Carly
Laying across his chest, I looked up at him as he laughed boisterously. Christian Moreno was truly a handsome man, with so much love inside him, it boggled my mind that no woman had captured his attention.
Snickering, I muttered, “It’s not funny, Christian. How was I supposed to know he needed a visual? I thought telling him to point and aim was sufficient.”
Wrapping his arms around me, he grinned. “My God, you are priceless.”
“I don’t know about that,” I whispered, looking down at my hands.
“Hey,” he said, lifting my head until I looked into his eyes. “You are perfect just the way you are, Charlotte. I wouldn’t change one damn thing about you. And your trouble is nothing compared to what awaits me. I have three daughters. Girls. Soon enough, they will turn my life upside down. Thank God I have you now, because I had absolutely no fucking clue what I was going to do.”
“Ship them off to a convent?”
“I already checked. They would have to convert to Catholicism first.”
This time I laughed.
“Christian?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you think there will ever be a time we can wake up and not worry about all the lies, all the subterfuge, and the constant warring between everyone?”
“I don’t know, baby.” He sighed, holding me tighter. “What I do know is, I am going to do everything in my power to protect you.”
“Christian?”
“Hmm.”
“Kyle told me something before he died.”
I felt him stiffen under me, his arms locked around me, unmovable. Looking up at him, I saw his eyes fixed on mine as he waited for me to share what I knew.
Taking a deep breath, I said, “Find the forgotten hall of slain fighters, for they are the true warriors. There you will find what you seek.”
Christian wiped his hands down his face and moaned. “What the hell does that mean? Why couldn’t he leave us with an address?”
“I don’t know,” I muttered. “But if I can get my computer, I could start searching for the possible meanings.”
“More research?” he grumbled, then asked, “Where is your computer?”
“Left it at your penthouse in Davenport Tower.”
Looking at the alarm clock on the nightstand, he sighed. “Thank God it’s too late to go anywhere.”
“Christian. You live in a city that never sleeps.”
Grinning, he rolled me onto my back, kissing my neck, slowly making his way down my stomach. Settling himself between my legs, he gently moved them until they were over his shoulders, then he smiled up at me and said, “True, but I can’t do this in public.”
“OH MY GOD!”
Reaching for his shirt, I quietly put it on, trying not to disturb him when I tiptoed out of the room. Gently closing the door behind me, I turned and walked downstairs. Picking up clothes and straightening his mother’s house while I went, I eventually made it to the kitchen, desperately needing some water. After searching the cupboards, I finally found a glass and filled it with plain tap water.
Standing before the sink, I looked out the window over the sink into the darkness, my mind whirling with possibilities of what the riddle meant. I was good with puzzles, always had been. I didn’t see why this one would be any different. I just wished I had my computer with me so I could begin to unravel it.
Puzzles were my kryptonite. Once engaged, I couldn’t get my mind to shut off until I solved it, and though I tried to sleep, I knew I wouldn’t be able to. So instead, I came downstairs in the hopes that Christian’s mother or father had a laptop or computer lying around somewhere.
After starting a load of laundry, I searched downstairs and low and behold, eureka!