Franklin’s eyes darted to the floor as if he could see through it before he looked back at me. “Nothing. She’s been nothing but the perfect guest.”
“Very well. Let me know if anything changes, and I’ll keep a lookout when I can.”
Once he gave me a short nod, I walked to my door and stepped out of the house.
As I got into the black sedan that was idling in front of my home, I tried to push away any other thoughts aside from the ones related to the Chevaliers. We were holding a meeting at a location that was an equal distance from my home and New York City, a change from where we usually held meetings.
It made sense for me to travel to New York City because many of the higher-ranking officials within the Chevaliers had homes or apartments there. But with me holding the one person who has gotten closest to shaking our organization’s very foundation, we’d decided as a group that we didn’t want me too far away in case something happened.
It was more precautionary than anything because I knew there was no way that Iris was getting out of where I stashed her.
As the car drove down the winding road toward the home where we would be meeting, I couldn’t stop the image of Iris that kept flashing in my mind. All I could see was her skin glistening with water droplets as she washed her body. Had I needed to stay in the bathroom while she took a shower? No, but the desire to torture myself by only being able to watch her was more appealing than standing on the other side of the door.
It had done little to satisfy my craving for her. Things were even more complicated than they had been before, and the only thing I could focus on now was the organization that I’d dedicated my life to. I shook my head, trying to push those thoughts away, but they kept creeping back.
I adjusted my cock to relieve the pressure my slacks were now inflicting on it. I needed to fucking cool it because the last thing I needed to do was walk in there with a hard-on.
Finally, we arrived at the location, a large mansion about an hour from my home. The mansion was surrounded by high walls and guarded by two heavily armed men. As I stepped out of the car, I moved my gaze around the home of Parker Townsend, chairman of the Chevaliers. In all my years as a part of this organization, I think I’d only been here one other time.
Not that I’d expected to be here every weekend. Parker and I mostly kept our relationship about the Chevaliers and nothing else. It was an unspoken agreement between the two of us and how we both preferred it.
As I approached the door, it opened without me having to knock. I was greeted by Parker’s butler.
“Welcome, Mr. Grant,” he said.
“Thank you,” I replied as I handed him my coat.
“The meeting will be taking place in here.” He led me to a closed double door. He knocked once and then twisted the doorknob before moving out of the way so I could walk through.
It seemed as if I was the last one to arrive.
Parker, Beck Chamberlain, Hudson Thorne, Ioan Cavanaugh, and another guy that I didn’t recognize were all settling down at the large table.
One of these men didn’t belong. Parker must have noticed the look on my face because he said, “Landon here will be on a special assignment for me. He won’t be staying too long.”
I looked at the man in question and couldn’t help but be curious about what sort of assignment Parker had planned for him. He looked younger than everyone else in the room, college-aged or maybe a couple of years removed.
I stuck my hand out to shake his. While he returned the gesture, Parker spoke once more.
“Please, everyone, have a seat.”
We all took our seats and our focus shifted to the man of the hour. Parker, as chairman of the Chevaliers, commanded respect and authority. He cleared his throat before beginning the meeting.
“Let’s address the assignment that Soren successfully completed,” he said, locking eyes with me for a moment. It was his way of acknowledging my murder of Derrick Wilson just days prior. He explained the version of events I’d given him before he looked over at Landon and said, “You might have to do something similar when the time comes. Are you okay with that?”
Landon nodded once. “Yes, sir. I am.”
That answer was good enough for Parker because he turned his attention back to the rest of us. The meeting unfolded basically the way I expected it to. Landon left after a few minutes, and we were able to discuss things more freely.
“Soren, how’s the girl doing at your place?” Parker’s voice sliced through any thoughts I was having. Everyone’s attention snapped toward me as they waited for my response.
“She’s fine,” I replied, making sure to choose my words carefully. “She hasn’t tried to escape or anything.”
This time, Beck spoke up. “Do we know how much she’s found out?”
I couldn’t deny that I was a bit annoyed that this had become the topic of conversation, but I understood why it had. “I don’t think she was able to find much,” I said, locking eyes with Beck. “She was on the right path though. Who knows what she might have been able to find if I hadn’t grabbed her at the masquerade ball.”
Parker lifted a hand, signaling everyone to be quiet. “We’ll keep an eye on things and the people who seem to think that she is the key to our puzzle.”