The Camp (Chateau 2)

“A spy?”

He nodded. “There’re a lot of men out there who would kill to figure out how we are doing this. Our operation is unique, and if they knew where we operated and how this enterprise is run, they would take it from us and kill us all. Getting the product all the way from Colombia is impossible with all the new international regulations. We can pay off European governments, but not all governments. Taking these women is the only way it works because people assume they’re trafficked, and no one bats an eye over it.”

She shook her head, her eyes watering more.

Her reaction made me feel like shit. “There are two different worlds in this reality. There’s the one you know, and there’s this one. Trust me, I want to keep it separate. I want to deal with our own kind and never cross that barrier and involve innocent people. But Fender is right—it doesn’t work any other way.”

Two tears dripped down her cheeks. “There is always another way.”

There was nothing more I could say on the topic, so I didn’t. I just stood there and watched the emotions run through her, watched the inevitable pain drown her in sorrow.

She wiped her tears away then dug both hands into her hair as she took a breath, bringing herself back to calmness. She dropped her hands and her gaze, looking at the floor.

“I’m sorry.” The words came out of my lips on their own, like I had no control. It just happened…like all the other things just happened when she was next to me. She pulled out a side to me that I tried to forget, a weakness that I buried over and over, but it always rose from the depths.

She lifted her chin and looked at me again, her eyes taking in my gaze. “I know you are…”

When I walked downstairs, she wasn’t there.

Days had passed since our conversation, and she hadn’t tried to speak to me again. She spent her time in her room, never questioning my whereabouts as I came and went. It didn’t seem like she was angry at me…just disappointed.

Her bedroom door was open, so I stepped inside to see her sitting in the armchair that faced her window, looking at the Eiffel Tower over the tree line. A mug of coffee was beside her. She twirled her hair with her fingertips, unaware of my presence because she wasn’t paying attention.

I stared at her for a while, noticing the way the natural light highlighted her beautiful skin, her bright eyes. “Want to go for a walk?”

Her fingers stilled in her hair, and her eyes suddenly focused. She dropped her hand and turned in the chair to look at me. “Are you talking to me?”

I suppressed my grin as much as I could. “Come on.” I nodded to the door and stepped away.

She was already dressed in a dress and flats, so she stepped out a moment later, still in shock because she couldn’t believe this was real. “Where are we going?”

I shrugged. “You want to get a coffee and walk to the Eiffel Tower?”

Her eyes opened even wider. “Uh…fuck yes.”

This time, I did grin before I headed to the elevator.

“Why are you doing this?” She followed me.

“Do I need a reason?” The doors opened, and I stepped inside.

She joined me. “No…but I’d like one.”

The elevator carried us to the ground floor, and then we stepped outside.

I shrugged. “I don’t have any plans today.”

That seemed to be a good enough reason for her, so she stopped the interrogation. She moved to the gate and looked at the pond through the iron bars, like she wanted to climb over to reach it.

I unlocked it, and then we walked together down the path.

Whenever she was outside in the city, she was a different person. Her shoulders were relaxed, her eyes were open and vulnerable, and she touched everything, like the wall, the petals of a rose, anything.

A couple passed us on the sidewalk, holding hands.

She smiled and waved. “Hi.”

They flinched at her greeting then kept walking.

“What are you are doing?” I asked, my eyebrows furrowed.

“It’s just so nice to see regular people, to know that this world is still here.” When we left the park and headed to the area where the shops and cafes were, she glanced over her shoulder once more. “I’ve never been over there before. It’s so beautiful. I feel like I’m back in time hundreds of years…”

I walked beside her, my hands in my pockets, seeing the way men looked at her as they passed. Miranda had picked out all the clothes and seemed to know what would look nice without actually seeing her. Today, she was in a lavender dress, tight around her waist with a slight flare. Her eyes were on everything, oblivious to the men who glanced at her as they passed. If she was plotting her escape, it didn’t seem like it.