagger’s Shield

“I can help with that,” Delfino offered. “What needs to be done?”

While the two conferred on his cover, I grabbed my mobile and called Doc to see about arranging transportation.

We left within the hour. Doc arranged a helicopter to take us to Montreal, where we would catch a commercial flight to Paris. I asked him to book it that way on purpose. I wanted us to arrive like any other couple coming home to meet the family, not like two operatives walking into an investigation.

I’d also arranged for two other things. First, a rental car. Second, a cottage in Beaune. It was half an hour from the estate and would give us a place to hold briefings with the team when necessary.

Dagger stowed our bags, handed me a headset, and took the seat beside me. From the air, the main camp was a strip of rooftops between the trees and the shoreline. Minutes later, the lake was behind us.

His voice came through the headset. “When does the engagement start?”

“Pardon?”

“Right now, we’re partners on our way to an airport. At some point, we become a couple. I’d like to know when—before I take your hand in a departure lounge and get slapped for it.”

He was right, and it irritated me that I hadn’t raised the question first. “Montreal. From the moment we check in, we are engaged. Airports have cameras, and I would rather we practice on strangers than on my family.”

“Montreal it is.” He settled into his seat. “Anything else I should know before I meet them?”

“A great deal. I’ll tell you on the plane.”

We’d been in the air for an hour when the crew dimmed the lights. The passengers near us slept. Dagger showed no interest in joining them, and neither did I.

“Tell me about home,” he said.

“I’m sure you know most of it from my dossier.”

“That lists facts. I’m meeting your family in a day. I’d rather hear about them from you.”

“Valais has been in my family for centuries. The chateau sits on a hill above the vineyards, and from my bedroom window, I could see the rows all the way to the village.”

“It sounds beautiful.”

“It is. Even in December, when there is nothing green in any direction, it is the most beautiful place I know.”

“And your parents?”

“You will love my mother. Everyone does. She is kind, and she is far funnier than she shows strangers.”

“You said you speak with her. How often?” he asked.

“Not enough. Each time we do, she asks when I will come home, and I—” My voice caught. “Work. There was always work.”

It was the answer I gave everyone, and most days, I believed it.

“And your father?” Dagger continued to press.

“You will find him charming—most people do.”

“I take it that means in a bad way.”

“Oui. The one you will like best is my cousin, Rémy. His father was my father’s younger brother. He died when Rémy was sixteen and I was fourteen. His mother died when he was a child. When his father passed, Rémy came to live with us at Valais.”

“Permanently?”

“Except for university, yes. He studied wine estate management, then he returned to run the commercial side of the domaine. When my father dies, Rémy will control all of it.”

“And the estate itself?”