Dancing With The Devil

Chapter 21

I never thought I would feel so wretched after waking up in a gorgeous French estate. I thought it would be impossible to be surrounded by such beauty and to feel nothing but the disgusting churning of my empty stomach and feel so exhausted, yet be so terrified of shutting my eyes, even for a moment.

I supposed I was feeling better than when we had originally arrived to Alistair's parents' property after another train ride and a brief walk. Coming into the villa, tucked away in the countryside, had been a blessing. The exterior was something out of a romantic novel with stone work, a stunning view, trailing plants crawling all over the house. But the interior had been remodeled to be almost like a small, cozy, American house. Modern and minimal in most cases, but with touches of home like warm quilts and a record player.

I had been so exhausted when I had arrived that I wanted to sit on the beautiful floor and sob until I couldn't cry anymore. I wanted to throw my head back and scream my lungs out. And I probably would've if it hadn't been for Alistair's constant attention and his quiet movements in the background. His ability to hold his emotions together made me ashamed and concerned about the way I was behaving and that fear was enough to keep my emotions repressed for the time being.

With the help of the medicated chocolate we had both managed to fall asleep in our bedrooms as the sun was setting.

Now, at six in the morning, I was standing on the intricately designed balcony, just off the modern kitchen, staring at the picturesque rolling hills before me. I could barely see the outline as the sun was just barely rising, but it was a scene painters would adore, no doubt. In that moment it seemed so amazing to me that the world could hold such beauty and such pain all at once.

"You're up early." Alistair's voice startled me, causing me to spin around so quickly I made myself dizzy.

But the darkness of his hair, the strong line of his shoulders, and the attentiveness of his green eyes was oddly comforting.

"I'm surprised I slept at all." I responded, "That chocolate is a powerful thing."

Alistair gave me a soft smile, "I'm glad it's helping."

His casual behavior confused me. Yesterday he had been on the brink of a mental break down due to the reality of our twisted situation. But now, he was just leaning against the railing, staring out at the fields like he was a college student that had just started his spring break.

"So what now?" I hinted tightly.

"What do you mean? This is it."

"We're just going to stand on a balcony and hope that the world fixes itself?"

Alistair's eyes turned towards me and he paused briefly, almost like he was trying to read me as deeply as he could. I did my best not to squirm before he forced his attention back to the view.

"I know this is going to be hard for you because you've always done everything yourself, but we can't do anything this time. Even if we wanted to. I assume that Josh is going to figure this out sooner because he's probably expecting a phone call from Smith, but someone will find that car and we are going to be pursued very aggressively when that happens. So the best thing to do is immerse ourselves in the culture around us. Sophie is a tech wizard and my parents used to have an amazing team behind them. Between the three of them they will find something out, at least enough for us to come out of hiding and fight it ourselves. Until then we will enjoy Paris."

"I can't just sit around and wait."

"You have to." Alistair retorted, "My parents know what they're doing and I've seen Sophie's skills first hand. I have faith that they are the most capable people to get us out of this situation."