that if Wolfe hadn’t cleared his throat and stepped forwards again.
‘Ma’am.’ His voice was dark and official. ‘We need to have that talk now.’
Ava glanced from Wolfe to the burly man in an expensive suit and with a grim expression standing beside him. Did he have news about her situation?
Excusing herself from Lorenzo, Ava waited for Wolfe to speak.
‘Ma’am, this is Dan Rogers. He’s a security specialist who has worked for me for a number of years. He’ll be taking over your security detail from now on.’
It took a minute for Wolfe’s words to sink in, and when they did Ava’s stomach bottomed out. ‘You’re quitting?’ She couldn’t believe it. He’d told her he would never quit, and she realised with a start that she’d come to rely on that.
‘Not quitting. I’m rearranging the team to better utilise our skill-set.’
Ava heard what he said but she didn’t believe it. This wasn’t about skill-sets. This was about that kiss in her hotel room.
With her thoughts and feelings swirling around inside her like leaves in a whirly wind, she said the first thing that came to mind. ‘My father won’t like it.’
Wolfe’s jaw clenched and released. ‘I’ll deal with your father.’
Before she could think of anything else except the sick feeling growing in the pit of her stomach he turned to the other man.
‘Take care of her. Once she’s secure for the night call me and I’ll come and give you a complete brief.’
The man nodded.
Wolfe nodded and then turned his eyes briefly to hers. ‘Goodbye…ma’am.’
Ava closed her eyes and leant her head back against the butter-soft leather seats inside her limousine. She was alone in the car, having forbidden her new bodyguard from riding with her. He hadn’t liked it, but she’d given him the super-special superior look that had never worked on Wolfe and he’d acquiesced.
Now she felt horribly alone and hankered for something familiar. Something to anchor her in a world that kept moving and changing at a pace she was struggling to keep up with. She’d had so many decisions to make lately she was completely exhausted. No wonder she felt so out of sorts. Life-changes usually happened one at a time and with some sense of order. Didn’t they? At least that had been her experience to date. But these past few weeks nothing had been as it should. Least of all her.
In a split-second decision she knew Wolfe would call a ‘spontaneous reaction’ Ava instructed the driver to take her to her gallery, and immediately felt better.
The restless energy flowing through her was somewhat appeased at the thought of seeing Monique’s new works. They’d been installed two weeks ago, and viewing them on her smartphone wasn’t the same as standing back and inspecting them in person.
She smiled as her change in plans was relayed to the other two cars. No doubt Wolfe would have a kitten…but he had chosen to abandon his post and there was nothing he could do about it. She imagined the conversation they might have if he were here. Was it wrong to enjoy their mental tussles with each other so much?
When the car stopped Ava didn’t wait for her chauffeur to open her door but did it herself, breathing in the sweet damp air of Place des Vosges.
Her new bodyguard stopped beside her. ‘Ma’am, I’d like you to wait a few minutes before heading inside.’
Ava considered that briefly and then realised why. ‘Is Wolfe on his way?’
‘Yes, ma’am.’
Ava cursed. ‘I thought you were in charge now?’
‘I am. However—’
‘Never mind. And, no, I won’t wait for your boss to join us.’
Pivoting on her heel, she set off across the square to the row of shops she knew like the back of her hand. Her footsteps echoed in the quiet night that was only broken by the low hum of fast-moving cars on the main road and the squeak and clunk of a garbage truck as it rattled along the cobbled streets.
Dan reached the solid metal door to her building before her and held his hand out for the key. ‘I’ll do that, ma’am.’
A car door slammed somewhere close behind her but she ignored it.
‘I can do it.’ It might be the last time she ever did, and she wanted to take in every moment.
‘Ava!’
Wolfe’s hard, angry voice made her fingers fumble the key, and that made her mad. He wasn’t going to ruin this for her by muscling his way in. She wouldn’t let him.
Of course her stupid key chose that moment to become stuck and, frustrated, she twisted it in the opposite direction. Wolfe’s harsh, ‘Get back!’ confused her, and then a strong arm wrapped around her middle and yanked her sideways seconds before a deafening bang exploded in her ear.
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