Page 19 of At Midnight

“Océaneand I were close,” Raphael said. “She’ll want to meet Alina.”

That’s right,Océane,Flicka reminded herself. She knew some of Raphael’s sisters from cotillions and events. Océane had attended her wedding.

She couldn’t believe she hadn’t put it together, before.

She should have recognized those striking, storm-cloud gray Mirabaud eyes sometime during all those years she had known Dieter.

“Océanehas three children, now,” Sophie said to Raphael. “You have eight niecesand nephews, and three brothers-in-law. I can’t believe how much you’ve missed. You have to meet them all.” She glanced at Valerian and caught the sharp look in his eyes. “Eventually. At some point, surely. All of them are very busy.”

“At some point,” Valerian agreed. “Perhaps.”

“I have pictures, though, if you would like to see your nieces and nephews,” Sophie added.

“I’ll see my sisters everyday at the bank,” Raphael said. “My fiancée and my daughter are staying at your house, and my sisters will want to meet their niece and future sister-in-law.”

Valerian said, “Then you’d better not mention them.”

Raphael swelled as he leaned forward, staring his father straight in his eyes. “Are you threatening them?”

“Of course not.”

“Are you saying you would hurt them?”

Flicka wanted tointervene and defuse the situation, but Dieter had been in charge of her security for many years. She knew better than to interfere.

Valerian smoothed his napkin in his lap. “Of course not. You weren’t even spanked as a child, Raphael. I’m not a violent man.” He leaned toward Raphael as if to emphasize what he was saying. “I’m trying to save your life. There are too many contacts between GenevaTrust and the Ilyin Bratva. Someone would slip. If Piotr Ilyin knew that you have a fiancée and a child here, he might decide to make an example of you rather than allowing you to make amends because the revenge would be so much sweeter. If he knew Flicka was here, he might inform Pierre, either to gain the goodwill of the monarch of Monaco or just to watch the chaos. No good can result from tippingour hand too soon.”

Sophie said, “Surely he wouldn’t do anything to a woman and a child.”

“I’ve known him to do terrible things to women and children, if it made his point,” Valerian said, “so we’ll just keep Flicka and Alina to ourselves. It’s best for everyone that way.”

Flicka wound her napkin around her fingers.

No one knew she was there. No one had seen her. No one even knew she had enteredthe country.

If something did happen to Flicka and Alina, no one would ever know they were missing because no one would know they had ever been there at all.