She was trying to repair the damage that had been done at the château when they tried to kidnap her. The Persian carpet in the living room was damaged beyond repair, drenched with blood, and she replaced it with one of her own. She found the fabric to re-cover the blood-spattered upholstery, so it wouldn’t look like a butcher shop when the new owners arrived. She told the realtor there had been a security problem there with some damage that was being repaired, and all would be in good order shortly. The new owner did not ask for further details, nor did Theo offer them. He knew about the abduction of Axel and Matthieu and it hadn’t stopped him. And he was bringing a security team of his own. His realtor had already urged him to have maximum security on the grounds, and the new owner was confident that his own people would do a better job than Theo’s.

She got her upholsterer to agree to re-cover the damaged chairs over the weekend before Christmas, for double the price. Daniel delivered them to the château as soon as they were done, and said everything looked fine. All she had to do now was replace her own, but that could wait. She wasn’t going out more than she had to, and had gone to her office with four armed guards.

The pop-up store on the Avenue Montaigne was doing an amazing business, as was the one in London in the rented townhouse. Business was excellent, for Matthieu’s brands too. But the tension of waiting for them to find the kidnappers was extreme, and there was no further news of the remaining two.

The Christmas decorations were up all over Paris, and the city was in a festive mood. Most of the damage from the recent riots had been repaired and ordinary business was picking up again, although not quite as briskly as the year before. But luxury brands like Theo’s, particularly with her online business, were extraordinary.

Mike hadn’t been able to call her as often as he would have liked. She could tell that he must have been working on something big, and he sounded distracted when they talked.

When he arrived from New York to spend the holiday with her, she could see the strain in his eyes. He had been worried about her, and there had been a delay in the Colombian drug shipment coming from Bolivia, so they didn’t know when it would arrive now, but they were trying to keep all the bases covered while they waited. They were no longer sure if it was still coming by ship, or being flown in. He was worried it would all happen while he was in Paris. His men were prepared, but he liked to be there for an operation as large as this one.