entrance too?”
Julius frowned at the suggestion and began to drum his fingertips against his leg. She suspected it was an unconscious action he committed when thinking, because after a moment the drumming stopped and he said, “Give the keys of your rental to Dante. He and Tommaso can take the car out for a spin to hopefully lead anyone away and give us the chance to slip out the service entrance unnoticed.”
Dante turned to Tiny expectantly, but it was Marguerite who handed him the keys, retrieving them from her purse.
“She rented a Jaguar,” Tiny muttered, appearing embarrassed that she had been driving during this trip. “It was manual. I don’t drive stick.”
“I do,” Dante said with a grin as he took the keys.
The grin died, however, when Julius announced, “You’ll have to take the luggage with you. I want us all in one taxi and the luggage won’t fit. Besides, if they happen to see you get in the car and spot the luggage, they’ll assume you are moving us all to other accommodations while we could just simply be on a jaunt. Hopefully, it will make them follow you.”
Dante and Tommaso groaned at the announcement, but didn’t protest and simply began to relieve the others of their luggage.
“I want you to call us if you’re followed once you leave the hotel,” Julius added. “We’ll wait here until we hear from you.”
Dante nodded, and then glanced to the doors as the elevator slowed to a halt and the doors slid open. He and Tommaso disembarked first, taking the luggage with them. They were quite weighed down, and Marguerite peered after them with sympathy as they trudged off with their burden, heading for the parking garage.
“They will be fine,” Julius said, urging her to move.
Marguerite nodded but remained silent as he walked them to the service entrance to await the call to let them know the twins had left in the car.
The men all began to pace as they waited: Julius, Tiny, Christian, and Marcus doing a small circuit before her. Marguerite simply leaned against the wall, absently tapping one toe as she watched Julius pace. He reminded her of a caged tiger.
They all stilled and looked to Julius when his phone finally rang. He slipped it from his pocket, flipped it open, listened briefly, and then said, “Get the license plate number and drive around for about ten minutes, then park back here and catch a taxi to Claridge’s. Use the service exit when you leave.”
“Were they followed?” Marguerite asked curiously.
“Yes, they were.”
She nodded but didn’t comment as they stepped outside.
Julius paused briefly, his gaze moving around the area and Marguerite found herself watching him again. His expression was grim, his eyes alert as he looked for any threat, and she knew without any doubt that he had once been a warrior of old. She could imagine him on horseback, hand on his sword, that very same expression creasing his face. He would have been formidable, she was sure.
“Wait here, I’ll hire a taxi.”
Marguerite blinked as Julius urged her to the side. While she had been gawking at him, he’d led them away from the service entrance. They were on the sidewalk, a little distance from the hotel and a line of taxis waited just ahead.
Irritated by her own fascination with him, she scowled and asked, “Do we really need a taxi? Surely, the hotel can’t be more than ten minutes away on foot?”
They’d passed Claridge’s on their way to the Dorchester that morning and she knew the hotels weren’t far apart. It seemed silly to hire a taxi for such a short walk when it was a lovely night, the evening air retaining its warmth from the day.
“Ten minutes on foot, two by taxi,” he acknowledged. “But the longer we’re out here, the better the chance of being spotted and I’d prefer to avoid that.” On that note he turned to walk to the first taxi in the line, Marcus on his heels.
“Father had nothing to do with the attack on you,” Christian said,
Julius frowned at the suggestion and began to drum his fingertips against his leg. She suspected it was an unconscious action he committed when thinking, because after a moment the drumming stopped and he said, “Give the keys of your rental to Dante. He and Tommaso can take the car out for a spin to hopefully lead anyone away and give us the chance to slip out the service entrance unnoticed.”
Dante turned to Tiny expectantly, but it was Marguerite who handed him the keys, retrieving them from her purse.
“She rented a Jaguar,” Tiny muttered, appearing embarrassed that she had been driving during this trip. “It was manual. I don’t drive stick.”
“I do,” Dante said with a grin as he took the keys.
The grin died, however, when Julius announced, “You’ll have to take the luggage with you. I want us all in one taxi and the luggage won’t fit. Besides, if they happen to see you get in the car and spot the luggage, they’ll assume you are moving us all to other accommodations while we could just simply be on a jaunt. Hopefully, it will make them follow you.”
Dante and Tommaso groaned at the announcement, but didn’t protest and simply began to relieve the others of their luggage.
“I want you to call us if you’re followed once you leave the hotel,” Julius added. “We’ll wait here until we hear from you.”
Dante nodded, and then glanced to the doors as the elevator slowed to a halt and the doors slid open. He and Tommaso disembarked first, taking the luggage with them. They were quite weighed down, and Marguerite peered after them with sympathy as they trudged off with their burden, heading for the parking garage.
“They will be fine,” Julius said, urging her to move.
Marguerite nodded but remained silent as he walked them to the service entrance to await the call to let them know the twins had left in the car.
The men all began to pace as they waited: Julius, Tiny, Christian, and Marcus doing a small circuit before her. Marguerite simply leaned against the wall, absently tapping one toe as she watched Julius pace. He reminded her of a caged tiger.
They all stilled and looked to Julius when his phone finally rang. He slipped it from his pocket, flipped it open, listened briefly, and then said, “Get the license plate number and drive around for about ten minutes, then park back here and catch a taxi to Claridge’s. Use the service exit when you leave.”
“Were they followed?” Marguerite asked curiously.
“Yes, they were.”
She nodded but didn’t comment as they stepped outside.
Julius paused briefly, his gaze moving around the area and Marguerite found herself watching him again. His expression was grim, his eyes alert as he looked for any threat, and she knew without any doubt that he had once been a warrior of old. She could imagine him on horseback, hand on his sword, that very same expression creasing his face. He would have been formidable, she was sure.
“Wait here, I’ll hire a taxi.”
Marguerite blinked as Julius urged her to the side. While she had been gawking at him, he’d led them away from the service entrance. They were on the sidewalk, a little distance from the hotel and a line of taxis waited just ahead.
Irritated by her own fascination with him, she scowled and asked, “Do we really need a taxi? Surely, the hotel can’t be more than ten minutes away on foot?”
They’d passed Claridge’s on their way to the Dorchester that morning and she knew the hotels weren’t far apart. It seemed silly to hire a taxi for such a short walk when it was a lovely night, the evening air retaining its warmth from the day.
“Ten minutes on foot, two by taxi,” he acknowledged. “But the longer we’re out here, the better the chance of being spotted and I’d prefer to avoid that.” On that note he turned to walk to the first taxi in the line, Marcus on his heels.
“Father had nothing to do with the attack on you,” Christian said,
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