That just pissed Carlos off, which didn't improve his tone when he told Gabrielle, "Let's go."
She made another huffy noise that he translated as she'd go but that he hadn't heard the end of her complaints. He nudged her toward baggage claim again.
Carlos kept stealing glances, trying to decide what was different about Gabrielle beyond her clothes, hair pinned up in a sexy twist, and the light makeup that brought out her crystal eyes.
Male heads turned, but she didn't appear to notice.
Carlos put on his aviator sunshades and scanned constantly, not really expecting a threat here, but always prepared. When she shifted toward the corral of limo drivers, he stepped ahead of her, blocking Gabrielle from a short man dressed in a tailored black suit that reeked of money.
The little man held a white card with ascension below a gold crest with a flying falcon.
Gabrielle stepped up next to Carlos.
The driver said, "Mademoiselle S?"
"Oui, but I prefer English since my companion does not speak French fluently." Her terse tone indicated any other action would be unacceptable.
Carlos considered giving this guy a shorter nose when the driver sniffed in disdain at his not speaking the local language.
"As you wish, Mademoiselle S, and I will call ahead to inform the office of your request." The driver took over the luggage except for Gabrielle's computer bag, which Carlos kept.
He leaned close to her so the driver wouldn't hear. "You just keep impressing me."
The smile she tried to smother spread her full lips wide. The dimples winked again. She was the vision of a young, carefree, sophisticated woman in that moment, taking Carlos's breath.
A woman who might have more secrets than him.
Dangerous combination.
Carlos and Gabrielle loaded into a black stretch limo and rode silently as the car left the airport. He rarely saw cities from this vantage point. Normally he came in under the cover of darkness and left just as silently.
Carlos had expected his cell phone to ding with incoming text messages, but when he checked, he had no signal. "Is there no cellular service here?"
"Yes, but the service has been affected this week by major repairs being made to aging towers. It will normally return quickly...within an hour."
When the driver headed due east instead of turning north, Gabrielle questioned his route.
"There is a detour for a repair being done on the direct route that would detain us longer than taking the road through la cite," the driver explained, using a local term for "the city."
A tiny gasp escaped Gabrielle and Carlos smiled at her excitement.
"The castle was built in the 1100s," she told him, quietly explaining how there had been a bloody crusade here at one time. The driver kept to the paved highway to Carcassonne and turned north, driving them past one side of the castle. Visitors walked dusty roads up to the walled fortress and towers that seemed to float above the ground in the hazy morning.
"Sixty towers and barbicans," she continued, playing his personal tour guide.
Carlos had to admit the sight of such a well-preserved medieval city with miles of walls was an incredible vision, and he'd have asked what a barbican was if not for enjoying her voice too much to interrupt. The castle took on a magical quality when she described it.
"When the apples fall and rot on the ground, it can smell like cider," she went on.
"Mmm." But Carlos was inhaling the delicate perfume she must have put on in the airport. And his sightseeing had narrowed to observing the graceful shape of her slender neck. So inviting and so damn kissable. He should have been looking at the cobbled streets and landscape, but nothing beyond the window held his attention like the woman next to him.
"This castle was supposedly the inspiration for the movie Sleeping Beauty and I think they used it in Robin Hood," she finished breathlessly as they exited Carcassonne and drove along roads snaking through an expanse of flatlands and vineyards. She sat back against the seat and added, "As grand as that is, the Ecole d'Ascension castle is magnificent."
"Looking forward to seeing it again?" He wanted to run his finger along her neck, to feel the smooth skin.
To touch so much more.
"Oui," she whispered, then met his gaze. Her eyes flared for an instant. Just enough to let him know she'd picked up on his thoughts.
He silently cursed himself for letting her see that when he had more to think about than how much he wanted her. Carlos let a blank mask drop over his face. She blinked as if she'd been confused, then shrugged.
The driver cruised northeast for the next forty minutes. Gabrielle returned to pointing out everything from flowering hedge roses to two-hundred-year-old plane trees along the narrow highway they traveled that had no shoulders. Poplar trees cut across rolling hills carpeted with vineyards before they turned down a dusty road that could use some of the rain threatening.
Even the gloomy weather couldn't dampen her spirits.
When the castle housing the school came into view, Gabrielle sat up. "It rises from the mist like something in a storybook."
"Yep, just like a fairy tale," Carlos muttered, seeing it differently. More like a logistic nightmare for Korbin and Rae, who wouldn't be able to get close. Formidable stone walls wrapped a fortress that probably covered twenty-five acres. Low-hanging clouds hovered above the castle. Not a tree grew on the land immediately surrounding the compound. Great defense strategy from back when they cleared the surrounding area so guards could see an enemy approaching.
The Ecole d'Ascension had the distinct privilege of being one of the only private grand schools of France where heads of state and royalty had studied. The other schools were government-owned and just as exclusive.
"I used to have picnics over there when the school allowed us outside the walls with security." She pointed at where a string of trees ran alongside a stream half a kilometer away. The closest cover. "The gardens inside are wonderful, but I always wanted a fountain. I wanted a place inside with running water where I could just walk out to the courtyard anytime without security hovering."
Carlos ignored the scenery when he noticed the tremble in her fingers.
The driver was speaking into his cell phone so Carlos leaned over and whispered close to her cheek. "What are you worried about?"
She nibbled on her bottom lip, then turned her face to him and said, "I know it's silly, but I spent most of the years here terrified of being sent to LaCrosse's office, and now I'm going to face the man I worked so hard to avoid as a student." She smiled sheepishly. "He's brilliant and dedicated to the school. I make him sound like an ogre, but it was probably more his size and position that had scared us as children."
Carlos moved his hand to cover hers.
She glanced at her hand, then at him.
"It'll be okay," he whispered. "I won't leave your side."
She smiled and nodded. "I can do this."
There was the strength he'd glimpsed in her. He hoped it would be enough to keep them from being caught.
Inside the castle walls Carlos saw what Gabrielle had been trying to tell him. The gardens within view were so perfectly sculpted he wondered if the gardeners were engineers as well as artists. When the limo driver parked, Carlos stepped out and circled the car on cobblestones to open Gabrielle's door before the driver could. He got another miffed sound for that.
Carlos offered a sinister smile at the little bastard, who shrank back with a frown.
At the top of stone steps was a pair of arched oak doors with heavy black hinges and a family crest with birds scrolled on the weathered surface. When the left door swung open, a fiftyish man with a dour face and thick lips too rosy for a guy appeared. His charcoal-gray suit was no more inviting than the stern set of his graying caterpillar eyebrows. He waited patiently while Gabrielle and Carlos climbed the steps.
"Welcome, Mademoiselle Saxe," he said to her, then turned to Carlos. "You must be her security." The slur came through in
his words.
Carlos said nothing since he was the only person accompanying Gabrielle and the statement was meant to lower him to the level of hired help. Did this bunch really think their snubbing would cut him? He wanted to laugh.
"Please follow me." Their guide inclined his head and walked away with them right behind.
The hall they entered had arched ceilings over twenty feet high that were painted in trompe l'oeil, basically a bunch of butt-naked baby angels pointing at each other. Their guide wound his way through more arched walkways with elaborately carved borders gold-leafed in what was likely real gold. The place could be a museum for all the intricate craftsmanship that had gone into every piece of structure and painted surface. Chandeliers so delicately designed they reminded him of lace glass hung in every open space.
They followed the guide up blue-gray marble steps of a sweeping staircase with gold-and-black rails of vines twisted around spear-shaped vertical braces. At the upper landing, which sprawled in a semicircle with halls off each side, plush handwoven rugs with scenes of ancient France covered the floors.
More impressive was the narrow cut Carlos had detected within the arched entrance to each area they had passed through. Had to be where this school hid their security-screening device since no one had asked him to empty his pockets or her purse.
He had no gun, but living on the streets alone as a teen had taught him how to find a weapon anywhere in any place.
A man in his late twenties with well-behaved short brown hair sat at a mahogany desk in the center of the area they'd reached. Priceless tapestries covered the walls on each side of him. He was facing a computer monitor until they neared, then he looked up and rose to his feet. He fixed a practiced smile on his clean-shaven face and dismissed their guide with a nod before he spoke.
"Mademoiselle Saxe. How nice to meet you. I'm Pierre Prudhomme." He smiled at her.
Gabrielle angled her head in polite acknowledgment. "Monsieur."
"One moment." Pierre lifted a phone receiver, spoke too softly to be heard, then hung up and ushered Gabrielle toward a door several steps away. After two taps, he opened the door and stepped back and faced her.
"Monsieur LaCrosse is expecting you and has been informed of your preference for English."
Gabrielle's posture stiffened, to the point Carlos began to wonder if she could handle the pressure sitting on her shoulders. When she entered, he stepped inside, then stood out of the way, playing the role of bodyguard with his feet apart and hands behind his back. He left the dark shades in place.
No point in spoiling their image of hired security.
LaCrosse stood behind a dark-mahogany desk with intricate inlaid designs and birds carved into the corners. The piece had to be over two hundred years old and would dwarf a smaller man. But LaCrosse was close to six feet six and wore a tree-bark-brown suit that evened out the angles on his bony frame. Thinning hair cut in short layers matched his suit color. For all the blandness of his scholarly image, green eyes sharp as a cat's took in everything with precision.
Carlos could see how this man's size alone would terrify a young girl, but Gabrielle was now an adult.
Still, he regretted putting her in this spot.
"Mademoiselle Saxe, how nice to see you again." LaCrosse stepped forward, took her hand, and pecked a polite kiss on the back of her fingers before releasing her. "I trust you traveled well?"
"Yes, merci."
The hesitance in her submissive tone worried Carlos. If she failed this first test, they were screwed.
"Please, have a seat," LaCrosse said to her. "I appreciate your coming to help us with this problem. I understand you've lived somewhat reclusively for a long time."
"I'm happy to help my school," she said with plenty of sincerity. "That's why I continue the IT chat boards for your students." She shrugged out of her coat, draping it over her lap when she sat.
"Yes, yes. We're quite grateful for your assistance." LaCrosse leaned back in a high-back leather chair. "Our IT department is eager to observe as you institute the new system."
Gabrielle sat silently for a moment, then said, "I'll instruct them after I've completed my work."
Carlos was glad for the dark shades or LaCrosse might have caught his surprise, too, at her curt tone.
"You only have four days," LaCrosse pointed out.
"I see no problem," Gabrielle answered with less edge.
"Surely, you'll need assistance while making the repairs and changes," LaCrosse countered congenially, but his annoyance at being rebuffed showed.
Having others nosing around would complicate things, but Carlos would figure out how to cover for her.
"If I do, I'll inform you of such." Another sharp reply from her that wiped the smile from LaCrosse's eyes.
Carlos cut his gaze at Gabrielle. If she rebuffed this guy a little too hard, they might get tossed out on their ears. What had happened to her fear of this man?
LaCrosse leaned forward, hands clasped together in front of him. "We prefer that everyone be escorted while visiting here."
In other words, he would not allow Gabrielle free run of the estate.
Silence piled into the space between them while LaCrosse waited on her to acknowledge his decree, clearly not pleased with her countermanding his rules.
Gabrielle lifted her head, eyes calm and unwavering. "I came in good faith, as an alumni who walked these halls for many years unescorted. I still remember how to traverse the compound without getting lost, so I appreciate the offer of a guide, but respectfully decline."
Carlos was torn between wanting to tell her "Atta girl" and wishing he was close enough to give her a warning nudge. Didn't she realize he could keep any escort distracted while she worked? She was obviously making a valiant effort to maneuver an optimum situation, but getting tossed off the property wouldn't aid their cause.
That's when the difference in her dawned on Carlos. It was as if the clothes she'd donned beneath her coat were her armor and gave her confidence that came with her position in life.
LaCrosse studied her a moment, deliberating on something, then offered her a smile that looked as though he had a mouthful of tacks. "As you wish." He stood. "Would you like to get settled in your quarters then take a look at the system?"
"Yes, that sounds fine." Her voice had returned to that of the demure woman who had entered. She stood as LaCrosse stepped around his desk.
When he reached her, she said, "I'd like to introduce my security companion-"
"That won't be necessary," LaCrosse cut her off. "We have exceptional security and you know our six-month review protocol for allowing anyone on this property. I'll have the driver drop your man in Carcassonne and pick him up in four days when he takes you to the airport."
FIFTEEN
GABRIELLE WAS NOT staying here alone.
Carlos had agreed to let her handle LaCrosse when she assured him she understood the man's personality, but it was time for him to step in. He opened his mouth to tell LaCrosse they would both stay in Carcassonne when Gabrielle pinned LaCrosse with a deadly glare.
"What?" She served that cutting reply with a dose of outrage. "I thought you were in a dire situation. That's why I dropped everything and came immediately. I do this for you and you insult me?"
LaCrosse's hard gaze didn't budge. "Mademoiselle Saxe-," he started in a clenched-jaw, you-must-understand tone.
"It's Mademoiselle Tynte Saxe." The razor edge she delivered that on was meant to cut a man off at the knees. "The Tynte family who have donated to this institution for almost two decades, building an entire wing for the IT department, re-creating the historic design of this structure right down to hand-cut stones. I've had two attempts on my life in the past ten years. I do not travel without personal security and took a risk just to make this trip. I assure you your background checks are nothing compared to my family's vetting process for my protection. Your security is much appreciated, but nothing will give me the comfort of being away from the sa
fety of my home except my bodyguard, Mr. Delgado, to whom I expect to have the same welcome extended if you want my help. If not, I can arrange for accommodations in Carcassonne for both of us and catch a flight home tomorrow."
Sweat beaded along the smooth skin on LaCrosse's forehead.
Damn. Carlos stared at Gabrielle through new eyes. She was terrified and he knew it, but she'd given that speech with all the passion of a queen tossing a gauntlet at the feet of her worst enemy.
"Mademoiselle Sax-Tynte Saxe, I beg your pardon. I meant no insult." LaCrosse swallowed hard, his Adam's apple convulsing. His pale skin turned a greenish cast.
A verbal kick in the nuts did that to a man.
"Oh, well." Gabrielle turned to Carlos, her voice firm. "To use your favorite line, let's go." She stepped toward the door and Carlos moved ahead of her to reach for the knob.
"Wait, please." LaCrosse cleared his throat. "Allow me to make a phone call." He reached over and dialed the phone with decisive punches to each key, but his hand trembled. When someone on the other end answered, he covered his mouth and whispered tersely, shaking his head as if the other person could see him, then sighing right before he hung up.
"We can accommodate Mr. Delgado as well." He'd agreed with polite grace, but he wasn't particularly happy. Someone had him by the short hairs and was braiding them.
Carlos waited for Gabrielle to make the next move. This was her show and she'd been running it like a pro. He couldn't find the words to describe the respect he had for her at the moment.
That was one gutsy female.
She sighed dramatically and turned to face LaCrosse. "If you're sure. I wouldn't want to insult you either."
"You're positive you can get us back running in four days?"
"Perhaps sooner if things go well, but four days are the most I'll need," she assured him.
Carlos moved to the side again, guard position stance.
LaCrosse strode to the door and opened it to his assistant. "Pierre, please show Mademoiselle Saxe and her security companion to their accommodations."
A moment of surprise flickered on Pierre's face before he stood, a polite mask slapped over his pale features. "Of course. Please follow me."
Gabrielle forced her breathing not to escalate, but her blood pressure was another matter as she walked behind Pierre. Her rapidly thumping heartbeat should be loud enough to echo against the stone-and-mortar walls of the hallway and betray her false confidence. She clutched the coat in her arms to keep her hands from shaking. That whole threat to leave had been a bluff, but Carlos would not stay without her and she couldn't ruin this chance to win her freedom.