“I can rough it for one night,” Levi assured her. “Which way?”

“The main residence is on the second level.” They reached a stairwell, and Cassie pointed to an elevator to her left. “We can send the luggage up in the elevator.”

Jeremy hit the up button. “The elevator isn’t large enough for all of us with the luggage.”

“Noelle, can you ride up with the bags? We’ll meet you upstairs.”

“No problem.” The elevator doors slid open, and Noelle, Jeremy, and Levi loaded the bags inside. Noelle squeezed inside and hit the button for the second floor.

“I’ll check out the stairwell.” Jeremy jogged up the stairs at a quick enough pace that he would likely beat the elevator to the main residence hallway.

Levi took Cassie’s arm, and they ascended the stairs together. When they reached the top, Noelle and Jeremy already had the bags stacked in the hall.

“My room is the second one on the left,” Cassie said. “Levi, you can choose between the guest quarters next to my room or the one at the end of the hall.”

“I’ll take the one closest to you.”

“Hallelujah.” Jeremy hefted two large suitcases. “I don’t want to carry these any farther than I have to.”

“I don’t blame you.” Cassie opened the door to the guest quarters. “Levi, I hope this is okay.”

Levi walked inside and set the gun case down on the narrow table beside the door. “I’m sure it will be fine.”

With Jeremy’s and Noelle’s help, Cassie and Levi sorted their bags and deposited them in their respective sitting rooms.

“We’ll leave you to settle in,” Jeremy said. “The motion sensor alarms are active on the exterior of the palace. Tomorrow, I’ll bring you up to speed on the other enhancements we have in place.”

“I appreciate it,” Levi said.

They all said their good nights, and Noelle and Jeremy disappeared down the stairwell.

“You have to be exhausted,” Levi said.

“Yes, but I want to make sure you have everything you need before I turn in.”

“I’ll be fine.” He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. “Sleep well.”

“You too. I’ll see you in the morning.” Cassie went inside her room and closed the door. She took one look at the neatly stacked suitcases and promptly decided to ignore them. Unpacking could wait until tomorrow. Tonight, what was left of it, she wanted to spend in her own bed.

CHAPTER 31

Levi walked into his new living quarters and locked the door behind him. The small sitting room was about the size of an average bedroom in the United States, not tiny but much more modest than what he would have expected in the residential guest quarters. A love seat occupied the space along the wall to his right, a chair angled beside it. A glass-topped table spanned the wall on the other side of the door, and a silk floral arrangement spilled out of a ceramic urn.

Levi sidestepped the pile of luggage that dominated the center of the room and crossed to the door that presumably led to the bedroom. He stepped through the opening and flipped the light switch to find he was most decidedly not in the bedroom. He quickly reassessed his impression of his new living space.