And then I wrote to Jean-Pierre. I thanked him for giving me amazing memories and showing me love.
And then, I wrote to the Devil too.
You should’ve killed me. Not lock me in here. If I die, I’ll haunt you. I’ll haunt everyone you love!
In the darkness, I knew that now, there was two Eden’s—an old and a new. The old Eden went into the darkness. The new Eden would rise out of it.
One day, I’m going to kill you, Devil. One day, I’m going to finish what Jean-Pierre started. One day, I’m going to kill them all.
Chapter 16
The Lion and The Butcher
Jean-Pierre
A gloomy blackness painted the sky. The sun would rise in a few hours. I hadn’t slept and would not sleep, until Eden returned.
And no one else will sleep either.
I stood in front of The Satin Butterfly—a posh boutique hotel and one of the most expensive in the city.
A nice place for a lion to rest his royal head for the evening.
Nestled in a quiet location, the hotel was mid-way between Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré and Avenue Montaigne. And it was a short walk to Champs-Elysees, where the heart of Paris beat. That meant that, from Kazimir’s top balcony suite, he could see the Grand Palais and the Eiffel Tower.
But to think of it as a hotel at all, was to miss the point. It was an urban mansion. To be enjoyed by the uber wealthy who wanted to visit Paris with complete simplicity and discretion in mind.
My cousins and I had stayed here together many times, celebrating the high moments in our life.
How funny, that I would deal with you here, Lion? I know this place better than all of my homes.
Chandeliers bathed the suite’s vast spaces in light. The furniture reflected the reason for the price tag. Rare woods and muted rich fabrics. Marble fireplaces everywhere. More suites than rooms. And each suite had its own wine cellar stocked with the best. There was a library for the nerdy guests and a smoking lounge for the cigar aficionados. For the lovers, an inner courtyard with lush greenery echoing the landscaped entrance. A spa for the ones needing to relax all decked out and Parisian chic.
I hate that I will hurt you, Satan Butterfly, but there’s no other option.
The hours were ticking. I needed to act and not waste any time or energy. If I was going to hit, let it knock the whole barrier between Eden and me. If I was going to shoot, let it be the motherfucker giving the order, not just the smaller ones holding the guns.
Two Bratva men had been found at my house. They were the Lion’s, so he had better have answers this evening.
Seething, I stood across the street from the hotel.
Already, my men had disarmed Kazimir’s guards in the front and back of the building. They were just the low-level security—the men who were supposed to alarm the real killers upstairs. Those would be the hardest to get rid of.
Where the hell is Rafael?
I checked my watch. We had an hour before everyone woke up. For now, Paris was quiet. Only a few drove the streets, a few scattered taxi cabs and a delivery truck here and there.
A soothing, dark blue painted the sky, but I took no joy in it. The sun would rise soon. And I found no gratitude in that either.
This would be the first dawn without Eden waking up next to me. I’d gotten accustomed to the time—her bright gaze as the sun rose, the music in her laughter, as I groaned and grumbled about wanting to sleep in, the scent of her body against my skin, the softness and warmth of her.
The sky blazed as I stood outside. I still hadn’t slept or eaten. I couldn’t, not with Eden off with the Devil. I wouldn’t rest or eat, until she was safe with me.
A cold hardness throbbed in my chest. And my heart ached. And my mind held no hope. But I tried to hold on to it anyway. I could barely feel Eden. It made me anxious and erratic. Lost and scared.
I never thought that when I got her, I wouldn’t be able to protect her. I never knew a moment like this would come. I thought I’d had all the bases covered.
My gun lay heavy against my side, but there was no comfort in knowing it was there. I’d pulled strings that other men couldn’t. I’d woken up the President, called for the military, declared a state of emergency in France, locking down all modes of transportation in and out of the country. Not even imports and exports could move on a legal or illegal level.
There will be no way out of this city, Devil. They’ll be no place on this earth where you’ll be able to hide for long.