Page 91 of Blue Moon

Huh?

“What are you talking about?”

“We understand now that we invaded your privacy.” There were murmurs of agreement from the men with him. Why did one of them have a black eye? “Please accept our apologies, and it won’t happen again.”

“You’ve been invading my privacy for years, not weeks.”

“And we deeply regret that, ma’am.”

Ma’am? Had I fallen into a parallel universe? He offered the flowers again, and I shook my head.

“Keep them.”

I scooted around the group and hurried to the car with Ryder striding ahead to open the rear door. This whole day was freaking weird. I glanced behind me in case I’d imagined the entire conversation, but Danny Wells was watching me in silence, no camera in sight.

“What the heck was that about?” I asked as Ryder pulled into traffic. “Did he really just apologise?”

“I guess that answers the question of whether Romeo Serafini still has connections in low places.”

“What? You think Romeo did that?”

“Do you have a better explanation?”

No. No, I didn’t.

And I wasn’t sure whether that left me thrilled or terrified.

25

RYDER

“Istill don’t like this,” Ryder muttered as Luna stepped into the elevator that would take them to Frank Serafini’s second-floor office. Wednesday morning, and apart from one tenacious asshole who’d posed as a member of staff to sneak into the Nile Palace, gotten spotted by a member of the security team, and been slung out, the reporters had been missing in action for a week. In a way, it was unnerving. And if Mark Antony had been among the group who habitually followed Luna everywhere, he’d gone underground now.

“Isn’t that my line?” she asked.

“I don’t like leaving you here.”

“I won’t be alone. Romeo and Alessia promised to keep me company.”

“Exactly.”

Luna glanced up at the surveillance camera in the corner—she was learning—then took a step closer and squeezed his hand.

“If I have to trust you with a Georgian hussy, then you have to trust me with my boss.”

The cold horror when Luna had walked in on him looking at a photo of Elene in the buff had been eclipsed by the warmth of a strengthened relationship. Fuck, Ryder had barely even clicked on the attachment before he heard Luna behind him. That was as close to a heart attack as he’d ever come.

And she made a fair point about Elene, unfortunately.

“It’s your boss’s son I’m worried about.”

“Don’t be. There’s only one man I dream of growing old with.”

Ryder knew he had to trust her. He did trust her.

“And who’s that?”

“You, idiot.” Luna stood on tiptoe and twined her arms around his neck. “Someone needs to bring my Metamucil when I’m too frail to walk to the kitchen.”

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