Masterpiece (The Masters of The Order Book 1) (36 page)

Xavier pulled her close and whispered urgently, “One chance. My driver will pick you up at six at the bottom of Darion’s drive. Come alone."

He yanked open the door and stormed through it.

*****

Julianne’s hand slipped out of his grasp.

The loss was devastating. Nicolai had never known this kind of vulnerability. Never experienced such a crushing desire for something that was suddenly out of reach. The pain was staggering. A sucker punch to the chest that knocked the breath clear out of the lungs and left you gagging for air.

And the punches just kept coming. Every smile, every twirl, every step Julianne took ripped another piece of his heart out of his chest. He could almost feel the blood running out of his body as he watched her glide across the dance floor in Xavier’s arms.

What does Xavier want?

As the question entered his mind, the answer cut into his soul. He didn’t have to see it in the way Xavier looked at Julianne or the way his hands touched her. He didn’t have to hear it in the way he spoke to her. He already knew.

Xavier wants Julianne.

“Stay calm, Nicolai. Everyone is watching this.” Darion’s voice was stern.

Nicolai fought to school a relaxed expression on his face. Of course they were watching. Xavier was giving them a show that would become legend. Walking across the ballroom, ignoring Darion and Sabin, singling out Julianne. Xavier put the spotlight on her the moment he stepped into the room and it wouldn’t fade. Ever.

“He can’t do anything tonight but dance with her. Jacques is in the entry hall, Sabin is on the terrace and the bodyguards are outside. They aren’t going anywhere. We just have to let this play out.”

Darion spoke slowly, reminding him of the protections that were in place, but the words didn’t penetrate. Nothing could protect his Beauty now. She was caught in the clutches of a monster. And that meant nothing could protect him either.

Nicolai watched Julianne swirl across the floor, unaware of the danger Xavier posed to her. The gossamer dress flowed over her lovely legs as she danced away from him, the thin fabric revealing his marks on her body. Instead of indulging his inner barbarian, he should have told her the truth. Marking her did nothing. Marks couldn’t protect her. Only knowledge could. But like everyone else in her life, he lied to her. He left her weak, unprepared to face the man whom he naïvely hoped would blithely pass her by.

How could I have been so foolish?

If a man like Xavier Talbot wanted something, he took it and no one could stop him. He was untouchable, reigned in only by his own scruples. But Xavier had absolute power, more than his own father, more than Darion, and absolute power corrupts. There would be nothing scrupulous about his relationship with Julianne. Her desires would be irrelevant.

Nicolai was furious. But against Xavier, he was impotent. His powerlessness boggled his mind. The fury turned inward and dropped him into a hell of his own making. He never should have believed. Never should have surrendered his heart. He was dead inside when he met Julianne. She made him taste life, but the sublime pleasure of that brief indulgence paled in comparison to the pain he was experiencing now. He was right; Darion wrong. Better to never feel love than to feel it, only to have it mercilessly ripped away. To be forced to live knowing what perfection felt like and that you would never feel it again.

Love was a farce. Fleeting and meaningless.

As the despair hardened him, he was vaguely aware of Darion speaking to him. Words of comfort, words to offer hope, strength. Words that he knew were lies.

When Julianne extended her arm and smiled so brightly at the devil holding her, his bitterness consumed him. All of the fury at Xavier, at himself, was redirected and focused on her.

The pain is her fault. How dare she disobey me? I gave a direct order and she blatantly ignores it? How dare she disregard her own safety so cavalierly?

Julianne's behavior disgraced him. Disgraced herself. More with each passing second. He wanted her to suffer for the offense. Punish her like she was punishing him. He didn’t realize he’d stepped forward until Darion’s fingers dug into his arm.

“Don’t,” Darion commanded.

*****

The worst had come to pass.

Nicolai’s jaw clenched. Cold challenge filled his eyes as he rolled his shoulder to free himself. Darion held fast. He was struggling to maintain his own control. How could he expect Nicolai to maintain his?

But control was imperative.

Darion cursed under his breath. Xavier’s actions revealed his intentions. In Xavier’s mind, Julianne no longer belonged to Nicolai. She belonged to him. Watching him with her made that abundantly clear.

But it also made something else clear. Xavier didn’t know the truth about Julianne any more than she or Nicolai did. Darion still had that card to play and prayed it would be enough to rectify the situation.

The time for honesty had unceremoniously arrived. The truth was the only thing that would stop Nicolai from doing something rash and keep this whole scene from exploding.

“I said, don’t.” Darion gripped Nicolai’s arm tighter.

Nicolai met his eyes in rebuff and the words he’d held inside for so long sprang free.

“He won’t hurt her, Nicolai. She is his daughter.”

*****

Xavier burst through the doors and felt every eye fall on him as he reentered the ballroom.

Let them stare. Let them all stare.

None of them mattered now. There was no point in trying to hide his emotion. He was stripped bare, exposed, his cloak of superiority shredded by the woman he was forced to leave on the terrace.

He rushed across the dance floor, his mind racing faster than his feet until he reached the solitude of his library. Ripping open the bar cabinet, he grabbed a random bottle. He didn’t care what he was drinking as long as it was alcohol. He snorted at the thought that he hadn’t taken a drink in years. Alcohol made men weak, careless, and he didn’t allow himself that stupidity.

But right now, he had to calm down. He poured a few inches of brown liquid into a crystal glass and tossed it back. Poured another and did it again, letting the calming heat of the whiskey seep into his system. Moving across the long room, he plunked the bottle onto an end table and collapsed into a wing chair by the fireplace.

The pieces were falling into place. The plan set. The groundwork laid. The countdown begun. Rubbing his palms over his face, he laughed out loud in the empty space. It sounded maniacal, even to him. He was so close. All he had to do was wait. Just a few more hours. He’d waited years. And now, it was down to a few simple hours.

Nicolai had done well. Very well. Someday he might even thank him. Julianne was charming, flirtatious and unbelievably sexy. And she was as beautiful as his Lianne, even if her character seemed counter to her mother’s, but he could correct that. He understood how to perfect a woman.

Part of him regretted that Sabin interrupted him before he was convinced that Julianne agreed to his plan, but he wasn’t all that worried. He saw the fury in Nicolai’s eyes and knew what would happen once he got Julianne alone. All Doms held a thin leash on the violence that drove them and Nicolai’s just snapped. Nicolai’s anger was going to shove the very thing he wanted to protect the most right into his waiting arms. Given the glimmers of independence in Julianne, there was little chance she would surrender her singular opportunity to talk to him, especially after facing the stone wall of her Dom’s rage. His only concern was that Nicolai would lock her away, but he doubted it. Nicolai didn’t have the balls for that.

He raised his glass in a toast to Gilles. “To forgiveness, you fool. Did you honestly believe you could take what was mine and get away with it? That I wouldn’t have my revenge? Well, I have something better than revenge now, don’t I?”

Xavier took a long swig of his drink. “I have your daughter.” He shot to his feet, spinning around, and screamed at the high walls of books. “Hear that, Gilles. I have your daughter. No one takes from me and gets away with it. No one! She is mine and I will never let her go.”

One more sunrise and he would take what was his.

23

The Sins of The Father

Julianne stomped her feet and wiped her nose with the back of her hand as she stormed down the drive, cursing Nicolai out loud as she went.

She was acting like a little girl and she didn’t care.

How dare he? How dare he lay me over his knee and spank me? It's one thing when sex is involved, but as a punishment? Who the hell does he think he is, my father? Merde. Don’t go there.

Nicolai was many things, demanding, exacting, protective, but never patronizing. Unless the topic was Xavier Talbot and then he reduced her to a child. Even punished her like one.

Well I'm not a little girl and he can’t treat me like one.

She thrust her chin into the air. She would deal with Mr. Patronizing when she got back. Unlike him, she would be honest about what happened and hope that, with time, he would understand.

Her conscience chided her as she walked.
Wow, Julianne. You would? You’ve certainly earned his honesty with all you’ve given him.

Even though it was only five-thirty, a black Rolls Royce sat outside the gate to Darion’s estate. She stopped. She couldn’t meet Xavier without shedding the little hissy fit she was throwing.

As she stepped out of view of the car, a warning bell rang in her mind.
No one knows I'm meeting Xavier
. Maybe she should go back and tell someone what she was doing. She couldn’t tell Nicolai. Perhaps Darion. No. That was a very bad idea. Darion wouldn’t just spank her. He would probably lock her in his dungeon.

I'll send Nicolai a text.

As she pulled out her iPhone, her conscience bristled again.
Indulge me, Julianne. I feel more comfortable knowing I can reach you at any time.

Nicolai really did care about her. He only wanted to protect her, and seeing that car somehow made her feel the need for his protection. She turned, about to head back up the hill, when the rear door opened.

One chance.

She straightened her spine, wiped her eyes one more time and approached the car. She couldn’t see the man inside, only his hand, but she knew it was Xavier. Everything else would have to wait.

As she slipped into the back seat, Xavier held out a handkerchief. “I expected to find you like this. How bad was it?”

“Pretty bad.”

“I’m sorry.”

That was a surprising reaction. Men, especially dominant ones, tended to stick together.

“I’m fine. This is very important to me. I appreciate what you’re doing.” The car eased into motion. “May I ask where we’re going?”

“Good to see you’re not a complete brat.”

Xavier smiled, but it didn’t feel like he was teasing. Sympathetic or not, she would have to be more careful.

They drove a long time in silence. When the car finally stopped, the driver opened the door. They were at a marina.

“I thought you might enjoy sailing today. It’s very relaxing and will give us complete privacy."

Xavier stepped toward the dock. She stayed back. He didn’t stop walking, only turned his head and offered the perfect lure.

“Your mother loved this old boat. I have some of her things on board for you.”

Julianne followed him. “This old boat” was a classic long keel sailing yacht with polished blond wood and gleaming rails. Two masts towered overhead, their white sails rolled up.

Xavier didn’t speak again until they were seated at the stern and a sumptuous breakfast set before them. She couldn’t eat. Her stomach was in knots. The engine began to rumble.

“I do hope you understand, Julianne, that you deserved to be punished more severely for your disobedience. The fact that you can still sit tells me how much Nicolai has indulged you.” Xavier waved a hand through the air with a haughty laugh. “What is he trying to do, foster your rebelliousness?”

Her jaw almost dropped at the change in Xavier, but she knew better than to reveal anything. The precarious situation she’d put herself in announced itself very clearly as Xavier did all the revealing.

His gaze flicked over her as he poured a cup of coffee and handed it her. “I will never tolerate that type of disrespect. It will do neither of us any good for you to be spoiled. Drink.”

After the pot was replaced on its trivet, he spread his arms over the table and stared. His grey eyes were watching her reaction, testing her, and she knew better than to challenge him. She took cream, but Xavier didn’t offer it and she didn’t dare ask for some. She lifted the cup and drank from it as though her pulse wasn’t racing, as though she wasn’t nervous as hell, and hid the wince at the bitter taste.

“Very nice. I see you’re capable of learning.” He handed her a small pitcher.

She poured the cream into her coffee, stirred and took another sip, praying that Xavier didn’t notice her shaking hands.

“Ask what you will. You have permission to speak freely.”

“How do you know I like cream in my coffee?” It was a stupid question and as soon as she asked, she was afraid to hear the answer.

As if speaking to a child, Xavier replied with a humorless smile, “I know everything about you, Julianne.”

She felt dizzy. When she spoke again, her words slurred. “Why would you be interested in me?”

Nausea swept over her, maybe from the motion of the yacht, and her head dipped. Xavier’s hand reached across the table to cup her chin, lifting her face to his gaze. Her eyelids felt heavy and she blinked slowly.

He laughed a bit, the sound of it chilling. “Let me ask you something? If someone took something you loved with all your soul away, how would you feel about that person?”

Her mouth went dry. If she hadn’t been watching for Xavier’s reaction, she might have missed the expression that flickered across his face. His features remained smooth, but his eyes. His eyes were like storm clouds brewing with hatred.

Something or someone? Did Gilles take Lianne away? Is that the missing piece? Is that why Nicolai was so worried?

“She trusted you. I trusted you.” Her voice was as muddled as her mind.

“People see what they want to see, Julianne. Lianne was mine.” His voice cracked like thunder to match his eyes. “Gilles took her away. For that, someone must pay.”

Spots blinked at the corners of her eyes. Then the edges of the world caved in and sucked her into blackness.

*****

Nicolai was in shock.

Julianne was gone. Gone! Darion couldn’t reach Xavier and neither he nor Sabin would admit it, but they all knew Xavier had taken her. On top of that, Darion dropped a bomb guaranteed to destroy Julianne’s world when he got her back.

If I get her back.

He tried not to image what Julianne must be experiencing right now. He knew it was bad. More than bad. And the entire thing was his fault. If he only told her the truth about Xavier’s fixation on her perhaps she wouldn’t have trusted him.

He knew exactly what he would have done to lure her. Her weakness was so apparent. He would have tempted her with information about Lianne. He pictured Julianne walking off with Xavier willingly on a simple promise. God, how could he have let her remain so naïve? And the way they parted. He would never forgive himself for that.

Jacques stormed into the room, all business, took one look at him slumped on the sofa, and headed toward Darion and Sabin. “Okay, I spoke to the guards. No one saw anything. With a little friendly encouragement, one guy suggested that Xavier’s yacht ‘might’ be gone.” He raised his hands to make quotations in the air. “It is.”

Sabin raised an eyebrow. “Friendly encouragement?”

Jacques grinned. “You’re not the only one who knows a few goons.”

“Nuff said.” Sabin gave an appreciative nod. “So what’s the motive? Money. Are we blackmailing Gilles?”

“No,” Darion interjected with thinly masked anger as another piece of the puzzle fell into place.

“What then?” Sabin asked.

“I can only speculate, but Gilles took Lianne from him. Knowing Xavier as I do, I would say revenge.”

“It looked like a hell of a lot more than that to me, Darion,” Nicolai ground out from across the room.

“Of course, the sick bastard would prey on an innocent,” Sabin said under his breath.

Darion didn't respond to either comment.

“But if revenge is the motive, why wait twenty years?” Jacques asked.

Darion leaned forward on his elbows, his eyes fixed on the floor. "When the Colonel met Lianne, it was love at first sight, but her lover wouldn't let her go. When he found out about the affair, he beat her so badly, he nearly killed her. Sister Genevieve told me that when Gilles went to rescue her, Xavier went with him. The guy didn’t survive the night. A secret like that is quite a weapon.”

“How many secrets are there, Darion?” Nicolai joined the group, haunted eyes locked on Darion.

Sabin ignored him and continued trying to unravel the mystery. “So their bond was strong enough to keep everybody silent for over twenty years, but not strong enough to keep them together.”

“True. Gilles protected Lianne from her first lover. Perhaps she needed protection from Xavier too.”

“Don’t you dare make that bastard out to be some kind of hero,” Nicolai spat.

No one begrudged him his anger, but it wasn’t helping so they ignored him.

“One thing is pretty clear,” Darion continued. “If the Colonel recognized Julianne’s sexuality, he knew she would gravitate to the life. Given his experience with Lianne, I’m sure he wouldn’t be happy about it.”

“Hence the puritanical upbringing,” Sabin added. “And the need to compel obedience to only him.”

“Exactly.”

“He thought he could keep her with him forever.”

“Apparently.”

“But how could a father do the things he did to his own daughter?”

The pain in Nicolai’s voice forced Darion to address him. “Gilles is lifetime military and a Dom. I doubt his discipline was ever soft. Fear must have overtaken reason and convinced him that the ends justified the means.”

“Jesus, that’s messed up.” Jacques put a hand on Nicolai’s shoulder.

“It’s tragic.” Nicolai shrugged the touch away.

“It’s obvious Xavier doesn’t, but does Gilles know Xavier is Julianne’s biological father?” Sabin again.

“I don’t know.”

“How did you find out?”

“After I talked to Sister Genevieve, I had a suspicion.”

“A suspicion. Christ almighty, are we even sure that Xavier is her father?”

“I’m not a damn fool, Sabin,” Darion snapped. The pressure was bearing on him, fraying his usual contained manner. “I went to Japan to meet with the Colonel’s former commander. Gilles and Lianne lived with him after they left Xavier. He suggested it to me, but he wasn’t sure. I had tests run right after I got back.”

Jacques tried to refocus the conversation on the present. “Okay, but even if all this is true, what changed?”

“There’s something else.” Darion ran a hand over his forehead, his hesitation palpable, then he heaved a heavy breath and laid the horrible truth on the table. “Julianne is the exact image of Lianne. The resemblance is remarkable. When I showed Xavier Julianne’s picture, something snapped. I saw him react at the time, but I didn’t recognize what I was seeing.”

“Shit, he still loves her,” Jacques murmured. “Xavier doesn’t want money or revenge. He wants to replace Lianne.”

Nicolai exploded. “You lied about everything. Didn’t you, Darion? Right from the beginning. And I was the fool who believed you.” He wasn’t talking about Julianne’s past. “I didn’t want this. You forced it on me. You said I was worthy. I knew I wasn’t worthy of someone like Julianne, but I trusted you.
Je t'emmerde
, Darion,” he spat. “I trusted you and now she suffers because I did.”

Darion reached for him. He turned away.

Before anyone could speak again, Sabin’s phone rang. Everyone fell silent, listening to the one-sided conversation. Before he hung up, Sabin was heading for the door and waving for the group to follow.

A car waited outside and Sabin said as he got in, “Xavier’s in Provence. Private plane leaves in twenty minutes.”

So much for not admitting that Xavier had Julianne.

*****

A hand brushed Julianne's cheek.

So cold.

She tried, but couldn’t open her eyes. Her mouth felt like it was filled with sandpaper; her head, like someone dropped an anvil on it.

Another flutter over her forehead.

“Wake up, Lianne.”

Something's wrong. Something's very wrong
.

She strained to open her eyes, but her lids wouldn’t lift. Every muscle grimaced when she tried to move and her wrists were on fire.

"That's it, my beloved. Wake up."

"Xavier?" The strained sound of her voice scared her.

She remembered meeting him. They were talking, sharing coffee and then nothing. She blinked up into pale eyes. They held a weird light. A wrong light.