“Tempting, but I can’t imagine this apartment is very big.”

“Let’s wait and see.” The word tempting was a good sign. She wasn’t adamantly opposed. And he knew a two-bedroom flat priced at five mil must have some decent-sized rooms.

Their remaining days were nothing but sunshine and roses, rainbows and bluebirds, unalloyed pleasure—luxurious and momentous. Dominic made sure of that. Whatever Kate wanted, he gave her.

Kate had told herself that first night in Singapore that whatever time she had with Dominic, she wouldn’t spoil by thinking about the future. And by and large, she was able to deal with her emotions in a practical way. She was incredibly happy most of the time. Only occasionally, late at night, she’d wake up, terrified, her heart pounding, afraid she’d lost him. But a second later, she’d feel Dominic beside her, or holding her close, and her panic would subside.

For his part, Dominic was feeling a rare tension. He generally had nerves of steel, but with Katherine’s safety at issue, with them both in the crosshairs of Gora’s relatives, considerably more was at stake. Katherine had already been targeted in Singapore, Gora’s men in place before he’d arrived. So he wasn’t just gambling with his life, a life he’d viewed as disposable for years. Living held more purpose for him now. Since meeting Katherine, he felt as though he had a future, perhaps even a good one. And he was unprepared to lose either her or that future.

Although on a purely tactical level, Gora was the problem. He was a loose cannon at the best of times, always indebted to his wife’s mafiosa family organization, but defiantly independent on the surface. None of which offered a predictable outcome to the meeting on Tuesday.

Money usually worked as leverage, but not always.

There were too many players at the table this time.

And some of them were invisible.

TWENTY-FOUR

Dominic’s private plane landed in London Saturday afternoon at five.

Kate had received a text with the address of the sublet apartment the day before. Justin had offered to meet her there and give her a tour; he was waiting when they reached the flat. Along with Max.

Justin introduced himself to Kate and Dominic and while he showed Kate the flat, Dominic and Max quickly reviewed their plans for Tuesday and arranged to meet at the airport Monday afternoon. Then Max left and Dominic caught up with Justin and Kate in the sleek, stainless-steel kitchen.

“Nice,” Dominic said. “I like it.”

“It’s intimidating for a noncook,” Kate said, viewing the handle-less cabinets that soared up to the high ceiling, the large brilliant blue Aga stove, and the even larger refrigerator. The three sinks and sizable wine cooler. “But I’ll manage. There’s always takeout and pizza.”

“Why not let Sese take charge?” Dominic suggested. “You won’t even have to come into the kitchen. And with your punishing work schedule I doubt you’ll have time.” Dominic turned to Justin. “Katherine has a work ethic on steroids. CX Capital is lucky to have her.”

“So I’ve heard,” Justin replied with a well-mannered smile. “We’re looking forward to her help.”

Dominic glanced at Sese, who’d come in behind him. “What do you think, baby? Care to see if Sese can help you out? At least until you get settled in. Your first week or so at work could be hectic.”

“I don’t know.” She hesitated. “Would I be imposing? Sese probably has better things to do.”

“Why don’t you ask him?” Dominic smiled. “Although keep in mind Sese cooks for a living.”

“Divinely as a matter of fact.” Kate smiled at the huge mountain of a man standing beside Dominic. Their meals on the plane had been crazy good. “Would you mind helping me out, Sese? It wouldn’t be for long. Just until my schedule—I don’t know—falls into place.”

Sese dipped his head. “No problem.”

“Okay.” Kate took a small breath. It was her first experience with something so grand as a live-in cook. “I don’t have a clue how this works.”

“Don’t worry about it.” A flashing smile. “I’ve been doing this a while.”

“Great.” She exhaled. “And I can pay for this,” she added, turning to Dominic. “So don’t even think about it.”

“Perfect. It’s settled, then.” He glanced at Sese. “Here’s your new domain. Starting Monday.” Dominic shot a look at Justin. “Is there a cafeteria in the headquarters building or does Sese have to bring in food when Katherine’s working late?”

“People generally go out to eat.”

Dominic put his arm around Kate and pulled her close. “Sese will see that you have food. Sometimes you forget to eat when you’re working. Now, do you have any questions for Justin?”

“How far is the office?”

“My driver will drive you,” Dominic said before Justin could answer.

“He doesn’t have to.”

“Nonsense, that’s his job. We’ll let him know when to pick you up in the morning and you can call him when you want to be driven home. At least until you get the hang of things,” he added smoothly, rather than You can’t go out of the flat without a guard. “Sese, why don’t you get some idea of what Katherine wants you to shop for and I’ll see Justin out.” Brushing Kate’s cheek with a kiss, he moved away and smiled at Justin. “Thanks for coming over.”