Beautifully Broken (The Broken Series Book 2) by K.S. Ruff Read Free Book Online

softened as he met my gaze. “Monsieur Garcia has requested that you remain
upstairs until his meeting has concluded on the main floor.”
    I
immediately pictured a throng of gun-toting terrorists milling about
downstairs. “Oh, okay…” I stammered. “I don’t want to interrupt his meeting.” I
eyed the man in front of me. “Your English is quite good. Do you mind telling
me who you are?”
    “My
name is Rafael. Monsieur Garcia assigned me to you for your protection. He felt
it prudent that your bodyguard speak English.” Rafael unfolded his arms and began
texting on his phone. “Breakfast will be delivered to your room shortly.”
    I
shifted nervously as I glanced down the hall. I knew Michael had some dangerous
connections, but I hadn’t anticipated having a bodyguard. I had been hoping to
track Michael down so I could talk to him. But now? I didn’t know what to do. The
bedroom was hardly a prison cell, but I had no desire to stay locked up in my
room. Finally, I spoke. “Would it be possible to have breakfast in the
library?”
    He
smiled. “Sure. The library is located on the second floor, next to the garden
terrace. I’ll show you there.” Rafael turned and walked down the hallway. He sent
another text message before tucking the phone inside his pocket.
    I
trailed after Rafael, but he shortened his stride so we were walking alongside
one another. I gave the staircase a wide berth as we crossed over into the
other wing. I didn’t want to risk being seen by anyone downstairs.
    The
tension in my back and shoulders eased when we entered the library. It wasn’t
so much the books as it was the smell of coffee that I found comforting. A tray
of food was sitting on a small coffee table, which was nestled between two
oversized leather chairs and a very large window.
    Rafael
removed the lid from the tray and examined the food. “ B on appétit ,” he remarked before
walking out of the room. The doors closed softly behind him. I could only
assume he remained standing on the other side.
    I
stared at the tray of food. Was he curious about what I was eating or
questioning the safety of the food? As my eyes shifted toward the door, I
wondered whether he had truly been assigned for my protection. I had presumed Michael
had hired him to prevent me from escaping. My curiosity flitted between Rafael
and the books.
    I
looked around the library. An insane number of books lined the walls from ceiling
to floor. My fingers skimmed over the books while I perused the shelves. A good
portion of the books were written in French. Some had Spanish or Portuguese
titles, but very few were written in English.
    I
searched the shelves for some time before stumbling across a book that I
thought might offer answers to some of the questions still swirling around my
mind. The book was sitting on a large table in the center of the room. My
fingertips lingered over the gold embossing before I picked the book up and
settled into one of the oversized chairs.
    I
wasn’t hungry, but I was eager to try the coffee that had been beckoning me
from the moment I had entered the room. I reached for the carafe and poured the
dark, life saving elixir into a cup that was entirely too small for my liking.
I lifted the cup and breathed in the rich earthy aroma as I took a small sip.
The coffee slid decadently across my tongue. I took two more sips, then closed
my eyes as I savored the soothing effect.
    I
drank two cups of coffee before turning my attention to the book. I sifted through
the pages until I found the section I was looking for. I lost all track of time
as I fell into the book.
    “ Bonjour,
mon coeur . I see you have found my Bible.”
    I
glanced up as Michael’s voice rolled over me. He was leaning casually in the
doorway, as if he had been standing there for quite some time. Interestingly
enough, Rafael was nowhere to be seen.
    Michael
crossed the room in four long strides. He reached for my hand as he knelt in
front of me. “Why are you