Anyway, I was just thinking about you. Last night was amazing, and I can't get you off my mind. I really wish I'd been able to stay and enjoy Paris with you, but this was a genuine emergency—I really had to get back. Looking forward to seeing you when you return, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the trip.
I hit send, then stood around waiting to see that the message had been read. For every second that I stood waiting, it seemed time was dragging more and more slowly. Eventually, the delivery showed that she'd seen the message and was typing a response.
I waited anxiously.
The message came through after a few seconds. I read it with eager eyes.
Hi, Asher. Thanks so much for organizing the driver and car. I've been all over Paris to a bunch of museums, cafés, and more. I'll sort out the flight later tonight. Thanks again, see you at the office on Tuesday.
I frowned. Her tone almost seemed cold. I knew it could sometimes be tough to decipher tones from text messages, but she hadn't mentioned anything about the night we'd spent together or said anything that indicated she was thinking about me. It was just a short, matter-of-fact message, something that one might write to a friend, perhaps.
I started typing out a reply, but then stopped. I shook my head and trudged over to the car, where Alfred was waiting for me.
“Are you going to drive again, sir?” he asked.
“Not now. I'm . . . I'm not in the mood.”
“Very well. Where shall I take you, sir?”
“Home.”
“Of course,” Alfred reached to open my door.
I paused. “Actually, no, not home. I don't want to go back home and mope. Let me call up a friend quickly.”
I whizzed through my contacts on my phone, found Bryce’s number, and dialed.
“Bryce speaking, what can I do ya for?”
The moment I heard the voice of my personal trainer, my resolve was set. The ex-marine would surely be up for just the sort of fix I needed at the moment to help relieve me of the frustration of the break-in and Lilah's cold attitude.
“Hey, Bryce. It's Asher.”
“I thought you were in France, son?!”
“Just got back. There was an emergency at the office.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, but don't worry about that. I was just wondering, you up for heading out to the shooting range?”
I heard him chuckle slowly on the other side of the line. “You got some angst you wanna get out?”
“I do.”
“I'll bring the automatic rifles.”
“Great. I’ll be there in 45.”
“See you there, soldier! Lock and load!”
“See you there, Bryce.”
I turned to Alfred. “You heard that, right? Take me to the hills.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Lilah