Power and Possession(78)
“Where are you going to be?” Rafe hadn’t changed from his shorts and T-shirt and hadn’t bothered to put on shoes. “Just asking.” She waggled her finger at his attire. “Dressed like that.”
He grinned. “I’ll fit right in with my tech crew. If their mothers or wives don’t dress them, they’re in trouble. I’ll have to stay there until Ganz is satisfied everything’s secure. Thanks, Simon.” As the door was shut behind him, he turned to Nicole. “It might be hours, maybe days.” He didn’t say the longest DDoS attack Ganz had seen was twenty-eight days. “You’d be more comfortable at my flat. But your call.” He smiled. “I wouldn’t presume to tell you what to do.”
She slid back in the corner of the seat and blew him a kiss. “Smart fellow. I’ll think about it. How far is your flat from the tech center?”
“It’s close. A few blocks. They’re both in Old Town.”
“I could walk back then if I get tired of hanging around.”
“I’ll have Simon bring you back.”
There was something guarded in his voice. “You don’t want me to walk?”
He paused a fraction of a second, debating how to answer, how much or how little to tell her. He finally just said, “I’d rather you didn’t.”
“Is it dangerous? My uncle travels with security. I’m aware of the hazards of wealth.”
“It’s not just wealth. The country attacking our systems specializes in theft of technology, proprietary information, not to mention other less benign areas of attack.” Like assassinating Ganz’s father. “They’re dangerous. If you want to walk, we’ll find you somewhere else to walk.”
“With security.”
He nodded. “They’ll stay out of sight if you prefer.”
She took a deep breath; she didn’t know the full extent of Dominic’s security but apparently Rafe’s was more than just Simon and the club bouncers. “How much security do you have?”
“A lot,” he said, hoping she wouldn’t ask for specifics, because he’d have to lie. “Especially now with Ganz here.” Rafe’s eyebrows arched upward briefly. “He has powerful enemies. I’m sorry this is all unfolding now. I should probably send you home”—he sighed—“but selfishly, I’d rather not. If you’d like to leave though, I’ll see that you get back to Monaco, home, to Ibiza, wherever you like. I don’t want you to stay if you’re frightened.” He had the resources, organization, and manpower to protect Nicole. She wouldn’t come to harm, but he didn’t want her living in fear while she was with him.
“You travel in armored cars for more than just these hackers, right?”
Rafe glanced out the window at the passing cityscape, a French-speaking, international city, the most expensive city in an expensive country, his home. “My father was the world’s biggest asshole,” he said mildly, as though speaking with a cool reasonableness could erase the abomination that was the man. With a shrug of dismissal, he turned back to Nicole. “I’ve inherited a number of his enemies. People who get fucked over hold grudges—no surprise. I ignore them as much as I can, but…” His voice trailed off. “Christ. I really should send you home.”
“Relax. I’m not going anywhere. You have security. What can go wrong?”
He laughed. “About a thousand things. But I’ll take care of you. I can do that. Thanks for staying. I would have found it hard to let you go.”
“Speaking of hard…” She grinned.
Rafe shook his head, a small, almost infinitesimal, movement. “Can’t. I need a one-track mind until Ganz has everything under control. And with you lounging in my backseat looking like my favorite wet dream it’s not going to be easy, so don’t give me any shit.”
She put up her hands. “Got it. No more teasing. I’ll stay out of your way. I’ll be fine. I’ll read or something. ”
Rafe softly exhaled, surprised that it mattered so much that she was content, satisfied, staying. “I have a pretty decent library at my flat. You should be able to find something you like there.”
“Then I’ll just grab a couple books, put on some slacks, and come with you. If you don’t mind.”
“Not at all. Have you thought about going to school in Europe? Or here? Geneva has several English-speaking universities.” What the fuck? Where did that even come from? His adrenaline spiked into the stratosphere.
“I wish I could, but I can’t.” Nicole smiled because the pulse in his temple was beating wildly. “You’re safe.”