Savage Gentleman: 11. Charlotte’s Game

The jet hummed like a heartbeat beneath them. Beyond the glass, night unfurled in sheets of ink and lightning — the kind of sky that never seemed to end. Evelyn hadn’t slept in twenty-four hours, but adrenaline was its own drug.

Opposite her, Lucas sat with his sleeves rolled up and his laptop open, light pooling over the sharp angles of his face. His quiet focus both unnerved and fascinated her. Every time the plane hit turbulence, his hand brushed the seat between them, an unconscious reach — not for comfort, but control.

“She’s in Vienna,” he said finally, closing the screen. “Charlotte’s been buying time with diplomatic immunity. She has three days before the board realizes she’s not representing the foundation anymore.”

“And after that?”

“She vanishes for good.

Evelyn leaned back, the leather cool against her skin. “Then we catch her before she disappears.”

Lucas studied her for a moment, that calculating stillness of his returning. “You’re s