Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 70320 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70320 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
“I’m sorry, am I interrupting something?”
I pull back and look up to find Reina standing at the entrance to the alley. She seems disheveled, bags under her eyes, clothes rumpled, a cigarette between her lips. Adrienne wriggles out from under me, adjusting her sports bra to make sure she’s decent, somehow blushing even deeper than she did when she came a minute minutes ago.
“It’s nothing, we were training, doing some wrestling and judo and—”
Reina rolls her eyes. “And kissing. Do I look like I give a fuck if you two are having sex?” She takes a long drag. “You goddamn Americans and your purity bullshit. It’s fine if you two punch each other bloody, but if you fuck too? Kill as many people as you want, fine, good, blood and guts and gore, lovely, fun. But oh, no, how bad and immoral if two adults fuck. Get over yourselves. I do not care so long as it does not make things worse.”
“Oh,” Adrienne says, and it takes all my willpower not to crack up.
“Come inside. We must talk.” Reina turns and leaves.
Adrienne practically collapses back against the tree. “I have never been more mortified in my life.”
“Why? Because your estranged half-sister just caught us in an intimate moment? Or because you got lectured on American sexual prudishness by a Frenchwoman?”
“Both. The former mostly. God, you’re the worst.” She pushes me back and gets to her feet. “Did Reina seem a little off to you?”
She offers me a hand up and I take it. “More tired than usual. Less put together.”
“You said she left early?”
I consider that for a moment. “I didn’t actually hear her leave. She was just gone when I woke up around five.”
“Hm.” She strokes her face and runs a hand through her hair. “Let’s go see what she has to say then.”
Chapter 18
Peter
Inside, Reina’s in the kitchen making coffee. Adrienne goes into the bathroom to wash her face and change into clean clothes while I sit on a stool at the counter and watch. Adrienne’s taste is still on my lips and her satisfied moans ring in my ears, but I try to push them away. I need to concentrate, now more than ever.
“When did you and my sister start fucking?” Reina pours a mug and lights another cigarette.
“Not too long ago. Why were you out all night?”
“Business.” She lets out a smoke plume. “Is this a problem?” She gestures toward the bathroom.
“No.”
“Are you sure it is not a problem?”
“Are you worried about the job, or are you worried about your sister?”
She pauses, staring at me with pursed lips. Finally, she says, “Call it both.”
“Your sister is a grown woman who can make her own decisions. But I’d rather die than let her get hurt.”
“And yet here she is.”
“I’m aware of the contradiction.”
She takes another drag and sips half the mug. “It is not my place, yes? I barely know the girl. Less than you, I suppose. But I will say, be careful. For both of your sakes.”
“Thanks for the advice, but I still want to know where you’ve been.”
Adrienne comes out from the extra room in a white t-shirt and jeans. She studiously ignores me as she accepts coffee from Reina, and I note that Reina hadn’t offered me any.
“So where are we?” Adrienne asks.
“Reina just finished chastising me for sleeping with you and now she’s getting into business.”
Adrienne turns pink. She waves her hands in the air like she’s warding off bad spirits. “It’s not like that—”
“Like I said, I don’t care if you two are sleeping together.” Reina’s glare could melt ice. “Stop pretending like sex is such a bad thing.”
Adrienne glares at me and composes herself. I smile back, enjoying her discomfort. Why should we pretend like we don’t all know at this point? The sooner she gets over her awkwardness, the better off we’ll be.
“You still haven’t told me where you went,” I press, unwilling to let Reina off the hook.
“I was meeting with some people from my organization. I will be honest with you, Peter, they were not happy. I hadn’t realized the depth of their discomfort and impatience but here we are.”
I sit very still. Adrienne looks at her coffee like she wants to fall into it and I’m not sure she’s even listening at this point. Reina’s right—Americans can be such prudes sometimes. But I can wake up Adrienne’s dirty side.
I say, “Can’t say I’m surprised considering what’s been happening. Is the deal still on the table?”
“It is still a possibility, oui. But they want forward momentum. The numbers we agreed on were acceptable, and now they want logistics.”
“We all want logistics. I guess you’re going to tell me to talk to your pilot?”
“That is exactly what I am doing.” She puts the mug down with a clatter. “You do not entirely understand, Peter. Le Milieu has other potential contracts on the table. You are not the only people in the world that want our product.”