“Only in my dreams,” Robbie said, and when Julien looked at him over his shoulder, Robbie grinned.

“Have you ever been in a restaurant’s kitchen, princesse?” But Julien led Robbie past all of that to the walk-in refrigeration unit where they could decide what they were going to cook today. Under the counters were the pots, pans, mixers, and food processors-anything and everything one would need to make it through a night of cooking in a five-star restaurant. In the center of the kitchen, where the true magic happened, there were four industrial-sized gas ranges with ovens facing one another, and overhead were the enormous exhaust hoods to funnel out the steam and heat produced over the course of hours spent on prep and cooking. JULIEN WALKED INSIDE the space that had become a second home to him since moving to Chicago, and took in the familiar and comforting atmosphere of the kitchen that greeted him.Īlong three of the outer walls ran stainless-steel food-prep stations in the shape of a horseshoe, and at the far end was the hand- and dish-washing area. See you around…Priest,” Henri said, and as Priest hung up, all he could think was: I sure as fuck hope not. “Call me next week, that’s when I’ll know more.

He knew exactly what Henri was telling him: Change your number in case someone discovers we’ve talked and they try and get it out of me. Priest didn’t have anything to say in response to that. I hate pain as much as the next man, and who knows who’s listening.” “This number you called from today, it’s private. “What?” Priest said, as his fingers tightened around the phone. “I hope you’re not expecting a thank you.” What a fucking nightmare this was turning out to be.

True by Ella Frank