Annia looks toward the floor, and I begin to tremble. Bruce, under the covers, places one of his strong hands on my thigh, steadying me.
She laughs when she sees my torn dress and, feigning annoyance, says, "Couldn't you wait to take your clothes off like a normal person?"
I tell her that Evangelina left the building to go for a walk, but I'm a terrible actress. Bruce comes to my rescue, shouting at her, "Would you just leave already? We're just getting started—unless you want to join in."
She shakes her head and heads for the door. "I like you, Bruce," she says as she leaves. "I wanted to kill you before, but now that I realize you were never in love with my girlfriend, I don't see you as a threat anymore."
A minute later, Evangelina steps out of hiding, and Bruce gives her an order. "Now get out of the building. Walk around the block before coming back, then go to her. Let's stick to the plan so Annia invites us to the Vandereck mansion. Carmilla is going to help us."
Evangelina extends her hand to me. "United to save those girls?"
I think about it for a few seconds, and the image of Marian in her pink dress and her candid smile flashes through my mind. The fear vanishes. "Let's save them," I reply.
Evangelina smiles at me. I take her hand, and she kisses me on the mouth. Before leaving, she turns back to give Bruce a passionate kiss and whispers, "Let's save them!"
When we're alone, he starts to get up, but I grab his arm. "What exactly is the plan? I need to know."
"The only thing I can tell you," he says, "is that you and I have to fake a romance and get into that mansion as soon as possible. I know from my cousin that it's full of hidden passages, tunnels, and a bunker. If we fail the rescue, they'll kill them to cover everything up."
I say "okay" and keep pestering him with questions like, "How did Evangelina not realize anything?"
He answers in short bursts. "Because no matter how brilliant someone is, they never see what they don't want to see."
I notice he looks uncomfortable, and then I realize the sheet has slipped—he can see my breasts. I move to cover myself, but Bruce stops me.
"No," he says. "If we're going to fake this, we'd better not be modest around each other. It wouldn't look natural."
I obey, but I blush deeper and deeper as we talk. I'm naked in front of him, in the same bed, and my nipples react to his gaze. An alarm goes off on his watch.
"Lucius is arriving," he tells me. "He already knows who I am; he's been asking questions. Leave him to me. You go with Evangelina as soon as she gets back and lie to Annia. Tell her you can't get me out of your head."
He looks me in the eye. "Remember: try not to be alone with her. And for God's sake, learn this—everything I do or say in front of Annia is to gather information or force her into a mistake. You always play along."
I get dressed in just a white blouse and jeans, messing up my hair to look more believable—like someone who just made love—and go to wait for Evangelina. But he takes my hand and pulls me close. He apologizes as he brings his lips to my skin.
"Trust me," he says.
He kisses my neck hard, leaving a light mark. After inspecting it, he adds, "No, that's not right."
He kisses me again, and when he pulls away, his mouth has left a deep purple mark. I have to admit, my friend, he notices my breathing quicken, to the point where I joke, "Quite the first date, detective!"
But he doesn't laugh. He just repeats, "I apologize for all of this. It'll be over soon."
I find Evangelina coming in and take her hand. She sees my neck, understands instantly, and says, "Good. Now let's go to Annia and try to get her to invite us to the mansion without making it obvious."
I stop for a second and plead with her, "Tell me this is actually happening."
Evangelina grabs my arms and squeezes hard—her hands feel like painful shackles. "That's how those women must feel somewhere," she says. "That's how I could have ended up—locked away like a trophy. Focus. Trust Bruce. He'll know what to do."
When we get to the room, we walk in, and Evangelina immediately apologizes to Annia. She tells her she's not angry anymore and that it's all thanks to me, because I told her how Annia had been frantically looking for her.
Annia kisses her with a smile, gives me a small kiss on the mouth, and thanks me. When she spots the mark on my neck, she asks how it went. I pull off a pretty decent lie, telling her Bruce was a total stallion.
The three of us head out for a stroll through Paris. The city loses a bit of its charm when you're walking through it with a dangerous psychopath, but as the hours pass, I lean into the role, never forgetting I'm doing this for those women.
Everything goes perfectly, except for one thing Evangelina notices that I had missed. I understand immediately when she asks Annia about the room with the circular library—the one next to the room that looks like the Colosseum and the movie theater.
Annia looks surprised by her girlfriend's sudden interest in that specific part of the Vandereck mansion, so I jump in to save her.
"Sorry, I was the one who asked Evangelina about it," I say. "She didn't know the history. We were always reading at Mary Garden, and that library sounded charming."
She smiles. "Books aren't really my thing, though I like poetry. But for a while, I used to go to a special place—similar to the one I had built in that room—with George, the best bodyguard I ever had. I think I was sixteen. Good times."
Evangelina and I catch each other's eye; we're thinking the same thing.
Maybe there's a fifth missing woman—someone connected to that library.
When we return, we find Lucius. He greets the girls warmly, and he and I head up to his penthouse in the private elevator. The moment we walk in, he starts kissing me, apologizing for not being there. Bruce appears, coming from the living room. Lucius gestures toward him.
"He is who he says he is. I investigated him thoroughly. I'm up to speed on everything. I spoke with Killian, and he's beyond pissed. He's leaving immediately and should be here by tomorrow night. In the meantime, it's vital my father doesn't find out about any of this. He isn't thinking clearly; he might order a direct hit on the Vandereck mansion or have them executed. He loses it when it comes to enemies. Honestly, he's not well, and we don't know how he'll react. Our priority must be our safety and saving those women."
Bruce speaks up. "We're all going to focus on getting into the mansion. Meanwhile, let's gather every detail that could help us find them inside. Once we do, we'll get them out on the Longfield jet, since the Vandereck estate has its own airstrip. Now, let's get Annia to include me in the invitation. Stick to the plan—let her think there's a secret romance between us, Carmilla, that's still going on."
We agree and decide to all have dinner in the penthouse.
When Annia and Evangelina arrive, they run into Bruce. His cousin greets him coldly, acting angry, but the psychopath hugs him and whispers, "Stay away from my girl."
I'm right there when I hear him reply, "My girl here is Carmilla. Evangelina is all yours."
During dinner, I sit between Lucius and Bruce. The eldest Longfield plays his usual apathetic self, but every now and then he shows interest in the detective's stories, making it seem like he likes the guy. A brilliant performance.
As I laugh and talk with the girls, Annia starts to notice that every time Lucius turns away or gets up from the table, Bruce puts his hand on my leg and looks at me with those intense black eyes. It's all part of the plan, but she doesn't say a word. Then, every chance he gets, his hand moves a little higher. I'm so nervous about maintaining the charade that—I'm sorry, friend—I drink every glass of wine they pour me. By the time dessert comes around, I'm feeling a bit more relaxed. We still haven't reached the goal, so Bruce keeps moving higher. Almost without thinking—caught up in the wine or the adrenaline—I part my legs slightly, signaling that he could make it look even more believable. He notices and grips me hard, intensely, leaving no doubt that I belong to him and he can do whatever he wants with me. As I bite my lip, Annia takes the bait. She leans over the table and whispers conspiratorially:
"Carmilla, you'd better settle down, or Lucius is going to notice when he gets back from the kitchen."
"It's just that we're only in Paris for a few more days," I reply. "Then I won't see him again... I need a little more of Bruce."
The detective plays along, his fingers moving, touching me with passion. "We'll have to find a way to make this last a little longer," he says.
I look at Annia and whisper, "You owe me a few favors... can you help me?"
She smiles. I have to say it again so you don't hate me, friend: I don't know if it was the wine or the adrenaline or both, but the last couple of times he gripped me down there, I didn't have to act the desire I felt.
Lucius returns with dessert and says Killian will meet us tomorrow night and we'll all leave Paris together on the jet. He asks Annia to organize a business meeting with Mr. Vandereck without their father finding out.
She winks at me and says, "Okay, but I have to invite Bruce, too. While you guys talk 'adult business,' we can have some fun. I don't want Evangelina thinking her cousin isn't welcome."
Lucius agrees, pretending to consider it—his acting is top-notch.
Inside, I'm exultant; we did it. That's why I'm so shocked when Lucius gets up to go to the restroom and I feel Bruce's hand again, high up, deep, and moving as if he's trying to penetrate me through my jeans. I say I'm shocked because Annia and Evangelina are busy picking another wine from the cellar; there's no reason I can see for him to be touching me like that. But I do exactly what he asked: I trust him. It feels so dangerous, so good, that I open my legs a little more and whisper:
"We're making it believable, right?"
The pressure gets stronger, and he replies, "I can't even tell the difference myself. I'm sleeping in the penthouse with you guys tonight. You'd better... stay away from me."