That’s what this is about, that stupid ring? Allie exhaled a sigh of relief. She knew Julian was obsessed with the twelve-carat diamond Louis XIV had bestowed upon the first Marquis Laurent. But as far as she was concerned, she’d be happy to never lay eyes on it again, much less wear it on her finger. But could she trust Julian to hold up his end of the bargain? “How do I know you’re giving me the only copy of the file?”

“I will give you the original. Copies can be discredited as doctored. They’re useless.”

“Fine. I’ll send it to you.”

“Send?” He let out a harsh laugh. “You do not send a priceless heirloom.” A cigarette lighter clicked to life near the mouthpiece of his phone. “Your train is about to arrive at Gare de Paris-Est station. Cancel the last leg of your journey and bring the ring to my chateau this evening.”

“I don’t have the ring with me.”

“Then I suggest you make the necessary arrangements.”

“When I get back to Chicago, I’ll have my assistant fly it over.”

“Not good enough. You will deliver it to me personally. Tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? I need more time, Julian.”

“You have until noon, Alessandra. That’s it, not a minute more. And if I find out you’ve told that prick you’re currently fucking about any of this, then the deal is off.”

Her mind raced with questions, and without thinking she spoke some of them out loud. “How am I supposed to get it here that fast . . . and what reason do I give for getting off the train?”

“Not my problem.” She heard the heavy exhale of a steady plume of smoke. “Tick tock, Alessandra. You have until tomorrow. After that this little film goes viral.”

The line went dead.

“Who was that?”

Allie’s head snapped up to find Hudson standing in the doorway of their cabin holding a dome-covered plate. “Um, nothing, just checking my voicemail.” She dropped her gaze, unable to look him in the eye. How she was going to pull this off if a small lie about a phone call had her thrown for a loop?

Hudson stepped into the room and shut the door behind him. “Everything okay?”

Allie looked up and gave him a reassuring smile. “Absolutely.” She forced herself to hold his gaze, her smile firmly in place. Hudson knew her better than anyone. If he even suspected something was amiss he’d ask questions she couldn’t answer.

He studied her face as he set the plate of food down on the small table and joined her on the bunk. “You look like you have something to say.”

Fuck. She couldn’t blow this. She had to convince him everything was fine. She didn’t want to lie to him, but if he knew the truth he’d never allow her to meet with Julian. And then everything would blow up and it would be all her fault. She couldn’t let that happen.

“I do, actually.” To her great relief she somehow managed to keep her voice level.

“Tell me.”

“I was thinking about Paris,” she said, trying to be as casual as possible.

His brow rose. “Is that so?”

“Mmmhmm. How would you feel about spending the night there instead of going directly to London? New Year’s Eve in the City of Lights?”

A warm smile formed on his lips. “Whatever makes you happy, Allie.”

“I want you to be happy, too, Hudson.”

“With the exception of perhaps a communal kiss,” he smirked, “I’m happy being anywhere with you.” He leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss just below her ear.

In spite of everything, Allie let out a small laugh, partly from the memory of Hudson’s reaction to the Venice celebration and partly from the sensation of his lips and tongue, sucking and kissing her sensitive skin. “No, no communal kiss under the Eiffel Tower, I promise.” Her hands found their way into his hair as his lips drifted down the column of her throat.

“Hmm, perhaps a king-size bed with a view of the Eiffel Tower instead.”

She tugged his hair until he raised his head to look at her. “Are you sure?” she asked. “We’d miss the lovely evening you planned on the River Thames.”

“We can charter the boat next week if you’d like?”

“I’d like. Very much.” A genuine smile stretched across her face at the thought of romantic dinner cruise with Hudson the following week. By then all of this mess with Julian would be behind them and they could get back to enjoying the new life they were building together.

“Then it’s decided. I’ll notify the conductor and arrange to have our bags unloaded at the next stop.” He stood and dug his phone out of the front pocket of his jeans. “Penthouse at the George V sound good?” he asked.

She smiled. “Sounds perfect.”

Hudson lifted the silver dome and snagged a piece of bacon before strolling out of the room with the phone pressed to his ear. Allie was dialing Harper’s number before the door had even fully closed.

After what seemed like a dozen rings, the call was finally answered.

“Hello.” The voice on the other line was so quiet, for a moment Allie thought in her haste she’d dialed the wrong number.

“Harper?”

“Who is it, babe?” a deep voice, thick with sleep, asked from somewhere close to the phone. Allie glanced at the time. It was just past noon in Chicago.

A few muffled words were spoken before Harper came back to the line. Normally Allie would have been all about asking for details about the mysterious man, but there was no time for that now.

“Hey you, aren’t you supposed to be sipping champagne in the French countryside?”

“I need your help.”Allie’s tone must have conveyed the urgency and anxiety she felt, because Harper was completely alert the next time she spoke.

“Give me one second,” she told her overnight guest. After a bit of shuffling she was back. “What’s wrong?”

The alarm in her friend’s voice brought the reality of the situation crashing down around her. Allie squeezed her eyes shut to stem the tears that stung her eyes. “It’s Julian,” she said past the lump in her throat.

“What’s that fucker done now?”

“He wants me to return his ring and he’s threatening to make trouble if I don’t.”

“Did you tell Hudson?” She let out a decisive snort. “I’m sure he could show Julian a whole new meaning for the word.”

Allie wanted nothing more than to tell Hudson everything. He would know the best way to handle Julian. But more than that, because it was killing her to lie to him. Secrets and lies had torn them apart. The last thing she wanted to do was have something else wedged between them. But this was different. This was about protecting Hudson and Nick.

“I don’t want to drag Hudson into this. Julian is my problem. I’ll give him his precious ring and then he’ll be out of my life. For good.”

“You can’t trust him.”

No, she couldn’t. But he’d left her no choice. “Will you bring me the ring?”

“To Paris?” Harper squeaked.

“Yes. I’ll take care of everything. All you have to do is get the ring from my brownstone and head to O’Hare with your passport. I think there’s a British Airways flight leaving around five thirty.”

“Tonight?”

“Yes, it should get you into de Gaulle around nine tomorrow morning. I’ll meet you there.”

“Whoa, slow down. Believe me, I’d like nothing more than to hop a jet to France. And you know I’d do anything for you. But I’m not so sure this is a good—”

“I wouldn’t ask if there was any other way,” Allie interrupted, her voice wavering with emotion. “Please.”

A moment of silence hung on the line. “Tell me what I need to do,” Harper said.

Allie gave her a quick rundown of the ring’s location, and after thanking her profusely and swearing her to secrecy, hung up to make the necessary arrangements. When she was done, she dressed quickly and packed up the rest of their things. As she zipped the suitcase she couldn’t help but wonder how she was going to make it through the next thirty hours. Hudson knew her so well, knew her moods, her expressions. It was going to be damn near impossible to act as though nothing was wrong. She took a deep breath. Somehow she’d find a way. She had to. Hudson and Nick’s very lives depended on it.