Page 174 of Night's Fall
“That’s it?”
He nodded.
“Please tell me his fiancée was the nurse he was showing favoritism to,”Ibegged.
“It’s my understanding she was not.”
Stellar fellow all around, it seemed.
“Laura, he knewAnna,”Alekseiinformed me.
My body lurched at this news.
“Oh my gods,”Ibreathed.
“They had a short affair a few years ago when they met onAnubis.Theywere both there for a holiday.Itdidn’t last longer than that, but they kept in touch.”
Anna certainly did get around to all the fabulous resorts of theFourRealms.
I’d always wanted to go toAnubisIslandwith its pink beaches, sprawling platinum-crown hotel and bungalows built on stilts in the azure waters of theDolphinSea.
The island was small, the resort the only thing on it, and there was nothing to do there but sit in the sun, eat, drink, go to one of their many spas, yoga or meditation sessions, hit one of their nightclubs, or browse through their exclusive boutiques.I’deven researched it (and as such, found there was no wayIcould afford it).Sevenrestaurants, three of them fine dining.Tenboutiques.Fourspas.Twoclubs.Oh, and a dinner theater.
This was where my mind turned, because it needed to have that brief respite rather than allowing what he was telling me to settle.
But then, what he was telling me settled.
Which was whyIwas feeling whatIwas feeling coming off ofAleksei.
He was reacting to the fact an old friend, a former lover, and his ex-fiancée put a hit out on me, and maybe him.
“That isn’t concrete proof she’s behind this,”Itried.
“I’m telling myself that,” he replied. “It’sbecoming hard to believe.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”Iasked.
He moved us to a seating areaI’dyet to use.Acharcoal velvet couch with an oval curve back elegantly edged in silvered wood, flanked by two blue velvet club chairs.Thesewere situated around a silver and black marble table about ten feet from the foot of the bed, close to the wall that closed the room off from the downstairs.
“Activate fireplace,” he called, andIstood in stunned silence asIwatched the entire wall fold into itself, exposing a window with more of a view ofNocturn, but also the living area of the level below.
In the lower portion of the wall, purple and blue flames sprang up, and when they did, they danced high across the entire wall.Whichmeant, the wall was a fireplace.
Freakingmega.
I was sensingIshould askAlekseito give me the full tour, rather than relying on the oneItook withComet, becauseI’dbeen missing things.
I decided against this because discovering them likeIjust did was a whole lot more fun.
“Service engage.Deliverwhisky, three fingers,” he went on as he seated us cozied together on the couch.
I curled my legs under me.
Aleksei looked down at me and lifted his brows.
“I’m on almondine sours,”Itold him.
“And an almondine sour,”Alekseisaid to the room.
