Devious Minds (29 page)

“Um... okay. Sure... I mean... since you insist. Wow... this is awesome!” I smiled with happiness. “Now I’d better make sure my husband comes.”

“Oui. And I’m sure you are exhausted. Also your bodyguard is waiting. We will talk of this again tomorrow.”

I let out my breath and nodded, hardly believing his offer. “Sounds good.”

We both stood, and Gabriel opened the door to his office, then followed me out. We found Ramos half asleep in the break room. After saying goodbye to Gabriel, I grabbed my dress from the bathroom and followed Ramos out to the car.

Instead of the Mercedes, Ramos showed me to the Jaguar, and my mouth dropped open in surprise. “How did you manage that?” I asked.

“What can I say? It must be my considerable charm and good looks. The women fall for it all the time.” He was joking, but I knew it probably happened more often than he let on. 

Ramos opened the door and pushed a button. To my delight, the roof began to retract. He took the dress from me and shoved it into the back compartment, then told me to get in. I happily complied and, finding a scarf in the front seat, used it to tie my hair back. It might be a little chilly for this, but I didn’t care one bit. This was just what I needed after listening to Cypher’s horrific thoughts for the last few hours.

After leaving police headquarters, Ramos pointed the car toward the Seine. The clock in the Jag said it was one-ten in the morning. “Is that right?” I asked him.

“Yes,” he answered. “It’s the perfect time to see The City of Light.” Ramos was thinking that this was his last night here with me, and he wanted to make the most of it.

“Saweet!” I threw my arms up to catch the breeze and blinked away the sentimental tears, determined to enjoy this moment and forget about everything else. “Joie de vivre!” I shouted, totally understanding exactly what it meant.

Paris at night felt magical, and dispelled the darkness of Cypher’s thoughts from my mind. The streets and monuments glowed with perfect light. We drove from the Arc de Triomphe, down the Champs-Élysées, and all the way to the Place de la Concorde.

The shining lights crowning the majestic Cathedral of Notre-Dame, and spanning across the bridges of the Seine, reflected in the water and passing boats. Each building held beauty and wonder, filling my soul with delight and joy. Once again, we ended at the Eiffel Tower, just in time to see the sparkling lights at two a.m.

Watching the lights, I glanced at Ramos and smiled. “We did a good thing today. Thanks for being here... for being with me.”

He took my hand and brought it to his lips for a kiss. “Yeah. It felt real good. I’m glad I came.” He was thinking that this was an adventure he would remember with fondness for a long time to come, and that maybe this good deed would help balance out some of the bad things he’d done in his life. Certainly all of the times he’d saved me should count for something. Maybe even one more kiss?

I chuckled and shook my head. He sent me a lopsided grin then put the car into gear, and we headed back to Suzette’s mansion. As we pulled into the garage, my shoulders slumped with exhaustion. What a day. Ramos took care to park the Jag just right, and made sure the roof was back up.

I grabbed the dress, and we headed to the house. Suzette opened the door, took one look at me, and sent me to my room. “You can tell me all about it tomorrow,” she said.

“Thanks, I definitely will,” I said.

Before heading up the stairs, I gave Ramos a big hug, breathing in his scent and holding him tight. After letting him go, I said goodnight to both of them and hurried up the stairs to my room.

Too tired to do much, I brushed my teeth while changing into my shot-up pajamas, then grabbed my phone before climbing into bed. I’d missed a couple of calls from Chris, so I eagerly checked my messages. With happy excitement, I heard him say he was on his way to Paris! His plane would be arriving at one p.m. Paris time tomorrow, and he had a big surprise for me.

I quickly called him back, but it went straight to voicemail. So I left a nice long message telling him how excited I was, and that I had a great surprise for him too. Then I added that he shouldn’t worry about a hotel or anything, because I had it covered and would tell him all about it when he got here.

Could this get any better? Because of Gabriel’s offer, it was like we had a key to the city, and I couldn’t wait to see Chris and tell him all about it.

As I turned out the light and got comfortable, the events of the day washed over me. Not only had I helped stop a couple of bombs from killing a lot of people, I’d also helped catch one of the worst terrorists in the world and retrieved information that would stop a whole lot more.

Still, as fulfilling as that was, I wasn’t sure I’d ever want to do it again.

***

I woke late the next morning, surprised to find it past ten-thirty. I jumped out of bed and took a quick shower, then dressed in the same jeans, but decided to put on a different shirt. The holes in this one weren’t too bad, and it was better than wearing the same shirt for three days in a row.

I headed downstairs and found Suzette and Blake both sitting at the kitchen table.

“You’re up,” I said to Blake, surprised to see him sitting at the table. “You must be feeling better.”

“Enough to get out of bed for a bit,” he answered. “Suzette told me you caught Cypher. That’s pretty amazing.”

“It is,” Suzette cut in. “But let’s let her get some breakfast while we talk.” She got me a plate, and I dished up some eggs and sausage with a buttery croissant and sat down beside them. She even poured me a cup of that hot chocolate I’d loved from the day before.

While I ate, we talked about everything that had happened the night before. I told them that Gabriel had gotten lots of good ‘intelligence’ from Cypher, so things were looking up. Then I explained that my husband was on his way and should be arriving at the airport at one p.m.

Suzette was thinking,
that explains it
, before she smiled and said she’d have Louis pick him up for me. I told her about Gabriel’s offer to stay in the hotel where special guests stayed, and she was quite impressed, but also not surprised. “You should get a medal too, but I suppose this will have to do.”

“Yeah. I’d rather stay anonymous... you know, because of my premonitions. So... I hope that you’ll both keep my involvement in all of this spy stuff to yourselves.”

“Sure,” Blake agreed, knowing he’d gone way past his deal with me. He hoped to make it up to me. There was also something he was quite pleased about, but I had no idea what it was.

Suzette nodded too, but was thinking that if anything like this ever happened again, she hoped I’d be willing to help.

That kind of dampened my mood, because she did have a point. This talent of mine had come in handy for this awful event, but did I really want to be involved in espionage like this? No. But what if there was something big going on, and she asked for my help, how could I turn her, or Gabriel, down?

“Where’s Ramos?” I asked, not wanting to think about it.

“He left earlier,” Suzette answered. “He didn’t want to wake you just to say goodbye. He also told me to tell you that he’d see you when you got home.”

“Oh... okay.” I was a little disappointed, but at the same time, relieved. It was probably because my husband was coming. A surge of guilt washed over me, but I pushed it away, knowing I’d be dead if Ramos hadn’t come. Besides, that kiss we’d shared wasn’t that big of a deal, right? Especially since I’d kissed Gabriel as well.

I picked up that Suzette was thinking about Ramos with fondness too. He’d taken her out on the bike this morning, and she was still basking in the glow. Now “that,” I totally understood.

“I’ll tell you what,” she said. “Why don’t you get your things packed, and I’ll call Gabriel and let him know your husband is coming. You can ride with Louis to the airport to pick him up, and then Louis can take you to the suite you’ll be staying in.”

“That sounds perfect,” I agreed. “Maybe we can go to dinner sometime while we’re here. I’d love for you to meet Chris.”

“I’d love that too,” she said. “Let’s do it.” She was curious about Chris, especially after seeing me with Ramos, and wondered if my husband was as hot as Ramos was.

That brought a smile to my lips, and I wanted to tell her that Chris was a total babe but decided to wait and hear her reaction once they met.

“Great! I’ll go get ready.”

***

I sat in the car at the airport, waiting for a glimpse of Chris. My heart picked up speed in anticipation of seeing him so soon. After all I’d been through, I couldn’t wait to feel his arms around me and hold him close. I also couldn’t wait to tell him about our accommodations and the sweet deal Gabriel had in store for us.

It occurred to me that I didn’t know how many days this trip would last, but that didn’t matter. Whatever time we had would be great. I sighed again, hoping he’d hurry up. He’d texted me when he landed, but I knew going through customs could take a while.

I sighed again and picked up that all my sighing was getting on Louis’ nerves. “I’m going to stand outside next to the car. Is that all right?”

“Oui, that is a good idea,” he agreed.

I got out and began to pace back and forth in front of the car, keeping my gaze on the doors where Chris was supposed to come out. I’d already asked Louis if this was the right place to wait, so I couldn’t ask him again, although... where was he?

Just then, I caught sight of him through the doors, and my heart skipped a beat. As he pushed the door open, I ran to his side and threw my arms around him with a little squeal. We held each other so tight I could hardly breathe, but I didn’t mind. Having him here was a dream come true.

After a welcome kiss, we pulled apart. “Honey, it’s so good to see you,” Chris said, examining my face like he was trying to memorize it all over again. “You look great.” He hugged me again, then pulled away. “Remember how I told you I had a surprise?” He was hoping I wouldn’t be disappointed, and my brows drew together with concern.

“Sure, what is it?”

“This.” He motioned toward the door, and Savannah and Josh bounded out.

My eyes filled with tears, and I gasped in total shock. As they ran toward me, I threw out my arms to gather them close. Hugging them like this, I hardly noticed the tears streaming down my cheeks. Chris joined us in a group hug. At that moment, I knew what heaven felt like.

“Wow, what a surprise,” I said with a sniff. We pulled apart, and I wiped the tears from my face. “This is the best! I’m so happy that you’re all here. How did you manage it?”

“Your friend, Blake,” Chris said. “He called me. It must have been right after he got shot. I think he said he was at his friend’s house by then.”

“You mean, before I even asked you to come?”

“Yeah,” Chris smiled. “We were working it all out. It was going to be a surprise, but since you asked, I had to act like I wasn’t sure I could make it. Anyway, with his help, we got the kids’ passports and our plane tickets all set up. I think Blake felt guilty for what he got you into and was trying to make it up to you.”

“What happened, Mom?” Josh asked. “Dad said you stopped some terrorists, is that right?” He was thinking that I was the coolest mom ever, and it melted my heart.

“Well... it’s classified, but I helped stop something real bad from happening... and guess what? Because of that, we get to stay in the executive suite of one of the ritziest hotels in Paris!”

“Really?” Savannah asked, hopping up and down with excitement.

“Yup! And we’re going to see the Eiffel Tower, and Notre-Dame, and a bunch of museums. Then we’re going shopping. I need some new clothes, and I promised you a new outfit for your birthday. Oh... and we can’t forget the perfume, or the chocolate! You won’t believe how great it is. There’s so much to do, and I can’t wait to show you!”

“Yes!” she said, throwing her arms around me for another hug. “Let’s go!”

I introduced everyone to Louis and he opened the car doors. While he put the luggage in the trunk, the kids climbed into the back seat. Chris knew one of us needed to sit in the front seat, but he didn’t want to let go of me yet.

“The executive suite?” he asked, thinking I must have done something pretty amazing to warrant that.

“Yeah. I had to forgo the medal to remain anonymous, but the trade-off was worth it, don’t you think?”

“Shelby.” He pulled me into his arms, knowing my story would probably scare him to death, but for now, he’d be grateful that I was still alive, and still his. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. I’m so glad you’re here.” My eyes filled with tears again, but I gave him a kiss and brushed them away. “Come on. I can’t wait to show you Paris.”

We got in the car, and my heart swelled with joy. The last few days had been some of the scariest of my life, but somehow, it had all worked out. Now with my family all together, things couldn’t be better, and I knew that whatever happened in the future, I would always be grateful for Paris.

Joie de vivre!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

As the author of the Shelby Nichols Adventure Series, Colleen is often asked if Shelby Nichols is her alter-ego. “Definitely,” she says. “Shelby is the epitome of everything I wish I dared to be.” Known for her laugh since she was a kid, Colleen has always tried to find the humor in every situation and continues to enjoy writing about Shelby’s adventures. “I love getting Shelby into trouble… I just don’t always know how to get her out of it!” Colleen lives in the Rocky Mountains with her family. Besides writing, she loves a good book, biking, hiking, and playing board and card games with family and friends. She loves to connect with readers and admits that fans of the series keep her writing.

Connect with Colleen

www.colleenhelme.com

www.shelbynicholsconsulting.com

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