Page 129 of The Protégé

After she fell asleep, I had an urgent conference call with the boys and updated them on the recent events, my suspicion of the banks being tied to The Trogyn, and what I planned to do about it.

They agreedto help with whatever I needed.

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

ELENA

After chattingwith my former coworkers, Amelia Chen and Ruby Anderson, excitement swirled in me. Their enthusiasm inspired a few new ideas. My plan was to have Musepaper up and running by November with some room for fluctuations.

Orion had gone over to Remi’shome to meet up with Arrow and Forrest. I had a lunch date with Kiera, Audri, and Vivian atthe Krazee Tavern. Michelle and Natalie weren’t available.

“So how’s your mission going?” Kiera asked.

“We have so much to catch up on.” I sipped my iced tea, shoving away all the stress from the past few days to enjoy time with my friends. “The Thief Who Loved Me is complete with success.”

The girls stopped drinking and eating, gawking at me.

“Details please.” Audri stared at me.

“I’ve been wondering since our last chat.” Vivian grinned.

“C’mon. Tell us!” Kiera exclaimed.

“Trust me, I wanted to tell you. But so much has happened lately.” I briefed them on the fire at my mom’s house, the bank scam investigation, how I was fired but now working full-timeon Musepaper. But I left a lot out as well, like how I’d broken into Chantel’s home. That was a secret shared only with my thief.

“That’s a lot to deal with. Do you need us to help with anything?” Audri asked.

“I’m okay for now. Oh, I do need images of your upcoming events. I’ll have a section for future events so people can mark them on their calendars.”

“Will do,” they all said.

“So . . . is he excellent in bed?” Vivian wiggled her eyebrows.

“The best.” I smiled, thinking of his hands on me. I needed his touch tonight.

Perhaps after our dinner date, I could seduce him . . . rob him of his clothes and sanity.

“Earth to Elena.” Kiera waved her hands in front of me. “She’s in horny land.”

Audri laughed. “Do you love him?”

A sense of warmth cloaked me. “I do. It scares me. Seems like when things become important to me, something awful happens.”

“It’s natural to feel that way.” Kiera picked up a french fry. “Don’t overthink it.”

“Just enjoy it,” said Vivian.

“What’s new?” I asked them.

“I’m going to an art show by Nessa Lambert.” Vivian swiped on her phone and showed us an image. “She’s my new favorite artist. I bought the pink waterlily painting from her.”

“Oh, I love that one,” Audri said.

“We should all go. Take your men with you. She has a new collection she’s debuting.” Vivian typed on her phone. “I’ll send you the invite now.”

My house could use a new painting. I could also get one for Orion’s suite. If only these girls knew about his little collection.

My phone buzzed with a reminder of my date with Orion. I was supposed to meet up with him at Eclectic Taste, a new hotspot in town with gorgeous outdoor seating. I swiped the reminder away and checked for Vivian’s invite. After registering me and Orion for the event, I continued my conversation with them.

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