From Paris With Love (28 page)

‘Are you being treated for addiction, have you ever suffered from depression or schizophrenia and are you currently bankrupt?’

‘What is this?’ said Blade. ‘
Non
,
non
,
non
!’

‘Good. That’s the most basic security vetting I’ve ever done, but it will have to do for the minute, to prove that you are reliable. Okay, Gemma. Explain to him why his identity is important to us.’

I took a deep breath. ‘Joe doesn’t work for a television agency. He’s employed by MI6 – as a spy. We thought you were involved in an assassination plot Monique is masterminding and needed to check your true identity, to rule you out.’

Blade’s jaw dropped. Then he glared at me and Joe. A few seconds later he got to his feet, looking taller than ever and more – okay, only Lady C’s word “dashing” would do. I gazed upwards, taking in the inky eyes and athletic build.

‘Okay – that is enough, especially as I didn’t even get to bed last night. Time for me to go,’ he said in a hard voice. ‘So far I have been
très
generous – not pressing charges for Joe assaulting me or kidnapping me in his car. I’ve been very reasonable, yet still you make up this ludicrous story? Do I look stupid enough to believe Joe is some sort of James Bond?’

‘It’s true,’ I said and reached up for his hand. Reluctantly he let me pull him down. ‘It looks like there’s a plot – to murder Kate and Wills when they visit next Saturday, as part of the First World War commemorative events. Apparently I, um, impressed Joe with how I pulled off being Abbey. Plus I’m a staunch royalist. So he asked me to help.

Blade shook his head. ‘You’ll have to do better than that.’

I jumped up and fetched my pepper spray, lipstick and handbag from the bedroom. One by one I demonstrated them to Blade.

‘My first weekend here I was desperate to explore Paris with Edward, but had to go to MI6’s bunker for basic training…’ I said and squirted a tissue with the blue spray.

Blade’s eyes narrowed. ‘Why not tell Edward, then? He seems trustworthy to me.’

I shook my head. ‘It was for his own good. The more he knew, the more he’d be at risk from these terrorists.’

At this point, Joe intervened and pulled a pass from his wallet. Blade examined it. Then Joe briefly explained the MiddleWin Mort suspicions and why we thought Monique was behind it. Still Blade wasn’t buying it. So, Joe told him to Google MI6 on his phone and ring the agency’s phone number for recruitment enquiries. Joe told him to ask to be put through to a specific extension number and then took the phone from him. He gave the person on the other end a couple of coded words and instructed them to confirm to Blade that he, Joe, was actually an international secret service agent.

Blade took back his phone and listened for several moments. Eventually he ended the call, slumped back into the armchair and didn’t say anything for a few moments. Joe stood up.

‘Call me later, Agent G. I’ve got a lead to follow up on another potential threat to the royal couple’s trip. Tell me whether Blade decides to help us or not.’

I followed Joe to the door and told him briefly about the football ticket I’d photographed.

‘Sorry though,’ I muttered. ‘About last night – I cocked up big time. I should have made sure Blade drank the right cognac. And as for publicly rifling in bags – that was a mistake.’

Joe squeezed my arm. ‘Quite the contrary, Agent G. Even if you hadn’t found the ticket, the outcome was positive – you proved again that this group of people has something to hide. Your actions last night only confirm that I chose the right woman for the job. You are brave, quick-thinking and not afraid of doing the necessary to complete your mission. Good work. Text me the photo of that ticket as soon as you can.’

Chest glowing, I nodded, Joe having confirmed those thoughts that raced through my head last night, when I’d been pressed up against the mossy wall. Monique might be an expert on seventeenth century literature, but I bet she wouldn’t have the balls to walk into a room of terrorists, in disguise, and retrieve evidence of an evil plot.

‘Look, Joe… How much more evidence do we need? I know none of it is one hundred percent concrete, but the case we’re building against Monique seems pretty solid to me.’ I shrugged. ‘Can’t you just take her to one side and question her, without giving away your ID – like you did with Blade?’

‘It’s not quite that straightforward – for a start, Blade and his apparent fake identity tapped into all my suspicions. Plus Monique is a relatively well-known, established public figure and for the sake of the agency’s reputation, needs handling more carefully. ’

‘Well, I’ve a good mind to have a word with her myself, at this rate, cos there’s no way I’m letting Kate and Wills’ lives be in jeopardy.’

‘Agent G! You will run any prospective actions by me first. You must NOT approach the suspect and give away the investigation. We still have no concrete evidence.’

‘But I’m not an official MI6 employee – so surely those restrictions don’t apply?’

Joe’s lips pursed.

‘Okay, okay,’ I muttered. ‘Don’t worry. I’ll behave.’

Joe squeezed my shoulder. ‘Believe me, I know how frustrated you feel and it’s tempting to take the initiative… But a good agent ALWAYS follows instructions from above. And for all intents and purposes, I’m your boss.’

‘So, I need to think more like an astronaut,’ I mumbled.

Joe raised one eyebrow.

‘I saw a programme about the International Space Station,’ I said. ‘NASA practically dictates everything, from what they eat to when they pee.’

‘Right – good analogy.’ His maple eyes twinkled. ‘Think spaceman – or woman. Excellent plan.’ With one of his rare grins, he left the flat.

Whilst Blade sat deep in thought, I made two strong coffees and put the rest of the croissants on the coffee table. I sat down on the sofa and passed Blade his drink. Carefully, he wriggled into a more upright position and took a sip then put down his cup.

‘So… Agent G…’ His face cracked into a smile. ‘Loyal, Gemma,
non
? Out to save Queen and country.’

‘Are you taking the piss?’

The smile dropped from his face. ‘
Non
,
ma pucette
. I know that loyalty is a quality Edward admires in you – as I do. Last night must have been frightening – explain, what exactly were you doing there?’

‘Does that mean you are willing to help?’ I asked. Ooh. He and Edward must have chatted about me. Wonder what else my Ex said.

‘
Oui
. I don’t believe Monique is a monster – but I am willing to help you discover the truth. My upbringing may be Republican, but I wouldn’t want the royal couple to come to any harm.’

Therefore I revealed the mystery of Monique’s emails, the coded dance words, the meeting where I was chased to the trampoline… I explained how Monique had talked about a “revolver” at the youth club and made the sign of a gun in the air. I told him about the word “mob” being bandied about, and how the bearded man had cornered me in the toilet and warned me off. Plus I added the fact that I’d found a football ticket in the bag of someone at the dance studio meeting last night and how, when my wig fell off, the blonde woman’s first reaction was to shout out “spy”, proving something dodgy was afoot.

‘I thought you were chasing me, last night…’ I said. ‘To shut me up.’

Blade took my hand in his,concern etched on his face. ‘My sweet, little, Gemma, how could you ever believe that? I would
never
hurt you. And I would kill anyone who did.’ Then he turned one of his hands over, to reveal teeth marks, and his face softened. ‘Well, perhaps you’re not quite so sweet, with a bite like that.’

My cheeks fired up and we both laughed. ‘Um, sorry,’ I said sheepishly, although I couldn’t help thinking my favourite characters out of The Vampire Diaries would have been chuffed with me.

‘And I am sorry for frightening you,’ he said. ‘I only followed, from the flat, because you seemed stressed and desperate to get away, after our chilli and cornbread meal.
Moi
, I was worried that you were in some sort of trouble. I hovered outside the dance studios, and my fears seemed confirmed when you charged out in that strange outfit.’

‘Hmm – I was stressed. You were supposed to be flat out snoring, not Joe.’

Blade gave a hearty laugh. ‘
Oui
– he explained about that sedative. I should be furious!’

‘But you understand why I wanted you asleep?’

‘
Oui
,’ he said, in a gentler voice. ‘And I will do my best to find out exactly what Monique is up to, with these people. In fact, no time like the present. Perhaps I will head off to her flat today, after my shift at the music shop. I finish at four.’ Blade consulted his watch. ‘Hmm, soon I must get going.’

‘It’s Edward’s day off too – like mine. Perhaps he and Monique have arranged something together.’

‘Then I shall have to invent some emergency, to lure her away – all for the greater good, of course,’ he said, with a wicked grin. ‘And, um, Joe – he’s a decent man. During the night hours we had quite a chat. I… get the feeling he is keen on Cindy. She must be the first woman to interest him for years. Perhaps we should arrange another get-together, just the four of us… and I promise not to be so rude to him this time.’

I punched his arm. ‘You old romantic!’

Blade shrugged. ‘Love is a rare gift, wrapped up in problems, and tied with bows of misunderstanding. Often people need help to open it.’

We smiled at each other.

‘It’s late notice, but perhaps I’ll arrange an outing, for the four of us, tonight.’ My shoulders bobbed up and down. ‘I think Cindy finishes work around seven. I could text her. Would that suit you?’

Blade grinned and gave a big yawn. ‘Yes. I’ll make sure I see Monique before then.’

He stood up and I saw him to the door. An awkward moment passed as we looked at each other. I gave him a quick hug.

That should have been all that happened, right? I mean, we had more important things to think about together, now, than love stuff. And then there was Edward… However, as I gazed up into Blade’s eyes and recalled the emotion on his face, when he wondered if he’d hurt me last night… When I saw his eyes crinkle at the corners and felt my face break into a smile… I couldn’t help myself and stood on tiptoe, slipping my arms around his neck. Blade bent down and a magical sensation washed over me, as I felt his soft lips press against mine. A myriad of colours sparkled before my closed eyes as his hands ran up and down my back – as my fingers trailed down his chest and slipped between shirt buttons to feel his firm, muscular flesh.

An arm swung underneath my legs and Blade carried me easily into the bedroom. Gently he placed me on the mattress. I pulled him down by his jacket collar and once again we kissed. His mouth moved to my neck and I let out a series of gasps. With an urgency as strong as mine, his lips returned to my mouth. I undid his shirt buttons as spurts of desire exploded inside me…

Chapter 25

Whaddya mean, give you the low-down? Any love stuff between me and Blade stays strictly between the sheets! Let’s just say my belly was on fire every time we kissed. Feeling his strong hands stroke my skin so tenderly did something indescribable to me.

And… *sigh* … If you must know, not much more happened than those snogs. It was weird, things were just about to get more heated when we both backed off. For some reason, an image of Edward had flashed into my head and I tensed. No doubt gentlemanly Blade sensed that. So there was no sex, nor drugs, nor rock ‘n’roll… He simply lay by my side for a while, holding my hand and muttering husky compliments in his sexy French accent.

I was glad. Once my heart again found its normal rhythm – once my cheeks had cooled and the butterflies in my stomach settled to rest. You see, I did still think about Edward, every hour, every day. And, at the same time, I could feel gorgeous, good-natured Blade igniting emotions in me that I wasn’t ready for yet.

Not long after our passionate clinch, Blade had to get off to work and we agreed to meet late-ish for drinks. He would pick me up at eight, whilst it was my job to persuade Cindy and Joe to join us. But urgh! Joe insisted he had work to do and got the vibe that I was trying to matchmake him with Cindy. He insisted there was no point, him being doggedly determined to remain single, for the sake of his job.

Now that was what Edward’s medieval ancestors would call throwing down the gauntlet! Joe’s declaration made me even more determined to hook him up with the American.

Cindy was easy to persuade. I dropped into Chez Dubois to ask her and also spent a couple of hours in front of the restaurant laptop. Dear Pierre didn’t mind and even brought me a coffee. My eyes had tingled when he said Edward and me were such hard workers, he’d miss us when we left next weekend. Glad to distract my thoughts from the reality of vacating my lovely flat and this romantic city, I first of all checked out Monique’s emails.

But there was nothing, apart from another message to her sister. Clearly my appearances at the youth club and dance studio had spooked her out and she was taking no chances by writing down information. Although she did talk to her sister of being relieved when this Saturday would be over; said she was responsible for some project and that there was a lot hanging on everything going like clockwork. Hmm.

After reading that – and another coffee – I spent ages trying to find out information about John Smith’s missions and dodgy “extra-curricular activities”. This was the first proper opportunity I’d had since Friday, to investigate him.

So, let me think… In 2012 he was in Prague, 2013 in Thailand and later that year in Milan… I screwed up my forehead, trying to remember all the details he’d told me – or rather bragged about, as he described the women he’d dated in each country.

There was the twenty-one year old redhead in Milan, where John had been investigating the supposed existence of a European terrorist cell. The girl studied jewellery-making. John’s chest had puffed out as he talked of the extravagant shopping trips he’d taken her on. Although he’d seemed most generous with his wallet in Thailand, where he’d been part of some global investigation into drug rings… MI6 sent John to Bangkok, to be precise, where he visited several girls for, um, entertainment.